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
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.
DEALING WITH CHEATERS
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.
One of two things will now happen. Either the accuser will back down and the game will resume. Or the accuser will hold firm and the cheater will leave the game in a huff. Either way, the cheater has saved his neck.
There is a better way to deal with this situation, and it’s something all cheaters fear. It’s called forming a posse. If you suspect someone of cheating, mention it to the others during the break, when the cheater is out of earshot. Then start watching the cheater. Figure out what he is doing, even if it takes several sessions. Once you know the scam, confront the cheater as a group. This is one scenario a cheater can’t worm his way out of.
Be careful when playing with a group of players you don’t know, especially if there are high stakes involved. If there is cheating going on, 99 percent of the time two or more players are involved. Don’t try to be clever and turn the tables on the cheaters. The results can be disastrous. The best thing to do is leave the game.
Then there is the problem with being cheated in a casino or a card room. If you suspect foul play, file a complaint with the management, and make sure you have corroboration from another player as to what happened. Do this immediately after you’ve been swindled. If management brushes you off, write them a letter documenting what happened. Include the date, time, and where you sat. Be sure to copy whatever governing body regulates them. Don’t forget to mention that the casino or card room “looked the other way” when you lodged your complaint. The governing body will follow up on your complaint, either by letter or phone. If other letters are on file, they’ll probably pay the establishment a visit.