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Sleight of Hand
The Mechanic's Grip:
Much cheating occurs through the perfection of sleight of hand in manipulating
cards in the deck. This is facilitated by a special manner of holding the deck
to perform these cheating maneuvers. One such way of holding the deck is called
the Mechanic's Grip.
To best understand this grip, pick up a deck of cards as though you were
preparing to deal some cards out. It is likely that you are currently holding
the deck in the palm of your hand with all four fingers on the long side of the
deck, and your thumb on the top of the deck. When you deal, you use your thumb
to push a single card onto the tips of your four fingers. The thumb holds the
card in this place until the thumb and index finger of the other hand grabs it
and deals it across the table.
If you have been playing cards for enough of your life, then it is also likely
that you have never noticed that this is how you deal. With time, it becomes an
acquired natural motor skill that requires no conscious thought.
Now, holding the deck in this manner, move your index finger and middle finger
from the long side of the deck to the short side of the deck away from yourself.
In a very general sense, this is the Mechanic's Grip. It is through this grip
that such cheating as peeking, second dealing, and bottom dealing are
facilitated. Note that more of the deck is now being concealed by your hand.
Another Mechanic's Grip is to hold the deck with the thumb on top of the deck,
the index finger holding around the front edge, the two middle fingers beneath
the deck, and the little finger around the rear edge. This manner also ensures
that much of the deck is being covered by the dealer's hand.
There are two things to consider, however. One, that such tricks can be
performed in a way other than with the Mechanic's Grip, and two, that an honest
player may use what looks like the Mechanic's Grip as a standard way to deal.
More information is therefore required on specific cheating techniques.
The Peek:
This maneuver is a way in which the cheating dealer sees the top card of the
deck before the deal. By doing so, the dealer will know who has been dealt this
card in their hand (or in the case of an exceptional card, combine peeking with
second dealing to ensure that the card is dealt to himself or herself).
Utilizing the Mechanic's Grip, the cheat ensures that his or her thumb is
blocking the top card of the deck from being pushed in that direction. The cheat
then slowly pushes against the other long side of the top card using the pinky
finger (with help from the other finger on that side, if needed). It is awkward
to master, but with time, the cheat learns to see the bottom right corner of the
top card as it curls. No more than a quick peek is required, and the cheat has
learned what the top card is.
Using this in poker will usually require an additional cheating maneuver to make
effective use of it. For games like Blackjack or In-Between, however, its
usefulness is far stronger and obvious.
The Second Deal:
This maneuver is a way in which the cheating dealer deals the second top card of
the deck rather than the top card. If the dealer is aware that the top card is
one that he or she wants, then that dealer may 'second deal' to everybody else
until coming to his or her own hand, dealing the top card then.
Utilizing the Mechanic's Grip, the cheat uses his or her thumb to subtly push
the top card away from the rest of the deck, leaving about a half an inch of the
second card exposed. This sets it off somewhat from the base of the deck,
exposing part of the second top card beneath it. The cheat then uses the thumb
to ease the second top card outward, and the opposite hand to grab that card to
deal it out. Awkward though it may be at first, the cheat learns to deal the
second top card of the deck and leave the top card of the deck to be dealt into
the cheat's own hand.
This is useful in any game, but only after the cheat has discerned what the top
card is. Second dealing is useless unless that top card is being saved for
something, most likely the cheating dealer's own hand.
The Bottom Deal:
This maneuver is a way in which the cheating dealer places the card of his or
her choice on the very bottom of the deck and then deals it into his or her own
hand.
When that card is at the bottom, the cheat deals normally to all players until
arriving at his or her own hand. The cheat then deals the bottom card (using the
Mechanic's Grip to hide this action) in such a way that goes unnoticed. Even
those players looking directly at the deck may not notice that the cheat has
dealt the bottom card into his or her hand as opposed to the top card.
A "hanger" is used to describe when the bottom card is mistakenly dealt out with
too much force, bringing the next bottom card out a little bit from the bottom
of the deck. If noticed, the cheat has been caught bottom-dealing.
Extra Cards:
This maneuver has limited usage in one session, deadwood to have to worry about,
and only some proven benefit.
When the cheat is dealing, the cheat deals himself or herself an extra card (or
worse yet, extra cards) in the deal. This can be done with relative ease, so
long as nobody is focusing too much on the deal. When the dealer deals to his or
her own hand, the dealer pushes two cards with the thumb of the hand holding the
deck, and grabs both cards with the thumb and index finger of the other hand.
