Scams, Swindlers & Cheats

Scams, Swindlers

& Cheats

By Geno Munari

Scams, Swindlers and Cheats

Geno Munari

  Millions of dollars are wagered annually in legal casinos and illegal sneak and backroom joints all over the world.  Whether the game is operated by a soldier isolated at some remote military installation, or in a major casino with all the trimmings, they both are extremely vulnerable to cheating.

  Cheating occurs in gambling everywhere, especially as gaming is becoming so popular almost everywhere.  The cheater, or cross roader as he is commonly referred to, is at work either solo, or with partners, with inside casino help or without, busy trying to beat the casino operator out of his money.

  Nevada's strong and efficient Gaming Control Board is on the constant lookout for these culprits, but cracking a cheating ring is not any easy task.  It is almost like trying to crack a murder case cold, without a single clue.  The Control Board's Enforcement Division is without doubt one of the strongest teams ever assembled.

  For every counter measure taken to prevent, stop and discourage cheating, new modes of operation are innovated.  Somewhere, someplace, somebody is picking their gray matter attempting to find new ways to beat a game of chance.

  There is no means available to estimate the amount of money that is stolen at slots, table games, and even bingo and lotteries yearly, however one gaming veteran puts the amount in the millions and most of the time the operators have no inkling that any scam had occurred.

  The reasons why the cheaters can operate successfully are many, but two key reasons are paramount:

 1) The ease in which a cheat can operate, that is the operator doesn't have the proper internal control, and

 2) Most victims are off guard and possess no knowledge of game protection.

  Practically anyone can learn to cheat using playing cards in just about any card game, if given the proper instructions. The techniques and sleights used are for the most part very simple, notwithstanding the more complicated moves that take years to master.

  For the most part, 80% of all blackjack cheating requires the aid of a conspiring casino dealer, which makes detection of a scam even harder.  The following moves and sleights may sharpen your knowledge of the game and make you more aware of what goes on in the mysterious world of the card hustler.

CARD COUNTING

  Although it is not a cheating method, it is still very good in "getting the money".  The subject of blackjack card counting has been discussed in many journals and books by such authors as Revere, Thorp, Braun, and Archer to mention just a few.  These authors describe exactly how to learn various card counting methods from a simple point count to the more advanced 10-point strategy.  The basis for counting is figured out from the cards that are in the deck.  The dealer must hit and must stand according to rules. There are no arbitrary decisions.  The player can choose to do what he likes.  One can clearly understand that in certain situations when there are fewer smaller cards remaining in play, such as 4's and 5's, the dealer will break more often, and so on.

  Basically, a counter varies his wagering units according to the running value count in the unused deck.  For example, in a situation where there are a few 3's, 4's, 5's and 6's, the counter would know this from his running calculation.  In this instance he would bet more than normal.  In the opposite situation, that is if the deck is rich in low value cards, he would wager less.

  Assigned values are given to the cards, such as; ace through nine equals a plus one (+1) and the remaining big cards a minus two (-2).  Whenever the count becomes a plus 4 or more, the deck is ripe for the counter.

  Following this basic strategy the counter is able to know at all times the condition of the deck.  An increase of one unit is enough to give a slick counter a favorable opportunity.

  Counters will go all over the world looking for favorable blackjack conditions, such as single deck, double after splits etc.  Counters will detour suspicion by playing on different shifts and using disguises.   One master of the count, Junior Guttering, dressed as an oriental and even a woman to throw off the suspicions of the gamers.

  If you have a problem remembering the basic strategy chart learn the basic strategy for 12 through 16 first. (Player’s hands 80% of the time) Since you get double down possibilities about 15% of the time you learn the doubles strategy next.  Then the splitting strategy, which you will need about 5% of the time.  Basic strategy is common sense.  Ask yourself why I hit against the dealer's card etc., it won't take more than a couple of hours to memorize for the average person.

  Once mastering basic strategy, then go on to count the cards and get the proportion of 10's and Aces against the little cards 2 to 6.

  You will use basic strategy 8 out of 10 hands.  Once you learn how to count cards 2 out of 10 hands will depart from normal play.

  What strategy, besides the basic correct plays, does a card counter employ?  A card counter must of course use the correct playing strategy that is hitting and standing correctly against the dealer's up card.  The card counter will also follow some of these other important rules:

1. Try to play a single deck.

2. Play two hands which is about a 15 percent less risk.

3. Play where the house rules are the most liberal.

4. Look for deep penetration before shuffling the cards.

5. Play at empty tables.  More hands per hour mean bigger profits.

6. Don't over bet.  A $1000 bankroll allows a top bet of $10.

7. Play the best hours to avoid being seen by casino workers from two different shifts. The best times to play are the day shift between noon and 5:00 P.M., swing shift between 8:00 P.M. and 1:00 A.M., and the graveyard shift between 4:00 A.M. and 9:00 A.M.

HOW TO COUNT THE CARDS

  With small cards out of the deck, the deck helps the player, (plus deck) and when the deck is rich with 10's and aces it is minus.

ASSIGNED POINT VALUES

NOTE: There are different values assigned to the cards according to the method employed.  This is another example; many may beg to differ:

  2,3,4,5,6 = +1    7,8,9 = 0    10, J, Q, K, A = -1

  The reason we use these values because it is easy and requires little effort to learn.  Learn to count by turning over two cards at a time.  By using two cards at a time, the cards may cancel themselves out, and then the count is even. Practice until speed is developed. You should go through the deck in about 30 seconds.  At the end of the exercise, you know if you did it right, because the count should come out to 0. Same as if there is multiple decks.  When you get to the last four cards and the count is a plus 4 you know there is four big cards.  Then refine the practice by displaying them the way the dealers deal them, that is face up.

  Don't count as the first one is laid down, wait for the second card to be laid on top of the first, similar to the exercise. So you are counting two at once, and don't forget to count the dealers up card. If it exposed first count it first, if exposed last, count it last.  If on a face down game, count the hands as they are turned over during the payoffs (dealer turns the cards over).

  EXPERTS: If you can see additional players on each sides, add those right away, then get the hit cards in rotation.

  CHOOSING A TABLE: You want to play at a table with no players or as few as possible. This reason is you get more hands per hour.  The odds are in your favor.

  TABLE STUFFING: Bringing your buddies in to play spots one and two and someone else to play five and six and two for you but the empty spot should be next to you, so you can see all the spots.  You are then locking up the entire game.  If you can get a table by yourself that is great.

  RULES: The best rules are: Double after splits, surrender, dealer stands on soft 17, doubling on any two cards, doubling on three cards, re-splitting aces, and a table with insurance. Single deck is better because there are fewer cards and more blackjacks and more opportunities for betting.

  TRUE COUNT: Calculating true count; true count is based on probabilities of remaining cards, the running count is multiplied by 2 at halfway through the deck, by 3 at 33 cards out of deck, and 4 with 13 cards remaining.  If you have a plus 2 at a full deck (ONE HAND DEALT) the true count is plus 2. At halfway it would be plus 4.

  SHOE: Divide the running count by the number of decks left in the shoe. I.e., If you had a running count of plus 12 with 3 decks left, the true count is plus 4. Always use the true count for decisions, never the running count.

  MAKING THE BETS: What benefits the player is knowing when to make big bets.  That is the main advantage to the game.  Single deck: If no heat by the pit boss make a small bet off the top, 2 units, if count goes minus go to one unit. If the count goes plus go to four units that is a 4 to 1 spread. If you have heat, bet 4 off the top and if the count goes plus stay at four units, if the count goes minus go back to one. A true pro only uses a 2 to 1 spread and the 4 to 1 is for small stakes.

  HOW MANY HANDS TWO PLAY:  TWO is the best because you have a 15% risk versus a 100% risk on one hand. You will see more cards if they are dealt face up.

  MAKING BETS ON SHOE GAME: Always start by betting one unit, adding another unit at every increase of true count of plus 1, up to a plus 4, and then you should be making a maximum bet.

  Example: 1 unit bet at all minus counts 2 units at plus 1, plus 2 is 3 units and at 4 be at the max. This is obvious so you must never increase your bet more than 2 times what the last bet was, if there is heat, otherwise go right up.  If the count is lessened go to the appropriate unit bet. Example if the count is plus 4 and you are at max bet based on your bankroll and the count goes to three you should be at a 4-unit bet.

  If you are having a run of bad luck, bet more conservative and don't go to max bet until you are ahead.  This is not mathematically correct but an alternative if you have a very small bankroll. A pro would never do this.

  DECK PENETRATION means how many cards the casino chooses to deal.  The farther the deal the better for you.  Table stuffing helps you get better penetration.

TEST YOUR SKILL

  Here is a copy of a test given to all eye in the sky personnel at a major Las Vegas strip resort.  This test was designed to see how proficient their game observers are, who are paid to monitor the action on all casino games. This particular test is geared to blackjack card counters, which by the way is NOT illegal, however the casinos are very much concerned with their activities. The answers are given at the end.

1. Basic strategy refers to:

 a. Card counting.

 b. A betting system.

 c. A system for playing all possible hands.

2. Is basic strategy the same for any number of decks?

 a. Yes. b. No.

3. Approximately how much edge does the house have over a basic strategy player in a single deck game with strip rules?

 a. No edge. 1 1/2 %.  c. 2 1/2 %.              d. 5%.

4. True or false- A single deck game is better for the basic strategy player than a six deck game?

For the following six questions indicate the correct play according to basic strategy, i.e., hit, stand, double, split.

5. A7 vs. 4

6. A7 vs. 9

7. 9,9 vs.7

8. 9,9, vs. 9

9. 6,3 vs. 7

10. 10,6 vs. 10

11. True or false- According to basic strategy a player should always insure a natural?

12. True or false- A card counter does not need to know basic strategy because all his plays are determined by the count?

13. True or false- A card counter must vary his bets to get an edge on a single deck game?

14. True or false- A card counter must vary his bets to get an edge in a multiple deck game?

15. Approximately how much of an edge does a card counter have?

a. No edge. b. 1 1/2 %. c. 3 1/2 %                    d. 5%.

16. True or false- The typical card counter is a winning player who will always win more in the long run than he loses?

17. Multiple deck games are tougher for a card counter to beat than single deck games - why?

 a. There are far fewer hands where the counter has a significant edge and far more hands when the house has the edge.

 b. Because there are a lot more cards in multiple deck games, the counter will make more counting mistakes.

 c. In multiple deck games, whether counting or not, the player will get fewer blackjacks.

18. Out of 100 sessions of one hour each, on the average, how many times will a professional counter win?

 a. 40. b. 50. c. 55. d. 75. e. 95.

19. Beat the Dealer, published in 1964 was the first book about card counting. Who wrote it?

 a. E.O. Thorpe. b. Lawrence Revere.

 c. Ken Uston. d. Spec Parsons.

20. In downtown Las Vegas and in the Reno/Tahoe area, the dealer usually hits soft 17. Does this favor the house or the player.

 a. No difference. Player.  c. House.

21. What single change in manner in which 21 is played at the (BLANK) Hotel and Casino would be most effective in deterring card counters?

 a. Cut-off more cards.

 b. Cut-off fewer cards.

 c. Hit soft 17.

 d. More floor personnel.

