It’s easy to detect cheating methods like hand mucking, bottom dealing and counting cards. Google researcher has developed a device that looks like a smartphone, but is equipped with hardware and software designed to cheat at card games. The device uses a hidden camera to read the markings on cards and analyse them in order to determine a card’s suit and value.
The app itself is fairly straightforward, despite its sophisticated nature. The main screen shows the deck as viewed by the device’s hidden camera. The bottom half of the screen displays various bits of information, including the type of game (in this instance “1016”) and the number of participants. It also shows whether or not the haptic feedback device has been connected.
The camera can be activated by a button on one side of the device. It can also be hidden in an external lens, such as a lighter scanner or car key poker scanner. It can be integrated with a hidden earpiece so that it can be used without attracting attention from other players.
The device can identify the winner in each game within 0.03 seconds. This is due to the scanning process and analysis that takes place in the background. The device can scan barcode marked cards and then send them to a analyzer. This analyzer then calculates all of the data and predicts which card will win in each hand. All this is done quietly and privately, so no one knows it’s happening except the cheater.