If you’re a serious poker player, it’s always a good idea to stay on the lookout for card cheaters. They’re out there, even in casinos, though they’ve got a lot more freedom to operate when playing in private games and home games. Luckily, there are lots of ways that cheaters can get caught – from subtle markings on the cards to a deck that’s been pre-marked with special substances.
Card Marking
One of the most common methods for card cheating is simply marking a deck on the spot to give a player an edge. This can be done by secretly scratching, denting or bending cards to make the cheaters’ marks stand out from the rest of the deck. This type of on-the-spot marking is a lot harder to detect than more sophisticated tricks, but it still happens all the time in private games and at home games.
Another method of marking cards is to put them in a specific position within the deck while it’s being shuffled. This is known as stacking the cards and it’s easier to do than false dealing (putting a card into a hand before it’s dealt). The most common method for doing this is to do a Riffle Shuffle and then a quick overhand shuffle. This creates a gap between the cards where the cheaters want them to be and then when the shuffle is complete they deal those cards.
A seasoned cheat will also know how to do a false deal without looking suspicious. They will do a normal bottom deal, but then they’ll pull out a card from somewhere else in the deck and give it to themselves or to a confederate. This is very difficult to detect if the cheaters are skilled, but it’s still possible for an honest player to see it if they keep their eyes peeled and are willing to call out suspicious behavior.
Lastly, some cheaters will bring a deck that’s been premarked with a special substance to help them cheat. These types of decks are often called a cold deck. A skilled cheat can use a premarked deck to stack certain cards to their advantage, and then do a false deal to ensure they win.
While it may be tempting to jump in and call someone a cheater, that’s not really fair to the other players at the table. A blatant accusation can ruin a game of poker for everyone involved, so it’s best to keep an eye out for any odd behaviors that might be coming from the other players at your table. It might be worth looking at their hands and seeing if there are any marks or scratches on the backs that you’ve never seen before. Hopefully, you’ll never have to put those skills to the test, but if you do, we hope this article helps. Good luck! And remember to play your best! You can’t beat a bad player, but you can always improve your own game.