The answers to the "eye in the sky" quiz.

1. c, 2. b, 3. a, 4. True, 5. Double, 6. Hit, 7. Stand, 8. Split, 9. Hit, 10. Stand, 11.  False, 12. False, 13.  False, 14.

True, 15.  b, 16. True, 17. c, 18. d, 19. a, 20. c, 21.  a.

THE BLACKJACK COMPUTER ALIAS

"BIGFOOT"

  Counting cards has come of age with the development of sophisticated computers actually worn and used secretly in real blackjack play. The operation is accomplished by touching switches concealed in a pair of specially modified shoes. A very good magician friend of mine, Charlie Miller, put the title of "Bigfoot" on the blackjack computer.  The upper switch position on the right shoe represents the numeral one, and the lower position represents the numeral two. In the left shoe the upper position represents a four and the lower position the numeral eight.

  After months of continued practice, a skilled operator can remove 52 cards from the computer’s memory in less than 30 seconds.  Every card that is used in play is removed from the computer's memory and a calculation based on the remaining cards is computed. The calculated result is signaled from the computer to the operator by way of a small vibrator located under the arch of one's foot. The impulse is either a dash or a dot.  All are covered from hit, stand, double, split through surrender and insurance.

  Before the next hand is dealt, the memory is searched to ascertain the composition of the remaining cards in the deck. Based on this information, the player can make either a large or small bet.  During multiple deck play as the cards are stacked up in the discard rack, the operator inserts the exact order into the computer's memory. On the next shuffle, the operator feeds information into the computer's memory as to which groups of cards are being shuffled together. Many months of practice are required to be able to perform this intricate feat. After completion of the shuffle, the computer is asked where to place the cut card, so a large concentration of tens and aces can be positioned at the front of the shoe. Big plays are therefore made at the beginning of the shoe, unlike most card counters that bet heavily at the end of the shoe.

  Computer play has caused casino operators to change the way cards are shuffled. This bold move was undertaken to offset the large losses incurred by expert computer players.

  One group of experts played together in Atlantic City winning about $225,000 in six weeks’ time.  There were many in the team that had sore leg and foot muscles. The team referred to their big play as, “the thrill of victory and the agony of de feet".

COMPUTERS IN "21"

  On July 1, 1985, it became illegal for gamblers to use any devices to foretell the outcome or improve their chances in any casino game. This bill was requested by the gaming industry and supported by the Gaming Control Board. Sponsor of the bill, Sue Wagner, R-Reno, told of wires that can be triggered by a player's toes to code what cards have been played and then the best bet relayed to the player through a small earphone or plunger.  Wagner said the devices are proving "more and more of a problem for the industry and regulators" and are advertised for sale in Southern California.

  Also, the bill will allow the appropriate agencies to seize the equipment and the owner will forfeit all rights to the property.

  The first blackjack computer was named "David", the latest is called, "No-Rand", meaning no random shuffling.  It is a shuffle tracking computer that keeps track of the big cards, aces, and pictures. If the big cards can come to the front of the shoe, by coordinating the cut, big bets are possible at the beginning of the game. A player betting a large amount from the get-go will shy away any suspicion that the player is a counter.

  This type of computer requires two people and uses infrared signals that are very similar to the operation of a remote television channel changer. One person would sit at the table and a companion standing nearby. The person standing has a infrared transmitter that bounces the signal off the floor and is picked up by the player's right leg. The player wears a receiver and a vibrating device which gives him a series of dots and dashes that direct his play. A short vibration would indicate a hit, a long vibration would indicate stand. Two short bursts are a double and three dashes call for a split.

  The "No-Rand" can be programmed using eproms to allow for special blackjack rule variations.  Just to give you an example of how good the computer works, a casino in Southern Nevada, who shall remain nameless, lost $80,000 in 15 hours of play. It is being used extensively, and draws no "heat", because the person playing doesn't do any of the counting or input,

  The player can talk and even act drunk, he also doesn't even have to look at the cards. That's the beauty of the device.

  The computer has four switches in the right shoe that have a different value.

  Upper right equals 1.

  Lower right equals 2.

  Upper left equals 4. 

Lower left equals 8.

  All switches total a value of 15. The computer recognizes 2 through 11, as card values.  Aces equal 11, a deuce equals 2, three equals 3 and all pictures and tens equal 10. If the operator hits a 1, you’re asking or telling the computer something. For instance, the sequence 1-15-6, would tell the computer that the dealer was shuffling with six decks of cards and the computer would reset itself. If you used the sequence, 1-15-4, that would be a four-deck game. A 1, followed by the function keys 12-13-14-and 15 all have a purpose.  They are as follows:

  12- Atlantic City rules with early surrender.

  13- Used for doubling on 10 or 11.

  14- Used when dealer hits soft 17, and no doubling after splits.

 15- Used for the most liberal rules, double after splits, dealer stands on soft 17.

  Cards are input according to the value and the computer takes into account the dealer's face up card. By hitting a function the computer looks for the ratio of big to little cards and then tells the player the count.  A plus count is indicated by the following vibrations:

  *=short burst

- equals long burst.

                              1=*

                              2=**

                              3=-

                              4=-*

                              5=-**

                              6=--

                              7=--*

                              8=--**

                              9=---

                              10=*-

  After the input of 8-12, the computer waits for the input of the dealer's up card.  Hitting 13 allows you to input any exposed card or discard that is seen. The device can be put into calculation mode by hitting 1-9-1, or 1-9-2, which is calculated just for the dealer and one player.

  When all the players are done with their hands, the operator inputs 8-2-4, and the computer takes five seconds to give the player the correct answer or play to make. The code is:

     *       = hit

     long -  = stand

     --      = double

     ---     = split.

  Mode 1-5 indicates the correct insurance play. Mode 1-10 goes through the deck to tell how many cards of each suit are left. Function 1-3 tells the total number of cards left and is also a self-test after the shuffle to indicate if the computer is working properly.

  All these modes and functions sound difficult but are so simple to learn that a child could operate them.  My feelings about computers are simple, I don't believe they should have been outlawed, but rather the casinos should have changed the rules to compensate for a known blackjack "No-Rand" player.  Card counting has created more speculation and interest to make blackjack the most played live game in the casino.  In Nevada casinos there are more than 3,000 blackjack games, as compared to 400 (plus) crap tables and 250 (plus) roulette games.

THE PC-100 AND EDDIE SEREMBA

  August "Eddie" Seremba, a former horse jockey, casino owner, horse trainer, gambler and great golfer, who paled around with guys like Titanic Thompson, was arrested in the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, in 1978, as he was getting up from the blackjack game.  He had just beaten the game for some money, when a pit boss saw a device hanging from under Seremba's coat.  Seremba later confided in me that nothing was hanging from his jacket and the whole arrest was a setup.

  He was detained and arrested for possession of a cheating device.  Seremba says that he was "stripped almost naked" when authorities unwired Seremba from his box type computer.  Eddie put up a little resistance and was mad as hell, because he feels that he was not cheating the casino.

  Seremba later filed a $100,000 lawsuit to recover his computer.  The computer, the PC-100, was finally returned along with a very sizable settlement. The district attorney of Clark County refused to prosecute Seremba, and the case was dismissed.

  The PC-100 was a two-year investment of manpower that was designed especially for Seremba by some close friends, one of whom was a physicist. The main processor is worn over the shoulder on the inside of the jacket, suspended from a strap.  A handheld device is the source of input and output from the computer.  As the player sees each card, the value is entered into the computer and upon command can be signaled as to the true count of the remaining deck of cards.  An small electrical shock is the signaling method.

  The computer will automatically calculate a true count normalized for a one, two or four deck game.  A player only has to use a simple basic strategy to consistently win.  The computer was field tested for more than 1000 hours in Las Vegas casinos before it was ever sold.

  The handheld control box was wired through the jacket and directly into the left side jacket pocket.  The box is held in the left hand concealed in the pocket.  The player could only play with one hand while inputting card values.  Each finger of the left hand rested on a switch, and the thumb was on the top switch.  To count a card, the appropriate key is pushed once and released.

  Lawrence Revere, also known to his buddies as Speck Parsons, was honored to have his Revere Point Count used as an example in the computer's operating manual.

Quoting from the manual:

For the Revere Point Count:

Card seen            Key pressed

---------            -----------

2 or 7                  +1

3, 4, 5 or 6            +2

8 or 9                   0

10 or ace               -2

  The true count equals the following formula:

                       26 x running count

       True count =    ------------------

                       Remaining cards

  To read out the true count, the "R" readout key is held down.  When this key is pushed, the thumb will touch the two wires so the user can feel the readout pulses.  For example, if the true count is +2, there will be 2 pulses.  The intensity of the electrical pulse can be adjusted to suit the user.  If the true count is negative, the user will feel a short burst of pulses (a sign burst) followed by single pulses to indicate the count.

  The PC-100 sold for more than $2000 when it was first released and now it is presently prohibited from being used in play by Nevada law.

BLACKJACK SCAMS

DEALING SECONDS AND PEEKING

  Do they cheat in Las Vegas?  Not anymore, however years ago cheating was a common occurrence. I would say that cheating in Las Vegas casinos occurred as late as the 60's.  Not every casino cheated the public.  I personally have known many "bust out" dealers. They were a special breed of dealer that was capable of dealing a particular game in an apparent normal manner, however through some scrupulous means, could cheat even the sharpest of players.   Blackjack dealers were the most common. A "bust out" blackjack dealer was also known as a "deuce dealer" or second dealer. Many cheating methods were used in 21, such as rolling the deck, which allowed the dealer to pick up a previously dealt hand and put them in a certain order. Then, upon finishing the round, the dealer would simply roll the deck, and re-deal the prearranged set up.  The Nevada Gaming Control Board can require casinos to use a discard tray, which prevents rolling the deck, however, this isn't going to stop an experienced bust out artist.

  Peeking at the top card of the deck, and then dealing the second card, is one of the strongest methods of beating a player. If the dealer knows he has a 15 or 16, and by peeking at the top card sees a 5, he will not give the 5 to any player at the table.  Rather, he will deal seconds to everyone, and take it to make his hand.

  When gambling was wide open in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, they had a saying.  "When the season is short, so is the deck".  This meant that an ace or picture card was removed from the deck, thus allowing the player fewer blackjacks.  This subtle move is very strongly in favor of the house. In multiple deck games, removal of up to 10 or 11 picture cards and 10's is not uncommon. This removal would give the house a tremendous edge.

  Cheating was never condoned in Nevada; however, the gaming authorities were not staffed to monitor all the casinos. Let’s face it, if you suspect cheating, it is your word against the dealer's.  Today the State Gaming Control Board and Nevada Gaming Commission are very strong forces in Nevada's gaming.  They have many agents in plain clothes that are monitoring the casinos on a continuing basis, looking for the slightest irregularity.  Cheating today would mean losing the right to operate a casino forever.

TWO WAY DROP BOX

   A two-way money drop box fooled many casino owners.  The drop box, as found on any blackjack game, had a secret compartment that allowed money to be deposited into it by pushing it in a slightly different manner than the regular way.  The money paddle would allow the dealer to get just the right angle and leverage to enable the money to fall into the secret compartment.