Performed towards the end of the deal, the extra card(s) fall(s) into the pile
of cards already in front of the cheat...nobody notices. This maneuver provides
the cheat with the advantage of extra card(s), while everybody else has been
dealt less cards.
At some point in the game, the cheat will need to liberate his or her hand of
the extra card(s), which will no doubt be the card worse suited in the cheat's
hand. Before the showdown, the cheat will need to get rid of this extra card and
what is worse, keep it hidden for the course of the game session. It will be
difficult to re-introduce this card back into the deck, especially if the cheat
has 'rid' of it beneath the table.
The calling card of this maneuver is certainly to find a low card beneath the
table after gameplay is over. If this happens, then it is likely that either a
card was misplaced from one deal to the next, or that a player 'discarded' it
during gameplay, yet still had a complete hand when the game was over.
False Shuffling:
There are no less than four manners of false shuffling:
1) Keeping the bottom card on the bottom. At the ideal opportunity, the cheat
will glance at the bottom card, after which the cheat will deal in such a manner
as to keep that card at the bottom. This can be done with the "interlocking
card" shuffle where the deck is divided in two halves that are shuffled together
by interlocking the cards. Ensuring that the half with the correct bottom card
is brought down first, that card will remain at the bottom. This trick is useful
for a cheat who anticipates bottom dealing.
2) Shuffling the bottom card to the top of the deck. At the ideal opportunity,
the cheat will glance at the bottom card, after which the cheat will shuffle
that card to the very top of the deck. This can be done with the "undercut"
shuffle whereby the bulk of the deck is held in the left hand, with the right
hand pulling out portions of cards and shuffling them off onto the top of the
rest of the deck in several motions. Ensuring that the final motion consists of
only one card -- what was the bottom card -- this card is dropped by itself onto
the very top of the deck. This trick is useful for a cheat who anticipates
second dealing or dealing extra cards.
3) Shuffling to keep one card or a number of cards undisturbed at the top of the
deck. Either by having used the second form of false shuffling, or by having
peeked at the top card, the cheat will shuffle the deck so that the top card
remains at the top. This is done with the "interlocking card" shuffle where the
two halves are shuffled together by interlocking the cards. Ensuring that the
half with the correct top card is brought down last, that card will remain at
the top. This trick is useful for a cheat who knows what the top card is, and
plans to second deal or deal extra cards.
4) Stacking the deck: This maneuver requires considerably greater sleight of
hand ability. It is less likely that a poker cheat who is that skilled and
experienced will find himself or herself at a smaller stakes table, where the
money to be made is not as great. However, a deck-stacker may just as soon sit
in on such a home game. Stacking the deck is the act of manipulating the
positions of cards in the deck while shuffling. Manipulated properly, they allow
the dealer to deal himself or herself a specific hand. For example, the cheat
shuffles the cards until all four Kings have been positioned at the top of the
deck. No simple feat, but this is the easy part. The dealer then proceeds to
shuffle the cards in such a way where each King is separated by a number of
cards equal to the number of other players at the table. That way, the dealer
performs a natural deal with all four Kings landing in his or her own hand.
In these and its other myriad forms, false shuffling allows the dealer to give
the impression of mixing up the cards randomly when the cheat is actually
manipulating the deck to place certain cards in certain places.
Even the cut is worthless protection if the dealer is allowed to shuffle at all
after it. The cut is only effective if the dealer immediately deals after it.
Any false shuffling allows the dealer to manipulate the deck.
Palming:
This is the act of secretly hiding individual cards, moving them either from the
deck onto one's person or one's hand or from one's person into one's hand or
back into the deck.
Basic palming involves hiding a card in the palm of one's hand. A playing card
can fit perfectly into the palm of one's hand, held at one end by the last bend
of each finger and at the other end by the cup of the palm.
From the deck, the cheat may palm cards into shirt pockets, under the leg, onto
the floor and covered by a foot, etc. From there, the cheat may bring the palmed
card into play by adding it to his hand as an extra card, palming that hand's
worst card into the place where the originally palmed card was being kept.
Shifting the Cut:
Shifting the cut is the sleight of hand solution around the protection of
cutting the deck. Honest players developed the tendency towards cutting the deck
as a way to foil second dealing, bottom dealing, and peeking. However, advanced
sleight of hand permits the cheat to overcome the cut.
The traditional cut involves the dealer pushing the deck towards another player,
who cuts the deck into two smaller piles. The dealer then picks up the pile that
was on the bottom and places it on the top of the other pile. Therefore, cards
that were at the top or on the bottom of the deck are now lost in the middle of
the deck. Shifting the cut involves the cheat returning the deck to its original
order, while being watched by the other players.
