James Swain
Deadman’s Bluff
For Charles Swain
Luck ain’t never paid the bills.
A Brief Glossary of Useful Cheating Terms
Action Any gambling activity.
Agent A cheater working with a casino employee while posing as a legitimate player.
BP Big Player. The member of a cheating team who bets the big money. Also called the “take off man.”
Brush off A signal that says it’s time to leave a casino.
Bug A clip designed to secretly hold a card beneath the table. Also called a “thief.”
Cold deck A prestacked deck of cards.
Crossroader A cheater who specializes in ripping off casinos.
Deadman’s hand Two black aces and two black eights. The poker hand held by Wild Bill Hickock the night he was murdered by a gang of cheaters in Deadwood, South Dakota.
Deal a deuce To deal the second card from the top of the deck. Also called “dealing a blister.”
Deal a plank To deal off the bottom of the deck.
Doing business Cheating.
Double heat Intense scrutiny from casino security.
Feel a breeze To know when cheating is going on, even if you don’t know what it is.
Gaff Any cheating device.
George A signal among cheaters that everything is all right. Often done with an open hand on the chest or layout.
Giving the office Signaling among cheaters.
Greed factor Winning too much, too often.
Grift sense An innate ability to spot a hustle or a scam. A compliment among hustlers.
Grind joint A casino with low table minimums and small denomination slot machines.
Hairy leg A moneyman who backs a game.
Herking and jerking Distracting your opponent while cheating him.
Iggy A cheater pretending to be a tourist.
Joint A casino.
Kepplinger holdout A hidden device that secretly switches playing cards.
Leaking Exposing a secretly palmed card.
Local courtesy An unwritten arrangement between local players in poker not to bet against each other.
Mechanic A cheater skilled in sleight-of-hand.
Miracle move A perfect cheating move. Also called a “million-dollar move.”
Mortal lock A sure thing.
Old moustache A mobster.
On the square To play a game honestly, without cheating.
Punch A device used to create tiny indentations in cards.
Put the heavy on To use force when dealing with an unpleasant situation.
Subs Various types of cloth bags worn inside the clothing to hold stolen chips.
Suckers Ninety-nine percent of the people who gamble. Also known as chumps, marks, pigeons, rubes, and vics (victims).
Steam Unwanted attention. Also called “heat.”
Swinging To secretly switch cards during a game.
Texas Hold ‘Em A variation of poker invented by a dozen ranch hands who had only a single deck of cards among them.
Tokes Tips.
Tom A signal among cheaters that things look bad. Often done with a clenched fist on the chest or layout.
Wake the dead A scam that is blatantly obvious.
Who shot John? A ridiculous conversation among people who know better.
Part I
Driving the White Line
1
“I win,” Rufus Steele said.
Tony Valentine could not believe his eyes. Steele, a seventy-year-old, whiskey-drinking Texas gambler, had just outrun a racehorse named Greased Lightning in the hundred-yard dash. The race had taken place on the manicured football field of the University of Nevada, the pulsating neon of the Las Vegas strip electrifying the night sky.
Valentine stood in the end zone with a mob of gamblers, many of whom had bet against Rufus. The gamblers were competing in the World Poker Showdown, the world’s richest poker tournament. Valentine was there for a different reason. He’d been hired by the Nevada Gaming Control Board to figure out how a seeing-impaired player could be cheating the tournament, and he was trying to help his son avenge the murder of a childhood friend. The fact that he’d solved neither case to his satisfaction had made for a long four days, and watching Rufus fleece some suckers had provided a welcome distraction.
“I want to see the tape,” declared a man known as the Greek.
The Greek had lost a half million bucks on the horse. He fancied himself a gambler, but had never swam with sharks as big as Rufus. The old cowboy sauntered over to where the Greek stood.
“Want to bet on the outcome again?” Rufus asked.
“Shut up!” the Greek roared.
Zack, the cameraman who’d filmed the event, rewound the tape, and the Greek and Rufus huddled behind him, staring at the camera’s tiny screen. Valentine wanted to see the race again as well, and stared over the two men’s shoulders.
Gloria Curtis brushed up beside him. In Vegas covering the poker tournament for a cable sports network, Gloria had filmed the race to be shown on her talk show. “Did you know Rufus was going to swindle the Greek like that?” she whispered to Valentine.
“Rufus didn’t swindle him,” he whispered back.
“He didn’t?”
“No. Rufus tricked him.”
“And how is that different?”
“Rufus told the Greek he could beat a horse in the hundred-yard dash. He never said the race would be run in a straight line.”
She chewed her lower lip, thinking it over. “But Rufus put a plastic cone on the fifty-yard line, so the horse had to stop, turn around, and run back.”
“It was a hundred-yard race, fair and square,” Valentine said.
She smiled at him with her eyes, which were the prettiest Valentine had seen in a long time. She’d interviewed him about the cheating at the tournament, and they’d immediately hit it off. He had no idea where the relationship was going, or even if it was going anywhere, but the ride so far was enjoyable.
“I know it looks like Rufus swindled the Greek,” he explained, “but the Greek went into the race with a gigantic edge, and he knew it.”
“An edge?”
“An advantage. The Greek’s advantage was that no human being can outrun a horse. The Greek had to know that Rufus would level the playing field to make the race competitive. And that’s exactly what Rufus did.”
“You still didn’t answer my question. Did you know what Rufus was up to?”
“No.” Valentine sensed Gloria didn’t quite believe him. Normally it wouldn’t have mattered, only she’d been in his thoughts these last few days. So he added, “Scout’s honor.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Good.”
“Here we go,” said Zack.
The tiny screen on Zack’s camera showed Rufus and Greased Lightning about to start their race. The horse’s jockey stood in his saddle, clutching his crop. Valentine had been the starter, and the audio on the camera played back his voice intoning, “Take your marks... Get ready — go!” and the shot of the starter pistol.