  The box could be emptied, and everything would appear completely normal.  Later, the skimmer would go into the box and release the secret opening and get the extra bills.   This scam was used in a situation where there where several owners and each would take turns dealing.

MUCKING

  Mucking is a method of switching cards during the game by sleight of hand.  The mucker will take cards out of a hand, and then introduce them at a time when the cards will improve his hand.  Muckers will work alone and in teams.  Team mucking allows the cheat to work with a level of misdirecting, which is the distraction of the dealer, floor person or any other supervisory staff.

  Occasionally a mucker will muck in a snapper (Blackjack) with one hand.  Or he may use both hands which doesn't require as much skill or nerve as the one hand method.  Here is how a one hand muck works: First of all, the cheat must obtain cards to put into the game.  He can obtain them from some accomplice in the casino, or simply "snatch" them right out under the nose of the dealer.  Generally, this can occur on a hand that contained say four or five cards that goes busted.  In the process of throwing in the hand, the mucker will retain a card.  This process will continue until the desired cards are obtained.

  Some muckers will simply hide the cards in the lap, or under the leg, or simply "hang" with them.  Hanging means keeping a card concealed in the palm, with the fingers resting on the table edge.  The use of a specially designed holder hidden in the short sleeves of a shirt is practically undetectable.  The device is nothing more than a rubber band and two small plastic pinchers that will hold several cards.  The holdout gimmick will allow the operator to deposit a card and take a card in one simple move.  The tip off to this method is constant motion of the hands going under the sleeves in the act of scratching or massaging the upper arms.

  After the cards are obtained in either the right or left hand, the cheat with one continuous motion will sweep across the table pick up the dealt cards, and at the same time as looking at them, switch them.  He may also make the move a little easier by switching them with one hand and turning them over with the other hand.  The cards that are now palmed will be deposited into the sleeve device or a pocket.

A WORD ABOUT HOLDOUTS

  The notion that cheats use elaborate holdout devices that are operated by a wire and deployed by spreading the knees or moving the leg are very old fashioned.  This device will deliver the card into the palm without any motion or sound from a plunger hidden in the sleeve of a jacket.  The rubber band device can be broken in a second and be dropped off the person without anyone noticing.  A custom-built holdout device is cumbersome, and very dangerous to the cheat if he should be detained.  He could never convince anyone that he wasn't using the gimmick for cheating.

  Also, the cost difference is another factor.  A custom-built holdout device costs between $250 to $1500, while the rubber band device will cost about $2.  The rubber band device can be worn on the body and carried anywhere without anyone even knowing what it is.  Carrying the custom holdout gimmick around is an obvious problem.

TEAM MUCKING

  In team mucking, a mucker will use a pretty girl to divert the dealer's attention from the game.  On a four deck shoe with her help, a cheat will muck out 10 to 15 little cards ( 4's, 5's, 6's), and maybe muck in as many paints (big cards with a ten value).

  After the hard work is completed by the mucker, a third party will come in and play the game.  By using a strategy based on the comprised decks, he will beat the house in an uncanny manner.  No one will have the slightest idea of what happened until the deck is verified.

  The strategy employed calls for the player to stand more frequently on the breaking hands of 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16.  The dealer must hit these totals and will go broke before the player.

  Another variation of a muck is a two-person switch.  Two cheats are side by side, and they simply expose their cards to one another so they can create one good hand out of two bad hands, or even make two good hands.  If this type of method is used proficiently, it is very hard to detect.  Common forms of misdirection can also be used here to divert the dealer.

CAPPING AND PRESSING

   When a dealer uses an accomplice he or she is referred to as an "agent".  Collusion is difficult to catch and more difficult to prove in the courts.  A dealer may cap (add on) a player's bet and then pay it.  For instance, if a player wagered $5 and the dealer capped the bet with $5 and then paid the total, the player would have $20, which is 3 to 1 for his money. Not bad!

  The move in capping the bet occurs when the dealer counts down the player's bet.  He will then add a palmed chip or chips from the money rack, or from a previous losing bet carried over to the agent's hand.  The action of adding the chip is covered by the dealer's hands.

  Adding a chip to the bottom of a player's hand is another way of capping.  This method is very deceptive and will fool the best of operators.  A competent casino operator won't let a dealer touch a players bet with two hands when paying it, so it is always visible.

  A player, after having been dealt a good hand such as 20, may add to his original wager.  If the player knows the dealer will beat his losing hand of say 17, he may decrease his original wager.  Some very skillful techniques can be employed under the noses of the sharpest dealers without any fear of detection.

  The cheat will usually sit in the seat directly to the left or right of the dealer, however a good pressor can sit in any seat.

  A sharp will palm a chip in his hand, and in the act of straightening out his wager, he will add to the bet.  Or he may look at his cards and pick up his bet and place his cards under the money, at the same time adding chips to the original wager.  A good pressor can add the chips just by moving his hand over the bet in the act of picking up his cards for a second look. There are many other ways to press, but each cross roader will use a method that is best suited for the situation.

SCRATCH AND SAND WORK

  Whenever a sharp knows what card is coming off the top of the deck or shoe, he can consistently win and never draw any heat to his play (heat meaning suspicion). Scratching and sanding the edges of the cards according to the various value of the card is a great advantage to the player, especially if the dealers aren't proficient.  Less skillful dealers make the cheat's work easier.  Just by holding the deck in the proper manner can hamper the cheater completely, even though the cards are marked.

  The work is put on the cards during play in most cases, however a sophisticated group of cheats may have a casino supervisor on the payroll who can obtain the cards and furnish them to the cheat.  This situation is extremely dangerous to the casino and once again, really difficult to prove.

  During play, the cheater will use an abrasive piece of sandpaper attached to his finger.  Band aids have been used to conceal the material.  A good sandman can get the work done in an hour or so.

  Many combinations can be put on the cards, such as distinguishing the big cards from the little ones.  One can see that knowing when a small card is on top the deck when holding a 16 can really improve one's winnings.

  The sand work on the cards is very slight, and an experienced casino operator cannot detect it unless he knows exactly what to look for.

  A popular method of sanding is inserting 40 or 80 grit sandpaper right under the index finger.  One time while working in a small casino, we apprehended a suspected cheater that had an object protruding from his left finger, however the suspect swallowed it before we could seize the device.  The suspect did however have a roll of double backed tape in his pocket, which is used to secure sandpaper on your finger.

  Another individual was arrested with a hollow aluminum fingertip.  Under the nail portion of the metal finger was a slot where sandpaper could be inserted.

CUTTING A CARD

  A dealer, with a little help from an agent, can deal any card desired on the first hand of a freshly dealt deck or decks. In most instances an ace would be the card dealt because of the chance of catching a blackjack.

  The move is a gem, and very hard to detect if performed properly.  A dealer and his agent can be surrounded and still not be detected.

  Here is how it works: During the course of play the aces may be slightly crimped lengthwise inward toward the faces.  They can be crimped either by the agent or the dealer.  The cards can then be shuffled and the agent can cut just above the crimped ace very easily.  The cut then brings the ace to the top of the deck.  The dealer then simply burns the second card which retains the ace on top.  If the agent is sitting in the first seat, the dealer just deals the cards in the normal fashion.  If the agent is sitting in a different seat, the dealer will simply put the card in the appropriate position by employing the second deal.  From information through the grapevine, many large casinos around the world were taken off for hundreds of thousands of dollars using this simple move.

THE CHIP CUP

  This device has been around for many years.  It is a hollow metal cylinder that will allow two or even three chips to fit inside.  The top of the device has an actual casino chip glued to appear as if it was a stack of three or four $5 chips.

  The cheaters use the device and assistance from a dealer to load the chip cup with $25 or $100 chips, and in the act of making change, the dealer secretly passes the loaded chips to his confederate.

  The device is one of the hardest scams to detect.  In fact if you placed a loaded cup next to an actual stack of chips it is virtually impossible to tell the legitimate from the phony.  Very, very dangerous.

DAUB

  Daub has been a long time favorite of the cheat working solo on the circuit of casinos and clubs, however it can also be used in conjunction with inside casino help.  Daub is a card marking substance that will give the back of a card a different color or shade that will make the daubed card distinguishable from the others.  The strength in this ability allows the cheat to know the top card of the deck, or even of a multiple deck shoe.  A good cheat can even tell what card the dealer is placing as his hole card.  This is a dangerous weapon, especially when a person not trained in the markings is supervising the game.

LIGHT METERING AND DAUB

  Daubing is not easy to learn to make, apply or play.  Hours of practice must be put in experimenting with various intensities of the shade and color of the daub.  The most experienced casino person can look right at it and still not see it. Some cheats that play the daub will go into a casino and take a photographic light meter with them to get a sample of the light reading and then go home and duplicate the light for practicing.

  A very good friend of mine that was one of the most competent magicians and an expert on gambling, Charlie Miller, recalls the story how some hustlers pulled off a great practical joke on some younger hustlers.  It seems that these sharpers were pretty good at playing the daub and the younger fellows were very eager to learn some of the finer points.  The old timers made up a fantastic story of a new method of cheating called "playing the smell".  They told the young hustlers that they could learn the value of the cards by the smell on the backs.

  Daubing is applied with the finger during the course of play.  The waxy, shoe polish type material is generally put in a special holder hidden under the jacket or put inside a button on a piece of clothing.  It can also be hidden on a pack of cigarettes or lighter.  Cross roaders guard their recipe for daub like a military secret. There are a hundred different chemical combinations for the substance that can come in many colors and shades.  Even a soft pencil, eyeliner, lipstick, and certain make-ups will suffice.  In fact, one of the simplest forms of daub is a very popular brandy, which can be ordered at the table and applied right under the noses of the casino operators.

  One type of daub called white on white or white flash is extremely lethal and takes a very experienced person to be able to read.

  One note about reading daub or markings on the back of cards: an ultraviolet light will work with many daubs.  However some juice is so hard to see, it is almost impossible.  The only way to really see the daub is to hold the deck in your hand with the backs facing you, then quickly remove a card.  You will see a slight change in color or shade if something is on the cards.  This is the way the pros practice reading daub before going out to play it.

   Coupling the use of daub with card counting or another scam will give the cheat one heck of an edge over the house.

BENDING AND WEAVING

  A skillful card handler can put a bend in a card so slight that only he is able to detect it.  For instance, when the dealer has a ten-value card up and the small cards (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) have been "hit" (bent) or weaved, the sharp would then know the value of the dealer's hole card.  He would then play his hand accordingly.  He may also then know the top card coming from the deck.  One can realize the strength of this method.

  A bend can be very light but will hold its shape for a long time under normal playing conditions.  There are many other uses of the bend which are not made by the cheat, but by the sloppy dealer when handling the cards.  A sharp player will look for these defects.

  Combining bending with counting and/or daubing, the cross roader again has an edge over the house, without ever arousing suspicion. The sharper will play rather modestly, never betting very large amounts, milking the cow, rather than taking it to slaughter.