In effect, the cheat manages to place what was the top of the deck BACK ON TOP
of the deck. This can be done as follows:
1) With one hand, the cheat simply picks up the 'top pile' and quickly places it
on top of the other pile. Such an elementary way would most likely require
distraction with the cheat's free hand. If nobody is looking, the cheat may
manage to pull it off without anybody even noticing or suspecting.
2) As a more complex move, the cheat passes the 'bottom pile' over the top of
the other pile, but quickly drops the 'bottom pile' right beside the other pile,
picking up the other pile just as quickly. The cheat then drops this other pile,
the 'top pile' back onto the other cards, not disturbing the order of the cards.
This would obviously require tremendous speed, and most likely, some
distraction.
3) Also requiring great dexterity, the cheat indeed picks up the 'bottom pile'
and places it on top of the other pile; effectively, an honest cut. The cheat,
however, does not drop the 'bottom pile' on the other pile squarely; the 'bottom
pile' sticks out ever so slightly from the other pile (called "the step" by
stage magicians). The cheat then picks up the deck as it is, and while
pretending to square the deck, actually uses the step to replace the 'bottom
pile' at the bottom of the deck. Done quickly enough, the order of cards is not
disturbed.
All of these maneuvers require great skill, but help the cheat overcome the cut.
Shifing the cut is worthless on its own, however, and is combined with another
form of cheating that takes advantage of having beat the cut.
Other Methods
Video Poker is all-too-often confused with slots. Simply because they are graphically-driven games, video poker requires far more thought and strategy.Some good rules of thumb to improve your odds of success are:
1. You can apply a different strategy to each
machine, so when you find a machine you like, stick with it. The longer you
play, you will become more comfortable and be able to develop a strategy that
works best for you .
2. Resist the temptation to hold on to a Kicker. Holding an unpaired card with a
pair adds no value to your hand.
3. Drawing an outside straight (_5,6,7,8_) is far and away easier than waiting
to draw an inside straight (5,6,_,8,9). Allowing yourself to wait for a draw on
an outside straight allows you to complete your hand by getting the card you
need on either end.
4. Jacks or Better has an easy-to-understand strategy that makes it the game
best suited to players new to Video Poker.
5. Higher payouts such as 9/6 for Jacks or Better and 9/5 for Deuces Wild offer
the best payouts for players.
6. Before you discard, remember that the probability of a Royal Flush in Jacks
or Better Video Poker is approximately 1 in every 40,000 hands.
7. Never hold three cards in an attempt to get a straight or flush.
Collusion:
This is by far the easiest, and therefore most dangerous, manner to cheat. It is
virtually impossible to catch players in collusion, and even more difficult to
prove it.
The danger of collusion can not be emphasized enough. Collusion requires minimal
skill and minimal preparation, but poses a great danger to the honest players at
the table.
Collusion involves any number of players (usually two) silently working together
at the table. Working together, these players can perform the following
maneuvers:
Collusion is used to describe any cooperation
between two or more players, for the purposes of: pooling and splitting money
after the game, revealing any of their cards to each other, using table talk,
using gestures as signals, using betting schemes, etc.
This "Rounders"-like activity is most prevalent when two strangers have joined
the game, or if one acquaintance has introduced a stranger to play at the table.
Angling:
This is characterized as any acting out of turn. It is considered angling when
any player folds out of turn or signals to bet when it is not that player's
turn. Angling is considered by some to be more immoral than outright cheating.
Some House rules may even allow for it.
Two examples of angling are as follows:
1) It is not a player's turn to act, but nevertheless, that player throws their
hand away as though to fold. That player is holding a strong hand, but because
of the 'fold', other players to the angler's right remain in the hand. When the
round reaches the angler, the angler reclaims his or her hand, announcing that
they are not going to fold after all.
2) It is not a player's turn to act, but nevertheless, that player signals as
though he or she is going to bet. Other players to the angler's right react by
not betting or perhaps even folding. When the round reaches the angler, the
angler announces that he or she is not interested in betting after all.
A player who uses constant angling is known as an "angle shooter". This may,
however, be permitted by the House rules, in that a player may be allowed to
reclaim his or her hand if having folded out of turn (hence, the fold did not
count), or to change one's mind about a bet before the round reaches him or her.
Marked Cards:
Depending on how professional a cheat is, cards can be marked as outright
obvious, noticeable up close, or not noticeable at all.
