Lesson V: Getting Cheated

It is very doubtful you will ever get cheated in a casino in the United States. The casino has too much to lose by getting caught that the ends do not justify the means. If you do get cheated the most common way is by having the dealer deal seconds. That is deal the second card from the top. By getting a peak at the top card and knowing if it would be good or bad for the player or the dealer this gives the dealer a tremendous advantage.

If you don't believe me do this simple test. Get a deck of cards and deal a hand for a player and a hand for the dealer. Now play the players hand as you would in a casino but look at the top card before it is dealt. If it is the least bit beneficial to the player give the player the second card from the top and leave the top card in place. When hitting the dealers hand take a look at the top card. If it will bust the dealer or give him a 12-16 give him the 2nd card instead. Play through the deck and see who comes out on top.

What to watch for:

This is the "mechanics grip" 
favored by card cheats.

See how the thumb can slide the top
card back exposing the second card

The other hand comes in and grabs
the second card from the top Practice a
little and you can fool your friends.

How does the dealer find out what the top card is? That's the easy part. There are many ways to accomplish this.

Slide the top card foreword and then

• Look at your watch
• Flip the deck over while rearranging the chip tray
• Having a small mirror mounted in the chip tray

Or flex the cards so the top one is curved and can be seen while looking to see how many cards are left before a shuffle.