FLASHING

  A dealer working with a cheat can make the scam an easy proposition.  A dealer exposing the top card to his "agent" before every deal or hit can be devastating to the casino because it can be very difficult to detect, even with the most modern surveillance equipment.

  The flash and the player's requested hit occur simultaneously with only the player seating directly in front of the dealer sighting the card.  A multiple flash will allow a sequence of cards to be known to the agent, thus allowing him to know the outcome of an entire hand.  The dealer's second finger and thumb separate the top card from the deck about 1/16 of an inch, just enough to allow the card to be sighted.  The move cannot be spotted to anyone to the left or right, behind or above the dealer.

  The act put on by the dealer's agent leads the casino operators to think that the player was just lucky, hitting when he shouldn't and standing when he shouldn't.  The player will know when to hit and then make those difficult plays such as 16 against a 10. 

  The use of a shoe will stop 90% of all flashing but believe it or not a dealer can flash cards from a shoe.

KILLING CARDS

  Killing cards is a means to isolate a card or group of cards in a position of the deck so they are kept out of play. Supposing you removed all of the 4's, 5's and 6’s that would give the card counter a tremendous advantage over the dealer. Isolating the cards in say the lower 1/3 of the deck gives the same result.  This method works well with a single deck and a multiple deck shoe.  In fact, it is better with a shoe because the dealer has a longer time to isolate the cards on the pickup.

  The dealer will isolate the cards when picking up the dead hands.  He uses the plastic discard tray to his advantage by placing the cards he wants out of play on the bottom of the stack, and the other cards on the top.  By a simple shuffling control procedure, he can bring the cards to any desired position. The dealer's accomplice well then cut just behind the dead slug to bring those cards to the rear and out of play.

SIGNALING/TIPPING OFF

  A sharper may have an accomplice sitting directly opposite him, on a blackjack table behind the dealer.  Both players are then facing each other.  If either dealer on the two tables is sloppy, the cross roaders may be able to see dealer's hole card on the opposite table.  The two cheats can then transmit the value of the card to one another, thus giving them an edge over the game.

  The player would take full advantage by using a "hole card strategy" that takes into regard the value of the sighted card.

  In many cases the position of the two players may be off center by one or two tables, and in certain instances the spotter may not even be playing but roaming around the casino pit to obtain the best possible view.

  Many gamers have realized the importance of keeping the hole card protected as evidenced by certain rule changes in the game.  Some casinos require to take the hole card when all the players are finished hitting and standing.  This rule change negates this type of fraud.

SIGHTING

  If a player sits at the table in certain positions, he may be able to sight the dealer's hole card as it is being placed under the up card.

  Many dealers are extremely sloppy in this regard.  Cross roaders are constantly looking for careless dealers, and this information is traded amongst the cheats.

  Combining card counting with sighting, the cheat has a lethal weapon against the house!

TIPPING OFF

  Another way of getting the value of the hole card is by the dealer signaling to the player the value of the card. Generally, the value will be transmitted as a hitting hand or a standing hand, however many cheating rings have gone through the trouble of sending the value of each card.  Knowing for instance whether the card is a 7 or a 5 makes a big difference to a player hitting 16.

  The dealer, after looking at his hole card, can signal the value of the card in numerous ways.  Among the ways; eye movements by the dealer, hand position when holding the deck; how close he stands to the table; coughing, wrinkling a forehead, etc. These signals are just an example of what has been used in the past.  Modern technology has allowed electronic transmitting devices that work silently and without any apparent movement by the dealer or the player.

  Thumpers are one of the most common electronic signaling devices that is activated by the dealer's foot and in turn, gives the receiver (the player) the card value.   Casino supervisors can be misdirected from the scam when the player makes intentional incorrect plays, such as splitting 10's.

CAMERA AND TELEVISION USED BY CHEATER

  On July 10, 1984, a subject was arrested in a Las Vegas casino while playing blackjack, betting two hands at $1000 each. The player was found to have a television camera attached to his right wrist and a transmitter and receiver attached to his waist.  The player would televise the dealer's hole card to the base station, which was in a van in the casino's parking lot.  The suspected cheater had won $17,000 and carried an additional $40,000 on his person when he was arrested.

MARKED AND IMPERFECT CARDS

  One of the most interesting potential problems that I have come across was used in a very popular form of playing cards,

Kem that are used in poker and even in blackjack in many casinos, has a one way back design.  A one-way design allows the cards to be distinguished from one another by virtue of not having perfect symmetry in the all-over back design.  If one of the cards should be rotated 180 degrees, that card will stand out from all the rest.

  If you notice the loops are different sizes on each end of the deck.  These cards have been used for many years in card rooms all over the country.  I wonder how many players have been aware of this defect.  Don't play in any game where you find one-way cards.

MARKING ON THE FACE

  There are several methods of marking cards other than on the backs.  On way is on the edge of the card.  The cards can easily be read from the side of the deck.  Another method is marking the cards on the faces.  This method is extremely dangerous in the game of seven card stud low, also called "razz". This scam has gone undetected for years in many card rooms. When the person dealing places each card to the players, the index finger of the dealing hand can feel the special markings that have been put on the kings, queens and jacks.  The dealer can then signal the value of the player's hole card. The cards are usually marked with an exacto knife very precisely along the hairlines.  The slightest groove will enable the dealer to distinguish whether the card is a big one or a little.  There are 12 cards that can be altered which will give the cheat a big advantage.

DETECTING TAMPERED CARDS

  There are several ways to detect if someone has been meddling with a new pack of cards.  You should look at the wrapper and see if it is intact and not tampered with on the sides or the bottom.  It is very easy to take an exacto knife and open a deck of cards and then seal them with some super glue.  Also, after opening the pack, make sure that all the points on the odd pips are pointing in the same direction.  For instance, if you open a pack of cards the ace of spades will be facing you.  Make sure that the pips on the three, five, six, seven, and nine, are pointing in the same direction as the point on the ace.  Also check the clubs, diamonds and hearts for misplaced pips.  This indicates that someone may have been tampering with the deck, such as marking etc., and then re-packaged the cards incorrectly.

SHADING AND BLOCKING INK

  Cards are marked with a special pen and a very especially color matched ink.  The markings are placed on the diamonds to allow the cheat to determine the value of the card.  Many different sequences can be put on the cards, such as marking the face cards only, or perhaps just the small cards.  This just depends on what game the cheat is playing.  The following pictures depict some of this equipment.

STRIPPERS

  A stripper deck of cards has the cards cut on the sides or edges so that certain cards are wider and can be easily culled out from the rest of the cards.  A stripper deck can be adapted to just about every type of card game, and they come in many different varieties.

  The following diagram depicts the type of cutter and corner rounder necessary to make the packs.  However, I have seen the finest stripper packs made from a little sandpaper and the boards off of an old cigar box.  A great friend and gambling expert, Charlie Miller, enlightened me to concave strippers that cannot be felt by holding the pack, as do side strippers.

  As a child, I had a set of side strippers that allowed me to perform miracles.  I would have all of the cards facing in the same direction, except the four aces.  I would have someone shuffle, and I would immediately draw out the aces.

  Concave strippers fooled the heck out of me, especially since I had knowledge of side strippers.  I therefore ruled out the possibility that the shark was using strippers.  Oh, was I fooled!  My grateful thanks to Charlie for setting me straight.   Combination strippers allow two different combinations of cards to be stripped from different sides of the deck. 

  High - low strippers will allow a player to cut either a high card or a low card, just by where he grabs the pack.

SHINERS AND GLIMS

  Shiners, also called glims can be very treacherous at the gaming table.  Once a gambler from Texas asked me to do some magic tricks for him and a group of friends.  Later when we were alone, I asked him to do a trick for me.  I sensed that he was smarter than he appeared to be.  He was very reluctant, but he showed me how to make a shiner.

  He used an ordinary Christmas tree ornament that was silver and round.  He would break it under a soft towel to avoid being cut.  He used a piece the size of a fingernail.

  The shiner would make it very easy to reveal the cards being dealt to an opponent, as depicted in the illustration.

  I once caught a young lady at my blackjack table using a glim concealed inside a pack of cigarettes.  She would get a glimpse of the dealer's hole card as it went under the face up card.

COFFEE CUP SCAM

    The act of placing an innocent looking coffee cup or similar style beverage cup on the table was an easy way for the dealer to drop a previously palmed chip into the liquid.  he acts as if he was merely moving the cup out of the way, then drops the chip into the cup.  Of course, the player is his agent.

COOLERS - ALSO KNOWN AS COLD DECKS

  The prearranged packet of cards is a deadly tool at any card game.  Here is a real fine set up for the popular game of blackjack that a sharp will use against the house, using inside help to get the cooler into the game. The cards are arranged in the following order: 4, 5, 3, 8, ace, king, ten, jack, 6, 9, 7, 2, queen.   The order of the cards is infallible, and the cards may be legitimately cut anywhere.  Also, if an extra card is drawn, the order can be picked up again.  All that is necessary to win is to see the dealer's burn card.  That is the card that is taken off the deck after the cut and not exposed.  It is normally put in the discard tray.  If you don't see the burn card, all you need to see is the last card dealt from the previous hand.  That will be one of the dealer's cards.

  Suppose that the burn card was an 8, by referring to the chart it tells us to play five hands.  You don't hit any breaking hands and you only double on two card totals of 10 and 11.  The dealer will break every time.

           Burn, or last card seen.         Hands to play.

           -----------------------          --------------

                    4                             6

                    5                             4

                    3                             5

                    8                             5

                    ace                           6

                    king                          5

                    10                            6

                    jack                          5

                    6                             6

                    9                             6

                    7                             4

                    2                             4

                    queen                         6

MEMORIZED ORDER

  Any order of cards that has the suits repeated four times in a standard 52 card deck is also very effective in busting a player out.  An old hustler and expert golfer, Eddie Seremba used the following sequence of cards for the game of blackjack:

ace, 5, 9, jack, 6, 4, 2, king, 8, 7, queen, 3, 10.

  By knowing the order of the cards, it is very easy to simply deal deuces, or give the card to a player without having to peek.

THE JACKASS ATE A TREE

  The easiest order for me to remember was the order I learned from an old conjuring book by John Mulholland.  The rhyme was easily associated with the cards.  Some call the association principal mnemonics.  It went like this:

  "Jack ass ate live tree; king intends to fix seven for benign queen."

  The order of cards is:

  Jack, Ace, 8, 5, 3, King, Ten, 2, 6, 7, 4, 9, Queen.

  I could easily tell what the top card coming off was at any point in the game.  I mainly used this for demonstrations of busting out.  In a real game it would be impractical.

Nail Writer - and paper money.

    Guessing a person's weight in the side show is one of the cleverest gaffs in existence.  The operator pretends to jot down his guess on a piece of paper.  He then puts the pencil down and seems to be finished with his prediction and asks, "OK, get on the scale".  He then sees the correct weight and secretly writes the weight down, within a pound or so, on the pad with a small under-nail pencil lead.  It is imperceptible.

    This scam has also been used by a player to write the order of the cards as they are put into the discard tray in blackjack.  The scam artist holds a stack of money in his hand with a small area of the currency prepared with a green piece of paper to record the information.  Regular bills will hide the writing, and the unsuspecting manner of writing is a perfect scam.