In many cases, these cards will need to have been obtained by the cheat prior to
play, which means that it is the cheat's deck, or the cheat had sufficient time
and privacy with the deck beforehand. There are ways, however, to mark cards
during play. Markings typically do not penetrate the entire cross-section of the
card, as this would allow light to peer through and this would be noticed by the
card's holder.
Markings, therefore, consist of small cosmetic alterations to the backsides of
cards. This includes surface scratches, a bend in the corner, or a minute change
in design.
The cheat will mark cards as it helps the cheat's game. In other words, high
cards will certainly be marked for generic gameplay, or game-specific cards
(such as high Spades for when High Chicago is played, or Two's for the cheat to
call Deuces Wild when dealing).
Shading: The cheat using a very fine ink to manipulate the design on the card of
certain cards. The mark is too small to be noticed by anybody not specifically
looking it, but to do so requires minute precision.
Daubing: This techniques requires a special ink in the form of a small dauber
and special sunglasses. At an opportune time, the cheat daubs the back of a card
with the ink. This special ink is invisible to the naked eye, but clearly
visible through the special sunglasses. This type of paraphernalia is available
at novelty or magic stores.
Corner Crimp: The cheat who is holding the deck peeks at the top card of the
deck or glances at the bottom card of the deck. The cheat then slides this card
slightly away from the rest of the deck and bends the corner of the card
slightly with his thumb or index finger. This physical marking can later be
spotted by the cheat, who will remember the card. A more complex corner crimping
involves shuffling all Aces, for example, to the bottom of the deck and crimping
all four of them.
Thumbnailing: The cheat who is holding the deck peeks at the top card, and then
subtly drives the sharpened nail of his or her thumb into the back of that card.
It may then remain unnoticed to the untrained eye for the remainder of the
playing session.
Misrepresentation of a Hand:
A more simple tactic, but one potentially used with a trusting enough group, is
the misrepresentation (or bad calling) of a hand.
This is the act of a cheat revealing his or her hand at showdown, and calling it
something better than it is; for example, throwing down an all-red Straight and
calling it a Straight Flush. If nobody notices the cheat's 'mistake', then the
cheat could very well win the entire pot on a lie. If somebody notices the
cheat's 'mistake', then the cheat claims that it is just that...a mistake.
Pot Interaction:
Through interaction with the pot of money in the center of the table, the cheat
can perform a different sleight-of-hand maneuver, one that has nothing to do
with cards. Moving money into -or taking money out of- the pot allows the poker
cheat to either not put enough in or take too much out.
A player opening, seeing, or bumping is putting their hand over the pot and
dropping a sum of money. It is each player's responsibility to ensure that each
other player is placing the expressed amount of money into the pot. Dropping two
nickles into the pot instead of two quarters saves the cheat money that
everybody else is paying.
Some home games allow players to make change in the pot. When this is done, a
player should be watched like a hawk. Any player with their hands in the pot has
the potential to remove more than they are supposed to, and should be watched
for good measure.
Prepared Deck:
This is a simple maneuver with a one-time use. It involves little more than a
doctored deck being used or introduced part-way into a playing session.
The prepared deck will contain a certain number of cards in the right places,
either before they are shuffled, or used by the cheat who may claim that the
deck is already shuffled. Anglers may also use this trick as one angler may pass
the prepared deck to his partner to use.
The most elementary version of a prepared deck is one that has a one-way design
on its back that is not symmetric (ex. a deck with a picture of birds on its
back instead of a design). Because the design on the back is not symmetric, all
of the cards can be turned 'in the same way', so that the picture faces the same
way on each card. In this manner, certain cards can be singled out by the cheat
who turns these cards so that the picture on the back is 'opposite' to the rest
of the deck. Obviously, this trick has only one use; after the deck is handled
by another player, this method of cheating is disturbed.
Protection
Cutting the Deck:
There is no harm in establishing a house rule that all decks must be cut before
the deal. In some circles, it is the player to the dealer's right that cuts the
deck.
Doing so eliminates some of the sleight of hand tricks used by the poker cheat.
Had the dealer stacked the deck, peeked at the top card, or intended to second
deal or bottom deal, those plans are countered by the cut.
Knowing the Signs:
It should also be noted that awareness of the cheating techniques may not be
enough to avoid being cheated. Sleight of hand experts can perform tricks that
you know before you without you noticing. Also, if you do not spot any of the
'popular' maneuvers, you may feel that they were not used when you were, in
fact, cheated.
Aside from awareness of the techniques, other signs that may suggest suspicious
behavior are:
Not Holding the Deck:
In games where cards are being dealt face-up, such as any Stud games,
In-Between, or Blackjack, there is no reason for the dealer to be holding the
deck.
