Protection Tips: Keep ashtrays and drinks off the table. Encourage players in your games not to bend the cards. Most important, examine the deck between hands. If the cards are starting to look dirty or bent, throw them away. The cost to replace them is far less than getting swindled out of a pot.
Factory Marked Cards
During the famous California Gold Rush of the 1850s, thousands of Americans went west to seek their fortunes. Many found gold, and subsequently lost it in the gambling halls that sprung up in and around gold mining towns. One of the most notorious scandals of this period was the fact that over 200,000 decks of playing cards that had been printed in Mexico were marked, and were being read by cheaters. As a result, gamblers refused to play with cards that were not manufactured in this country, a situation that continued until a few years ago.
At the present time, factory marked cards are being manufactured in China, and used to cheat unsuspecting players. These cards are thin and cheaply made, with marks on the back specifying suit and color. These cards have turned up in discount stores and other places that sell playing cards in the United States.
Protection Tip: Whenever possible, play with cards manufactured by the United States Playing Card Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, which follows the strictest guidelines when it comes to ensuring the quality of its products.
Collusion between players is the single biggest threat to the individual player in both private games and professional card rooms. It has been going on since the beginning of time, and is more prevalent today than ever before. Sadly it is a subject that is rarely talked about, although everyone knows it goes on. Casinos that have poker rooms are also lax in tackling the issue. Since the house makes its money from raking the pot, it does not scrutinize poker games as thoroughly as it should. As a result, you’re as likely to get cheated by collusion inside a casino card room as you are in a private game.
Playing Top Hand
Playing Top Hand is one of the strongest forms of collusion known. Two players get together before a game, and agree upon a simple signal. It might be scratching the nose, or lighting a cigarette. This signal means that the player has “the nuts” (a cinch hand), and wants the other player to raise the betting when it’s his turn. This effectively brings more money into the pot, while taking the heat off the player with the best hand. Cheaters call this “getting value for your cards.” After the game is over, the two players will get together, and chop up the winnings.
Playing Top Hand can also serve another purpose. Let’s say the game is Texas Hold ‘Em, and the signals being used are more complex. Two fingers on the wrist means two aces, while two fingers on the elbow means two kings. Player A signals to Player B that he has two aces. Player B, who has two jacks, folds. Another player wins the hand with a straight. This player has been cheated. He won Player A’s money, but not Player B’s money.
Protection Tips: This scam is difficult to detect, and difficult to stop. Knowing the people you play with is a good start. If you notice that one player always raises, and another player always wins, then you may have two players using this scam. Further confirmation would come from the fact that these players never act against each other. If you catch two players doing this, you have two choices. Warn them, or bar them.
Local Courtesy
When a player is willing to bet against certain players but not others, it’s called Local Courtesy. I have seen this countless times in Las Vegas card rooms. The locals (who account for over 50 percent of the players) don’t mix it up with each other. They reserve their action for tourists. This makes the game extremely one-sided. More often than not, the tourists leave as losers. The truth is, most players have done this at one time or another. It’s psychologically harder to bet against a friend than a stranger. It’s one thing if it’s subconscious, an other entirely if it’s deliberate.
Protection Tip: If you’re playing in a poker room, find out who the locals are. Watch their betting. If they avoid playing against each other, find another game. You can also complain to management.
Speaking in Tongues
A friend recently told me of playing in a game in a poker room in Gardenia, California, and how several players spoke Vietnamese to each other. My friend seemed astonished that he lost all his money to these guys. Wonder what they were talking about?
Whipsaw
Two players raise and reraise each other while forcing out a middle player. This works best in the early stages of a game such as Texas Hold ‘Em or Seven Card Stud, and allows the players to steal the blind.
Protection Tips: Limit the number of bets in the early rounds. It’s also wise to make the players show their hands after a bet and call.
Location is one of the most sophisticated card scams around. It requires no sleight-of-hand, just a good memory and some practice. Two players are involved. For the sake of explanation, let’s call them A and B. A sits to the right of B. A deals the game. He drops out, and so does B. While the other players are finishing the game, A and B show each other the hands they folded. This is common among players and is called rabbit hunting. A and B secretly memorize their hands. If the game was five-card draw, they will memorize ten cards. These cards are thrown in the center of the table (the muck). As other hands are folded, they are thrown on top of these cards. The deck now goes to Player B. He shuffles the cards, but does not disturb the memorized cards on the bottom. He presents the deck to Player A, who cuts the memorized cards to a known position. The cut doesn’t have to be perfect, but it needs to be close. The purpose is to position the memorized cards so they will fall after the first sixteen cards are dealt.
B announces he’s going to play Texas Hold ‘Em and deals two cards to each of the eight players in the game. A and B now have two advantages. First, they know that their ten memorized cards will make up the River, Turn, and Fifth Street. If none of the memorized cards help them, they fold. Second, after the River is dealt, they will be able to work forward in the memorized stack and know what cards the Turn and Fifth Street will be.
Protection Tips: Discourage rabbit hunting in your games. Once a player folds, don’t let him show the cards he folded to another player. You should also watch each player as he shuffles, and make sure that all the cards are mixed.
Most of us are hesitate to confront someone we think is cheating. Cheaters know this, which is another edge they have over honest players. Frank Garcia, a gambling expert, once explained to me how a cheater deals with being confronted. It goes something like this: The cheater is dealing off the bottom of the deck. Another player starts yelling, and says she saw the cheater. The cheater throws the deck onto the table, pushes his chair back, and in a loud voice says, “Are you calling me a cheater? Who the hell do you think you are?” The cheater has effectively neutralized the situation. He’s turned the accusation into something personal and confronted his accuser head-on. By doing so, he’s removed the other players from the conflict.