THE GAFFED SHOE

  Any gambling game that uses multiple decks of cards that are too bulky to comfortably be held in the hand requires the use of a dealing box commonly referred to as a "shoe", or sabot, as it is called in France.  The shape of the device resembled a person's shoe, hence the nickname.  The earliest shoes manufactured for use in a card game were made of wood and metal. Presently most American made shoes are manufactured from Plexiglas.

  The earliest gimmicked shoe was discovered in France that was used in the game of baccarat and chemin de fer.  In this game, certain cards drawn by the player side prevent the banker from drawing additional cards.  An ingenious method was devised to allow the wooden shoe to "hold out", that is keep out of play, certain cards in a secret compartment that kept the cards until the secret lever was deployed that would release the card and put it into play.

  The chemin de fer shoe had a gimmicked handle that when turned, would release from a bottom compartment under the faceplate of the shoe the desired cards that would prevent further action by the bank side.  The cards in the shoe were selected according to which side the cheater would wager upon. For instance, in baccarat if the banker and the player side both had a two-card total of 5 on the first initial two cards each, if an additional card such as a 9 were drawn, the bank would win, and there would be no further action by the player side.  The bank would beat the player with a total of 5 over 4.

  The person that would operate the device does not have to be the heavy player, but rather a shill or other player betting in the game.  Not much suspicion or attention is given to someone that is betting the minimum bet.  Getting the card out from the secret compartment was not that difficult, since the spring-loaded gimmick shot the card out from the bottom into the hand as though it were actually dealt from the window of the shoe.  The person dealing only had to synchronize the timed actions together to make it appear as if a card was being drawn in a normal fashion.  The wooden handle was turned just enough to allow the card to be released.  This device has been used for over 50 years that we know of and has never been actually detected in a live chemin de fer or baccarat game.   The device is similar in every respect to a normal shoe, except that the bottom compartment is hollow and connected to the handle release mechanism.

  You will never find a holdout shoe in a Nevada game, since all of the shoes being used in the state have a clear, see through bottom that exposes the entire shoe for inspection.

  There are other types of gaffed shoes that are used in baccarat and chemin de fer that are very similar in many respects to gaffed blackjack shoes.  In fact, the reason that all of the shoes used in blackjack and baccarat are clear, exposing the entire bottom, is the fact of a conspiracy that was perpetrated on a major casino many years ago.

  Some zealous cheat went through the trouble of devising a blackjack shoe that had the capability of signaling the top card in the window to a player at the game.  In other words, the player sitting at the table would know what the next card would be.  He could then hit or stand pat accordingly.  With this type of edge going for a thief, he would be playing the game with a 10 to 15% or more advantage against the house.

  The shoe was designed to contain a receiver, batteries, and an elaborate fiber optical system that flashed just for a brief second, just long enough for the player to get the information.  The player had to know exactly where to look on the shoe.

  Other players and the dealer would not see the information because of the angle of the shoe and faceplate.  Another person in the scam might be 10 to 20 feet away from the blackjack table wearing the device to activate the shoe.  This person may be playing slots or just standing near the table observing the action.  Nobody would have reason to suspect him or connect him to the scam.  The player at the table would not activate the system for fear of exposure in the event of detainment and search by law enforcement agencies.

  The scam was discovered accidentally by an unsuspecting blackjack supervisor that was closing down the games for the evening.  Upon picking up two shoes, carrying one in each hand, he noticed the difference in respective weights.  The gaffed shoe was much heavier than the normal one.  In every other detail, there was absolutely NO DIFFERENCE between the two shoes. The casino manager inspected the device and could not detect the gaff, until Gaming Control agents were called in to take the device apart to discover the elaborate system.

  Someone or persons clearly stayed up many evenings figuring out this unbelievable scam.  It was as good as a movie script. How long was the device in the casino?  How was the device put into the game?  Who was responsible?  How much money was taken from the house?  These questions are still unanswered.

  Another gaffed blackjack shoe makes use of a reflecting prism that signals to the dealer the top card.  Simply by holding this card back with the fingers and then dealing the second card is easier than dealing seconds from a handheld deck.  This type of shoe can be used against the player or against the house.  The prism device is nothing more than a reflecting prism inserted near the face of the shoe.  This can be removable or permanently implanted in the shoe.

  The house can use this against the players by having the dealer hold back cards for use in hitting his own hand, and for the player with the dealer and the player in cahoots, signaling the value of the top card to the player.  The player can then make more hands without breaking as often, thus giving him a terrific edge.

  One version of this type of shoe has a small plunger to hold back the top card so the dealer can deal seconds.  This method is more susceptible to being exposed, therefore it is not used as frequently as the non-moving prism.

  Still another version has the prism built into the lid of the shoe.  Some smart cross roader working on the inside convinced management that lids should be placed on the shoes to protect the cards from being altered or touched in any fashion.  Little did the manager realize that the very idea of protecting the cards from cheaters was the device to burn the casino out of a lot of money.

  It might be noted that many suggestions and methods of operations have been purposely designed to cheat the house under the guise of a protective measure.

  An additional gaffed shoe has a mirror built in the faceplate of the shoe that gives the dealer the value of the top card of the deck.  The device is phony looking but will get the money.

  The price range for any of these shoes will vary according to the black-market price, and how hungry the maker is, but a gaffed shoe will retail for $800 to $5000, depending on the type and availability.

  Currently, new technology is opening the door for cheats.  Through the advances of NASA's space program, and the advent of the computer age, new ways of getting into the pockets of casinos are being developed.  Rumor has it that a scanning optical device is being worked out that would signal the order of the cards from the top of the deck down to the bottom.  This method is very similar to the optical reader that is used in supermarkets to decode the price of an item to the auto cash totaling device.

  Another method rumored to be in the research phase is the use of a radioactive material impregnated into the playing cards that will signal the value and position to each card in a deck or multiple deck.

SLOT SCAMS

  Millions of dollars in gaming revenue are lost each year to slot cheaters, who pose a serious threat to the casino operator. A clear estimate of the exact amount of money stolen is impossible.  Nevada's Gaming Control Board estimates the amount more than 40 million per year.

  A slot thief will work solo or in highly organized teams that have the latest electronic technology available to them and are not afraid to take on any machine in any location.

  Most experienced slot cheats can work very openly right under the noses of experienced slot personnel.  Generally, these operators run in teams, and are constantly recruiting new faces that have no police records and believable as to their integrity of collecting those big jackpots. New faces are necessary, so the same people are not suspected when constantly collecting jackpots.

  A very sophisticated slot gang was recently convicted of rigging jackpots in many of Nevada's casinos and were suspected in committing slot crimes in New Jersey as well.  One interesting detail revealed from this trial; the use of a laser device to block out the video surveillance camera that was monitoring a million-dollar jackpot.

  Attention was focused upon this incident when the "agent" used to collect the payoff fled the casino in a panic and was not located for several days.  Authorities then discovered that the winner had a previous police record, which eventually led to the truth, a discovery of a slot scam of the highest order.

  This incident led to a full-scale investigation and arrest; however arrests and investigations will not stop the proliferation of slot scams to someone who is a pro.

  The following methods and descriptions are typical modus operandi of present-day slot cheaters working all over the world.

  Slot machines are mechanical devices, and therefore subject to mechanical failure. It is by means of these failures, particularly wearing of parts, that some people can make a living. In the following pages, many ways of making slot machines pay are explained. It should be noted that most of these methods are illegal, and all are frowned upon. The owners are correcting the mechanical failures of their machines in a continual race with the people who play them for a living. But, as the cross roaders say, "As long as the money goes in, there is a way to get it out."

A WORD ABOUT SLOT THIEVES

  Slot cheats are a strange breed all to themselves. Many of them conduct a perfectly normal business life and many pursue other trades full and part time. Many cross roaders only work the scams in the height of the tourist season when they can be less conspicuous.  Good slot cheats have remarkable memories and can tell you about nearly every machine that is in the state.  They know which machines to play and which machines to stay away from.

  They are also on the constant lookout for new methods and easy spots. They also have a way of knowing who other slot cheats are from coast to coast. If a census could be taken, the casinos would panic at the enormous number of cheats in existence.

SHORTING COIN ROLLS

  Whenever you are getting change to play the slots, always be sure that you are getting the right amount. Be careful of hand wrapped coin rolls. It is very easy to remove one coin from each roll. It would never be missed unless you counted it.

SHORTING JACKPOTS

  Years ago, slot jackpots were paid loose in a paper cup.  It was very easy to remove a few coins from the cup.  There are still some places that pay their jackpots in this manner.  Make sure that you get all the winnings.

COUNTERFEIT TOKENS

  Tokens today can be duplicated so well that you would never suspect them as counterfeit.  Careful inventory control is a must to keep tabs on the total volume amount of tokens in house and in circulation.

PURSE SNATCHERS

    Stealing handbags and purses is lucrative to the thief because he or she has the misdirection of the slot machine activity in their favor.  A scammer will reach between the machines from the other side and steal a purse.  Barricades made from clear plastic have been installed to counter this problem.

THE JUMP-OFF MACHINE

  In slot machines which have worn main operating levers, the handle must be pulled to the lowest point before the main operating lever spins the reels. These reels will backlash, and the backlash can be caught by moving the handle back a few inches. The handle catches the reels and can then be used as a jack, and by moving it, one, two or three reels can be moved to bring up the symbols that pay.  This method, also called walking the reels, requires practice if the player is to develop any degree of proficiency.

PULL THROUGH HANDLE

  By playing some machines through their normal cycle, and letting the handle back to the first click, with a quick jerk they will play again with no money. The handle is then in position to work the same as a jump-off machine, as explained above.

DOUBLE COINING

  Some slot machines can be put on a free play mode by the following method known as "double coining".  By placing two coins, one behind the other in the coin acceptor, pull the handle but let it up only until you hear the first click.  Continue playing, being sure to the let the handle up only on the first click each time.

  In this manner the player can continue to play the machine for "free" and collect the normal pays until the coin tubes or hopper are empty.

  This method is good only on machines in which the escalators are worn. An escalator is the coin mover.  Most of Nevada's machines have been altered so this ploy won't work very easily. Also, most slot cheats consider this method to slow. They would rather collect a bundle and hit the road before the "heat" arrives.

THE BIT

  A small bit, usually only one and a quarter inch long, which when placed into a small chuck can be turned with the thumb and forefinger to drill through the face of the machine. Through this small hole a wire is inserted to press against one of the reels.  This pressure on one reel locks all the reels and the machine can then be played the same as in the "jump-off" method.

    This bit can also be used to gain access to the inside of the machine and allows door openings.

THE ROD

  The rod, an instrument about 15 inches long, with several bends near the end.   This end is inserted through the pay chute between the platform and the base of the mechanism and is turned one quarter turn to the left.  It is held in this position to engage the fingers of the pay slides, holding them open, so that every time the machine is played it drops 18 coins regardless of the symbols showing on the reels.