Holding the deck is used to deal cards face-down. It is not necessary for the
deck to be held when cards are being dealt face-up. It may be wise, if tactfully
done, to question why a dealer would hold the deck when dealing cards face-up,
or even establishing a house rule that the deck not be held.
Strangers:
It has been said that the best defense against poker cheating is to never play
with strangers. The flaws in this logic however are:
1. Should the friend of a friend be considered a stranger and not allowed at the
table?
2. What is to say that an acquaintance/buddy is not a poker cheat?
3. What about the honest poker player who doesn't cheat and just wants in on a
game?
It is at the discretion of the House as to whether or not strangers are invited
to games. To deny entry to strangers still allows friends of friends at the
table, still allows acquaintances/buddies to cheat, and denies honest players
from entering in on a game. Therefore, awareness of the fundamentals of poker
cheating is still important. Excluding strangers, however, provides many honest
players with a greater sense of ease.
Verification:
It is the responsibility of each player at the table to keep each other player
at the table "honest". By "honest", it is meant that each player indeed has in
their hand what they say they have at showdown, that each player's dealing be
normal, and that each player's interaction with the pot be accurate.
Verifying each player's hand at showdown is simple work and obligatory. Catching
sleight of hand is trickier, especially for a card player not sure what to look
for out of inexperience. It should also be stressed as a house rule that any
player's interaction with the pot be slow and obvious; no player needs to be
making quick action towards or from the pot.
Alcohol:
Alcohol has a double-effect where it pertains to poker-cheating. On one hand,
alcohol can encourage cheating (even from a repressed cheater) through lapse in
judgment. On the other hand, alcohol can target cheating by making sloppy the
techniques and maneuvers of the cheat. Again on the negative side however is
that alcohol can impair the perception of the honest players, and allow them to
be cheated.
The best advice is to drink responsibly while playing poker at any time, but to
allow suspected cheats to drink as much as they please. The skilled poker cheat,
however, will not drink to intoxication unless he or she did not originally
intend to cheat.
Splitting Up Anglers:
A home game where gameplay is happening at more than one table has the advantage
of being able to split up suspected anglers. Anglers can typically (but not
exclusively) only work together at the same table, and to deal with suspected
anglers, the House can casually suggest a mix-up of players at different tables,
splitting up the suspected anglers. Tact is required to do so politely.
Swapping Decks:
As protection against marked cards, it is always safe to suggest swapping decks
every couple of hours. Established as a house rule, it can be subtly suggested
that natural wear of the cards requires deck swapping to be on the safe side.
Marked Card Protocol:
Also as protection against marked cards, another subtle aid is the regular check
of the deck to ensure there are no marked cards.
This can be accomplished throughout regular deal, by keeping an eye on one's own
cards and deadwood (which shouldn't arouse too much suspicion). A card marked
well enough will be difficult to spot, but crimps and major shading should be
noticeable.
One trick is to check the entire deck at one's deal. By picking up the cards,
and flipping through the corners like an old picture book, one should be able to
spot crimps and markings. Done on all four corners and done perceptively enough
will indicate that there are no noticeable markings on any of the four corners.
Noticing players overly concerned with looking at the backs of other players'
cards is another obvious protection.
Ending/Leaving the Game:
The surest way to put an end to suspected cheating is also the most extreme: to
put an end to the game altogether, or to leave a suspicious one in progress. A
great deal of the time, there will be no way to prove with absolute certainty
that the cheater has been caught. The seasoned cheat knows to never, ever admit
to having cheated. To never admit to cheating, under any circumstances, is to
create the lasting impression of doubt, even the smallest doubt.
Ending the home game is sometimes the most sound way to end a dispute between
accusers and the irritated accused. Not inviting the accused back to the next
game alleviates some of the worry at the next game, albeit at the expense of a
potentially honest, falsely-accused player.
Dealing From a Shoe:
The shoe is a plastic container that holds one or more decks of cards in a way
where they can be dispensed out of a crack. Cards are slid out of the shoe onto
the table to be dealt. They are compulsory in casino card games.
A shoe is one protection against sleight of hand dealing, but is extremely
cumbersome and unorthodox in home games. Most observers had never seen a shoe
used in a home game, which certainly offers protection, but immediately suggests
lack of trust in a "friendly" game. Further disadvantage is that it requires
that the shoe be passed around the table along with the deck for every deal, and
contravenes with tables that always have two decks ready for quicker deals.