THE SHIM

  It is shaped much like a boomerang, with one end fashioned like half a coin. It is used as follows: A coin is inserted, and the handle is pulled down and returned to the first click. The end of the shim is inserted through the coin slot to disengage the escalator, which then causes the machine to free play. These shims are made of a thin sheet plastic material to allow flexibility.

THE SHAKER

  The shaker is inserted into the money drop opening. This tool is fashioned from a long piece of wire, and on the end, another shape of metal that is exactly the thickness of two coins. This device is fitted into the "anti-cheat slide" on a slot, and moved back and forth, dropping two coins each time it is moved. Because shakers are made to fit specific coin slots, a different device is needed for each coin denomination. They also must be made in different lengths; thus they are very hard to use unsuspectingly.

FEELER GAUGES

  Pieces of feeler gauge steel have been made with a hook on one side.   These are used as follows:  The tool is slipped through the small space between the escalator glass and the frame holding the glass.  Slight pressure will allow the player to move the reels around until they are in the payoff position. One problem is that the first reel cannot be reached by this method and must be put on a pay symbol by normal play before the other reels can be jockeyed into position. For example, the machine is played until a bar shows up on the first reel, the player now proceeds to use the feeler to position the other remaining bars on the pay line. In order to set off the jackpot bell and lights, that indicate a payoff, the machine must be played after the symbols are in position. This is where the hook comes into use. The hook catches the side of the last reel, and the handle is pulled through. The last reel being held stationary also locks the other reels.

  Another type of feeler tool has been designed to be used in the same manner, except that it is inserted through the reel glass in the front, rather than through the escalator glass. Use of this tool is less conspicuous than the other type, however it is much more difficult to use.

BENT COIN WIRE

  In certain machines, a wire can be inserted through the bent coin return and then used to manipulate the reels in the same manner as the feeler gauge.

SPOONING

  To the cross roader, spooning has nothing to do with pitching woo on the front porch swing. To them it is just another way to beat the slot machines. A "spoon" is a general term covering a variety of tools, some of which slightly resemble a kitchen spoon. These tools can be inserted into the opening from which money drops.  Then when the machine is paying the pay slide can be held in the open position. Every time the machine is played, it will pay regardless of the symbols showing.

FOREIGN COINS AND SLUGS

  Mexican centavos work very well in quarter slots. Use of these is a federal offense.  Since these coins can be spotted in the escalator glass and in the coin try, the slot thief rarely uses them.   Counterfeit slugs are also used in the same manner and is one of the industry's biggest problems.

KEY CONTROL

    Key control is one of the most important factors of maintaining strict control over access of getting into a machine.  The more keys in existence, the persons with machine access, and the greater chances of pilferage.  A regular routine of changing locks could save a casino thousands.

COMPUTER BOARDS

   Control over the actual computer board that is inside a machine is just as critical of key control.  A simple chip change could go unnoticed.  A scam ring could have their own boards in a machine and then come in and play it.  Activation of the special pay schedule would only occur when a series of coins and buttons were pressed in accordance to the program’s writing.

RHYTHM PLAYING

  A book could be written about rhythm playing without thoroughly explaining it. This is probably the safest way to cheat a slot since there is no law prohibiting it. If the player is caught rhythm playing, he is asked to take his business elsewhere. Nevada has lost tremendous sums from such methods. There is a lady that will teach the method for a fee of $1000.00.

  Basically, it works like this: Each machine has a clock which begins operating when the handle is pulled. The clock regulates when the reels will come to a stop. By timing the pulls of the handle, a sharp rhythm player can bring the same symbols on the pay line with a great deal of accuracy.  With a little practice a player can empty the machine in a few minutes.

BACCARAT SCAMS

  The following confidential memo was circulated by a large casino in Lake Tahoe in the 1970's:

  The following subjects (names purposely deleted) were involved in a baccarat play at (deleted), Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Management feels that the casino was cheated, however, the method used has not been determined.  The two subjects cashed out approximately $200,000.00, after playing for over 12 hours.  The subjects sat in positions three and ten, varying their bets from a few hundred dollars to $2,000.00.

  What happened? Was the casino cheated?  The answer is told as we get into the story of.......Madame Yu.

THE CASE OF MADAME YU

  The Tahoe scam is very similar to a scam that this author uncovered at the Imperial Palace Hotel, in Las Vegas in 1980s. Here is how it went....

  The hotel decided that it wanted to open a baccarat game and my job was to assist the General Manager and the Casino Manager in setting up the game.  After a few meetings, I give them some directions of the different ways that the game could be operated.  I furnished rules and procedures that would safeguard the game against cheaters, both on the inside and on the outside.

  I was asked by management if I would like to work in the baccarat game, and I accepted.  I then was told that I would be called in very shortly.  I waited and waited for the telephone call.  It didn't come.  I called the Casino Manager and was told that he didn't have a position for me.  I sensed that something was wrong and immediately arranged a meeting with the General Manager and the Casino Manager to see if I could possibly figure out why my services were no longer needed.

  I soon found out that I was the only outsider that was considered for a position in the baccarat game, and that the rest of the crew was handpicked by the newly appointed baccarat manager.  In gaming anything can happen, and it did.  The man that they picked as the baccarat manager never had any direct baccarat experience in Las Vegas.  That is, he was never a floor man or even a dealer.  I thought in my mind, "Does this person have the experience necessary for a high rolling baccarat game?"

  I was finally hired and placed in the position as floor man.  I had more experience in the game than anyone working in the entire pit.  I sensed though that I was an outsider.  I was not treated as part of the crew nor felt welcome.  I was given nothing but a hard time from the moment I walked into the job.  I was the only person that was not hired by the baccarat manager.

  Opening night, we had quite a bit of business for a new baccarat game, especially since we didn't advertise the opening.  An interesting lady sat down to play.  She was adorned with very expensive jewelry and had on the finest garments.  Her name was even interesting, Madame Yu.  Oriental looking and very charming was Madame Yu, and we were happy to have found a very good high rolling baccarat player.  She deposited $10,000 in the cashier's cage to play against.  That is, she would draw chips at the table which would be deducted from the total deposit in the cage.

  Madame Yu gave one the impression that she was a big player that had a lot of money.  She did have a lot of money and she did play heavy, but I sensed something wrong with her "act".  Her purse was not expensive and didn't match the rest of her dress.  She looked oriental, but the more I observed her the more convinced I was that she was trying to convey to us that she was an oriental, which in fact she wasn't.  Her play was hot and cold as far as where she placed her bets.  That is, she would play the bank side and then switch her wager suddenly to the player side.  Sometimes she would switch in the middle of a hand after the cards were already dealt.  According to the proper rules, switching is not permitted after a card has been dealt from the baccarat shoe.  Occasionally a courtesy switch is permitted, but never a continuous switch.

  I felt that she was not complying with the rules and I was over ruled by the shift manager.  I was told to let her play the way she wanted.  This was against my grain, and a very dangerous thing for the house.  I might point out that the dealers were being tipped very heavily.   Note: Heavy tipping is a natural way to misdirect improper playing methods.  Dealers will tend to overlook procedures. Nobody wanted to rock the boat.  I felt that the casino was not being given a fair shake, however I was constantly overruled by the immediate baccarat management.

THE TIP OFF

  I finally noticed that every time that Madame Yu sat down to play, two other gentlemen also sat down to play, and always in the same seats.  I became very suspicious and made every attempt to talk to the men and Madame Yu, hoping to get the slightest clue as to what was the scam.  One man was an oriental and the other was red headed, both about 50 years of age.  The red headed man, I shall call Tony, told me that he was a designer and handled wall coverings.  He would even go over to the walls in the baccarat pit and talk as if he knew exactly the brand of paper and the manufacturer.  He was a master of deceit.

  The oriental man would not engage in any conversation at all.  He would just smile or stare at me.

  I once again brought my suspicions to the attention of my supervisors; I was told that I was paranoid.  Again, I gave my full attention to the developing problem.  That evening, Madame Yu began losing which made my theory look very bad.  At the close of the evening, however, she did win a little, and had given the dealers thousands in gratuities.

  I recalled how giving tips has been used as a decoy in many casino scams.  The dealers and floor men become blind with greed to see anything out of the ordinary.  It never fails.

  The following morning, Madame Yu returned to the game bearing a gift for the shift manager and me.  I was honored with a solid sterling silver Gucci pen.  I still have the pen as a reminder.  I thought, beware of Greeks bearing gifts.  I became even more cautious.

  Finally, I caught one of the gentlemen flashing the cards after they were dealt to the player sitting opposite him.  That player would secretly signal Madame Yu, who was at the other end of the table.  She would act like she was not even watching the game and ask to have her bet switched from the bank side to the player side, or to put down a bet after the cards were already out.  She was a master!  This was one of the cleverest schemes I have ever seen.  No marked cards.  No extra cards. No gaffs of any kind.  The floor man allowed the changing of the bets, he technically allowed the scam to happen.

  When they could determine the value of the player hand, they would know which hand would probably win.  It was a simple matter of switching bets.  They won quite a bit of money doing this before I raised enough eyebrows to stop the play.

  The following week all three individuals returned to play.  All parties were arrested, with one of the culprits confessing and confirming my theories.

  Several questions remain unanswered.  Was there anyone else involved in the operation besides the trio?  How did they know that the baccarat game was being opened in the casino?

THE UNREADABLE MARKED CARDS

  Cards that were going to be used in the baccarat game were obtained from someone working in the casino.  The cards were opened at the bottom and the plastic wrapping carefully removed.  The cardboard box was then split down the side with an exacto knife, and the cards were removed and secretly marked with a specially formulated daub.  The daub was very lightly applied and only the most experienced reader could see anything on the backs.

  Players were brought in to play as high rollers.  Casino credit was applied for and extended.  The players did not have any idea how the scam worked.  They were only told to follow the signals of a man sitting at the table that was the mastermind. He would signal the players were to wager.  They won better than 75 percent of the wagers, and they did not know how the scam worked.

  The mastermind would simply look at the exposed card in the window and would determine the value.  He would then decide which side, the player or the bank, had the best chance to win.  And win they did, more than $1,000,000 in cold cash was won from the game before someone got suspicious and the team broke up.

NOTE: Some of the following paper currency scams can also be applied to cashier cage and change cage functions.

PAPER BACCARAT

  Baccarat was originally dealt using actual United States currency and was one of the prettiest sights to see.  The money was soaped on both sides to prevent sticking and ease in handling.   Dealers could quickly snap the new bills and place a payoff anywhere on the table with the flick of the wrist.

  However, using money was not a very safe way of dealing the game.  It could be easily taken by the dealers, management, and the players, without any way of tracing the losings.  It was cold cash.  There were even several instances of someone grabbing the money right off the table and running for the door.  These and other incidents prompted the Gaming Control Board to adopt a chip policy for the game.

MAKING CHANGE HANDOFF

  In this scam the dealer would drop six twenty-dollar bills on top of the hundreds.  An accomplice would then request change putting a one-hundred-dollar bill on the table.  The dealer would then reach for the stack that had the six twenties with the hundreds below.  He would count out five twenties and scope them up and give them to the player.  The dealer would square up the stack using the bills in the other hand.  He would simply hand the player the stack with the hundreds below the twenties. It is a perfect illusion and almost undetectable.

GOING TO THE JACKET

  A dealer would simply fold up the money in his hand after paying the furthermost bet on the table.  He would normally have to stretch to make the payoff and use this cover to hide his hand going into his upper jacket inside pocket.

THE GRAB

  The dealer in this scam will simply allow the player sitting next to him grab the bottom portion of the money in his hand, leaving a portion of it, thus covering the move.  This is bold but very convincing.

THE DROP

  In this clever scam the dealers appear to pay a bet that someone had made for them, but in reality, the dealer puts a twenty dollar bill on top of the hundreds, then simply picks up five or ten one hundred dollar bills and pays the bet.  It appears as if the dealer merely paid a single bill bet.  It is almost impossible to see the sandwich of hundreds.

PUTTING UP BETS

  The dealers would simply put-up bets for themselves very boldly and in front of everyone.  Sometimes they will mark up the amount bet on the customer’s commission box and announce it to the floor man.  It will even fool the floor men as well as the players.    If questioned, the dealer will say that the player said he wanted to bet for the dealer.

TAKING OFF COMMISSION

  Removing commission from a player’s commission box is a very deceptive way of taking the game off.  During a very heavy game, it becomes very difficult to follow the transactions of the dealers, especially if the floor man watches the correct amount of commission get put up.  He doesn't realize that the dealer is taking it off a little at a time.  With the bank side having a small edge, a player is sure to win in a very natural manner with this method.

RUNNING UP HANDS

  Believe it or not, the players at the baccarat game were allowed to shuffle the cards before being placed into the shoe.  A cheat would simply lap about 20 to 30 cards and go to the bathroom and secretly arrange them into a predetermined order.  The dealer would usually be in on this and allow the player to introduce the cards back into the game.  The rest is a matter of just making a big enough bet.

  Real cautious gangs will not make large wagers to detour any suspicions that might arise.

  A slug can also be run up during play with the discards that go into the discard well or tray.  A few false shuffles and a secret mathematical formula, the cheat will know who will win the next 15 hands or so.

HOT AND COLD BETTING

  One side or the other will win each hand, except for the tie, which has no effect on the bank or player hand.  You can however bet the bank and get 9 for 1.  If a hand has been run up into the shoe, the cheats will bet opposite one another to throw everyone off and make all appear normal.  When the hand shows, they will all get on the winning side.  By betting opposite one another, they will only lose the commission that the bank pays each time it wins.

THE BLOCK HANDOFF

  This is called the block handoff because one of the dealers will simply block the view that the game supervisor has by leaning over the table.

MAKING THE FLOORMAN THE THIEF

  The floor man is made the thief by the dealer who asks the floor man if the player, who has just bet after the cards have been exposed, can still bet.  The player is the only one who has seen the cards that are exposed by the dealer when the cards are picked off the table and handed to a player at the table.  The slightest angle when lifting the cards will give the agent the value of the cards.  I would like to play just for one day using this method and I would never work again.

LACING IN A HAND

  In the traditional method of making up a baccarat shoe it is customary to lace about a deck of cards into the balance of the cards during the shuffle.  In this process, the dealer will observe the order of the cards.  He will out jog the first card, which will be the first burn card from the shoe.  This card will usually be a low number because a subsequent number of cards must also be burned.  He will then look at the order of cards and determine the winner of the sequence and signal to a confederate at the table the correct outcome.  He might cough for a bank win, and he may clear his throat for a player win.  A tie may be a touch of the face.  As the dealer pushes the cards into the deck, he will then bend the corner of the first burn card so the player can easily cut to it with the cut card.  This scam is very, very lethal!

THE FRENCH METHOD

  The French have dealt baccarat for years and have been notorious for putting in "portees" into the game.  We commonly call portees, coolers, a cold deck, or a slug.

  The dealer will use the discard bucket or tray to drop in previously used cards.  He will mark the beginning of the slug by slightly bending one of the cards.  Before the beginning he will reverse a few dozen cards in the discard bucket for ease in locating the beginning of the series.

  Another player will write down the order of the cards in the process of keeping score of the wins and losses on the score card provided by the casino.  After the series has been recorded, he will go to a telephone and read the numbers to his accomplice to make the job of calculating the outcome very quick and easy.

  The calculations will take about five minutes.  There are six possible outcomes that the series can have.  Upon seeing the previously bent card, the cheat will then calculate which of the six results to use.  Then they will bring as many more players into the game to bet as much as possible.

DOUBLE SIDED BILL

  A $20 will be glued to the back of a $100 bill.  The cheat will be working with the dealer.  The cheat will ask for change using the $100 side.  Once the bill is in the game, the bill will be given back to the cheat as a $20 bill.  He will then turn it over and ask for change again.  This will go on and on.  This is almost undetectable if done correctly.

MOVING A BET

  The dealer will simply pick up the losing side and count it down, replacing it on the winning side, then paying it.  This if done correctly is very convincing and will fool the supervisor without any experience.

PEEKING A CARD OUT OF THE SHOE

  Some baccarat shoes are not built very precisely allowing the first card to be dealt to be slid up the top between the shoe and the removable top.  The player will then peek at the card, and wager accordingly.  It has been estimated that knowing the first card gives the player about a 10 to 15 percent advantage.

GAMBLING ON THE SQUARE

  Many times, the cheat will get out in front using any of the techniques as explained and then actually use the money to gamble with.  He has nothing to lose and everything to win, plus all doubt is removed as to the player's veracity.

PRESSING A BET

  It is very easy to press a money bet since a stack of bills looks the same if there is ten bills in the pile or twenty.  I have seen many players press their bet in the act of hitting the shoe after winning the hand.

DICE CHEATING

  So, assuming that most of the readers have some knowledge of dice, I will forego a description of the rules of play and direct our attention to the most effective methods of how a player may be cheated. These methods can most frequently occur in friendly informal games, such as "backroom" style, and in professional gaming establishments, where there isn't a regulatory agency. In Nevada, the State Gaming Control Board monitors casinos surreptitiously, looking for the slightest inkling of a possible unsuitable practice. However, I can't say the same thing for other casinos around the world and on cruise ships. I am not saying that they are not honest, but rather advise you to be on the lookout.

  The most frequently encountered cheating device is loaded dice, or dice in which the spots have been drilled deeper and filled with a load of heavy metal such as gold or platinum, and then enameled over. They are either missers or passers, meaning that they favor the shooter or favor the fader. The fader meaning the person playing against the shooter. The passers make points, while the missers favor seven and craps.

  For example, two dice each loaded to favor 5 and 3 would obviously make 6, 8 and 10 more frequently than they normally should. And conversely, a dice loaded to favor 2, accompanied by one loaded to favor 1 and 5, will show 3 and 7 more often.

  The strength of the advantage depends upon the size of the load, which in turn necessitates deeper spots. The loading of the dice then becomes a compromise between keeping the dice normal appearing and the addition of a heavier advantage. Therefore, whenever playing craps, the gaffed dice may be detected simply by their unnatural appearance. Transparent and opaque dice may be both loaded, however opaque dice can carry a heavier load.  Transparent loaded dice can hold anywhere from 5 to 25 percent advantage, and opaque as high as 50 percent.

  Loads are a favorite of the amateur gambler because once they are in play, there is no skill required, and no real risks taken, of course depending on the company. The only initial risk is getting the dice into the game, which requires a switch. A switch does not require a lot of skill but does demand a lot of "nerve".

  One of the easiest dice switches in an informal game is the money switch. The dice to be introduced into the game are in the right hand covered by a number of bills. When it is the cheater's turn to shoot, he picks up the dice in his left hand and then proceeds to make his bets by taking bills with the left hand from the right. In the course of this action, the remaining bills are transferred to the left hand covering the dice there, and then the new ones in the right hand make their appearance.

  Also loaded dice, having a natural appearance, are practically impossible to detect by one that does not know how. Loaded dice may be detected by holding a single die diagonally at the opposite corners between the thumb and finger. The weighted side will swing downward. Another test is the water test, wherein the die is dropped into a glass of water. It should be dropped with the number facing you, and each number should be tested. If the dice turn over in the fall, the dice may be loaded.

  In Nevada casinos, most sharp operators will mark an honest set of dice with a scratch or nick, so that at any time, they may be visually noted, assuring no outside cheater has put one over on the casino.

  If a cheater feels he may be under suspect, he will cease and desist. Cheaters look for suckers, not trouble!

  Flats are crooked dice which are not perfectly square. The most popular is called six-ace flats, meaning that each die measures less or is flatter between the 6 and 1, causing 6-1 to come up more often than normal. Light flats up to 15/100ths of an inch off on the flat sides, present a very natural appearance and give   a fair percentage.

    Dice may be flattened in various combinations, such as one 4-3 and the other 5-2, which will favor the points 5-6-8 and 9. These are seldom used, however six-ace flats are probably the only flats a player may ever encounter. A simple way to detect flats is to compare one next to a regular die, the same size. It will not match up in height.

    Flats can be made also by applying heat to one of the sides of a die with a small portable traveling iron.  The die will be out of square for a period of 1/2 hour.  They will then roll according to the desired results.  Then due to cooling of the material, the die will resume the original shape and "mike" up to standards.

  Tops are very strong. They are dice that are miss potted. They are also known as tops and bottoms. These dice have three numbers repeated on the other three sides. Remember, you can only see three sides of a cube at one time. The most popular combinations are:

          Passers: 1-3-5 and 1-3-5 which make 4-6-8-10

          Missers or Bust-Outs:

          1-3-5 and 2-4-6 which make 7, and cannot make 4-6-8-10

          2-3-6 and 1-4-5 which make 7 and cannot make 5 or 9.

It might be noted that tops make 7 faster than normal.

  The following rules can help you detect a crooked dice game:

  1. If the stick man handles the dice with anything but the stick, it may be a bust-out game. There is no necessity to touch the dice by hand for any reason, except to switch them.

  2. The method of busting-out from the outside may be detected by the simultaneous leaning forward of the two shills on either side of the switchman. Each time the dice are changed, they lean forward in unison, to hide the move. In this method the stickman does not touch the dice, but are out of view for just a second.

  3. At times the dice may be switched by the boxman, however he may also be checking the dice after being thrown off the table by a hard shot. This is a perfectly normal procedure, however if they are handled too much, beware.

  4. The crooked game may be noticed by the presence of the same shills, day after day.

  5. If you are given credit without even the slightest credit verification unless you are extremely well known. It may be flattering, but a normal old time move to encourage you to play.

  6. If the dealer overpays you and it seems very apparent, they are appealing to your greed. Pick up your chips and leave.

A SLEEPER BET

  A sleeper bet is not a bet that a player has an option to make.  It is a bet that has been left on the crap layout, without anyone claiming it. It simply has been forgotten by the player. Many sharpies go to different casinos looking for sleeper bets, in hopes of claiming them. The management makes every effort to return the bet to the rightful player. If the rightful player doesn't claim the wager, the casino keeps it.

 THE ELASTIC AND THE PROPOSITION BET

  A very famous downtown casino owner was very suspicious of a certain player at the dice table.  The gentleman seemed to win every time that he played the proposition bets.  According to all probability, he isn't supposed to win playing the props. The house should eventually win all the money.

  After watching him for months, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except that he would only play on certain shifts, and with certain dealers.  That indication sent up a red flag in front of my eyes, after he explained the story to me.  Why does she only play on certain shifts, with the same dealers?  The answer seemed plain enough; he must have some inside help.  After observing the man through the "peek" for a few days, I noticed that the man always stood on the far end of the table, far enough wherein he could not hand the dealers the chips for his eleven bet.  He would drop the chips on the table and the dealers would make his bet.

  I finally nailed the scam.  The man had a $25 chip attached to an elastic band that went up his sleeve.  He would appear to throw the chip onto the table, but in reality, the chip quickly was pulled up his sleeve, while at the same time the crap stick man or baseman would drop a chip palmed in their hand.  The timing was perfect, and the entire action took only a fraction of a second.

SUBS

  Subs have been used in just about every gambling game to cheat the house.  A sub is basically a secret pouch that will accept chips from the dealer and conceal the chips from view.  A sub can be worn in pants, in a tie, in a shirt etc.

  A man that made his living selling ties and aprons to the various casinos, unbeknown to them, also made subs of every variety.

  One style of sub had a stiff metal wire inside the dealer’s waistline.  When the dealer pulled his gut in, the belt line would protrude, allowing the dealer to quickly pass chips into the secret pocket.

  On one occasion at the Sahara Hotel, almost 25 years ago, we took a boxman off the crap table suspecting him of having a sub on his person.  He confessed, and he had a little over $500 in $25 chips in his sub.  He had only been working and on the table a little over 40 minutes.

  The slide sub is a way that the dealer can put a chip into his shirt pocket, as if accepting a tip from a player, then the chip will slide through a small tube into a sub located in the trousers.

SARAN WRAP SCAM

  The same man that made subs also came up with the saran wrap scam.  As a boxman on the crap table, he would bring a small piece of saran wrap to the table and slowly cover the money slot, as if just playing with the bill paddle.  He would lay the saran wrap over the opening and slide the paddle into the slot pushing the saran wrap into the slot and forming an invisible pouch.  An accomplice would come up to the game and buy in $5000 in cash.  The boxman would count the money down and tell the dealer to give him $5500, giving him an extra $500 on the count.  They would time this whole scene just before the shift change, when the confusion is the highest in the pit, and when it is time to pull the money paddle not allowing any more money going down after the table was counted by the oncoming shift.

  Just before the count, the agent would buy in, and the money would be dropped into the money slot.  Now with a large amount of cash, you don't use the paddle to drop the money, rather you turn the money and force it down edgewise.  The paddle would then be placed over the top of the slot, but not into the slot.  This would help cover the saran wrap.  This is done just after the money is counted, so the paddle indicates to the crew not to drop any more money on that shift.

  The boxman simply gets up from the table quickly pulling the entire pouch from the slot, and putting it into his inside jacket pocket, in the act of straightening out his suit.

  One time the pouch got stuck and the saran wrap was broken off into the money box.  I wonder what the casino count team thought when they discovered saran wrap in the box!

CHEATING ROULETTE

LAYING COLORS

  This scam can only be pulled off only once in a casino because it is one of those types of scams that is only a one time shot.  At least two people are necessary to make the scam work.  One player is playing roulette chips at say $1 each, covering the layout in different patterns. The other player is sitting at the other end of the table betting $25 chips but has only actually made a few bets.

  Just as the ball drops, the player puts down a chip on the winning number.  The dealer will say that no more bets are allowed, however the player will have an additional $25 chip under his designated chip.  When the dealer says no more bets the player has already placed the $25 chip on the number, and the dealer will be led to believe that the $25 chip was that of the player at the other end of the table.  The player will pick his roulette chip up, forcing the dealer to pay the past posted chip.  Like I said, this scam can only be pulled off only once, but it does work quite effectively.

            GAFFED WHEEL

  The wheel head has a small hole drilled through the side that will permit a small wire that will knock the ball off the track and prevent it from falling in a heavily bet section.  Either the dealer or a floor man can hit the plunger.  The only clue that will give this gaff away is unusual actions of the dealer or the floor man.

             WEIGHTED CHIPS

  The weight of the chips on any of the three divided sections of the layout will prevent the ball from falling in any of the numbers. The more chips on the number or numbers, the less of a chance that the ball will drop on them.  This gaffed wheel is very complicated and very expensive to build.  There was only one in existence as of this writing.

               NARROW FRETS

  Bending the frets inward causes less of an open area for the ball to drop into a number.  Certain wheels allow this method to be "turned on and turned off" at will.  The slightest change in the opening will make a great difference in the game.

INVISIBLE WIRE

LEAD INSERTS

  Placing lead inserts or invisible thread into the numbers on the wheel will prevent the ball from bouncing out of a number as a normal ball would.  The lead insert reduces resiliency thus giving the cheat a very significant advantage.

  The wire type thread material can be removed in a second by just placing a finger in the slot.  There will be no evidence to be found.

SOLENOID WIRE TO KNOCK BALL OFF TRACK

   A solenoid attached to a wire can also be used to knock a ball from the track into a desired section.  This has also been accomplished with a manual system, wherein the floor man watching the game depresses a small plunger causing the wire to protrude through the outside of the wheel and making contact with the spinning ball.

MAGNETIC BALL

    A magnetic ball or steel core ball has also been used to knock a ball into a section with the magnet attached to a piece of clothing or hidden inside a purse.  The magnets are very small and extremely powerful.

PREDICTING THE SPIN

  There has been a lot of work completed in the area of predicting the outcome of the final position of the ball.  Secret cameras worn on the body, and special timing units have been used very successfully to accurately predict the section in which the ball will fall.

  An imperfect or biased wheel is a perfect target for such experts.  One group of professional wheel players beat a very large casino out of almost one million dollars within 24 hours.  The slightest imperfection will allow the wheel to behave improperly.

  In casinos that have more than one wheel, the wheel heads are rotated to reduce the chances of someone clocking the wheel for imperfections.

CHANGING MARKERS

  It is very easy for a dealer to change the value of a roulette chip by simply changing the marker that is placed on the rim of the wheel head.

THE BIASED ROULETTE WHEEL

  One of the oldest and most practical ways of taking advantage, and be sure to realize the key words here - "taking advantage", of a casino is by utilizing some very discrete flaws that exist in casino equipment, either from the point of origin, or flaws that develop after some wear and tear.  As noted in the previous report about one-way cards, there are also some very subtle avenues the advantage player can use that border on the law.

  Lawsuits have generally favored the player in cases where no outside cheating devices were used.  The problem of taking advantage of a weak link in the casino's system is a serious problem that all casinos must directly anticipate.

  Over the last century the game of roulette has been a target of sharp gamblers that noticed that the tiniest flaw will affect the outcome of the spin and fall of the ball.  What seemed to be a simple matter of recording each spin of the ball on pencil and paper is a method to tell if a roulette ball is biased to certain numbers.  In Monte Carlo it is house policy to offer anyone who is interested an accurate record of every spin of the ball from the day the game started.  In fact, there is one person who simply writes these results into a record book for the curious gambler.

  In Las Vegas the casinos don't offer this service, rather you must record your own results.  Many casinos offer score cards similar to the score cards used in baccarat to tally the day's spins.

  Some sharp gambler figured out that some patterns were developing on certain roulette wheels that opened the door to actually being able to beat the game simply by betting the numbers that seemed to repeat more than others.

  Why did certain numbers repeat?  The answers to this question are not complete, nor is the amount of money that was won using this method determined.  However, from what is known on the streets, a tremendous amount of money has been taken off the games, simply because the wheel had an inherent flaw.

  Upon examining most wheel heads, the numbers around the head have been adhered in a continuous circular piece.  In that piece there is a seam that protrudes slightly.  A ball falling out of the track across the seam will be affected by the abnormality.  Simply by betting those numbers that are favored by the imperfection will allow the player a tremendous advantage.

  Variations in the size of the metal frets that separate the numbers will also dramatically affect the randomness of the spin.  The frets can be either not even in height or width.  It stands to reason that if one number had frets that were slightly turned inward, those numbers would have a less chance of showing.

  The inserts where the ball drops are positioned in a continuous red and black pattern around the wheel, except for the numbers 0 and 00, which are green.  What is important here is the fact that the inserts are individually seated with glue, and not a solid piece of material.  The individual inserts are subject to hot and cold temperatures and affixed in a manner that is subjective to the person doing the construction.  Several inserts may have the last dab of glue from an old bottle that may not be as bonding as a new bottle, for example.  There also may be some air pockets in between the inserts and the base of the wheel.  Any slight imperfection like this will cause the ball to have less resiliency than normal and therefore stay in certain number pockets more often than normal.  Ideally for the advantage player a bigger roulette ball will perform better under these conditions, that is bounce less than a smaller and lighter ball.

  Roulette teams have scouted for biased wheels and have sent teams out to play on them earning "classical" amounts of money, to use the vernacular of the road hustler.  In Lake Tahoe, a prominent casino was beaten out of more than $400,000 over the course of the team's play, in just a couple of days.  The players bet the exact set of numbers each spin of the wheel.  The four to six number were bet straight up, with no other bets placed.  To ward off suspicion, the team traveled to Las Vegas and legitimately gambled with the winnings.  This ploy is a clever method used by most hustlers to cover their tracks.  They figure that after the dirty work is done, why not take a shot with the house's money.  Very, very clever.

  Another team that we were able to gather more information about played two different sets of numbers straight up in a different Las Vegas casino and won $40,000 in an evening’s work last February.  The numbers bet were 0, 17, 32 and 11.

  A new wheel has been developed to prevent this type of advantage play from happening by Paul-Son Dice and Card Company of Las Vegas.  Their new wheel is designed to allow the numbers to be rotated to any position by the use of a movable ring.  The frets can be moved in the same manner.  Thus daily, even hourly, the wheel can be adjusted so that not even the cleverest of players can determine where the ball may fall.

Curriculum Vitae

Adjunct Professor U.N.L.V. 1980-85. Casino Operations and Management.

The Second Assassination of President John F. Kennedy – Co-writer

The Rainman, 1986. Script collaboration.

Indecent Proposal, 1993. Wrote and produced special gaming production incorporated within the motion picture.

Los Angeles Herald Examiner, circa 1980s. Weekly columnist for the Herald Examiner’s West Coast supplement, Vegas Magazine.

International Wagering and Business Exposition, Board Member and speaker. (eleven years).

Guide to Jobs in the Casino Industry, circa 1966.

Las Vegas and Convention and Visitor’s Guide, freelance contributor.

Lottery Players Magazine, columnist.

Staten Island Advance, columnist.

Drama-Logue, columnist.

Gaming Confidential, monthly publication. Author.

The Magic of Jimmy Grippo, 1982. Co-author and collaborator.

The Prologue, starring Ernest Borgnine, Executive Producer and writer. 2007

Inside Secrets, series, writer.

Secret Cabaret, collaborator.

The Dunes Hotel; the Mob, the Connections, the Stories

Writers Guild of America (WGA) member