Deadman's Bluff - James Swain [108]
“Were you surprised by how aggressively he played?” Gloria asked.
“Yes. I’ve never played anyone like him. He’s really good.”
“So the old man taught you a few things,” Gloria said.
DeMarco winced. When he spoke again, his voice was subdued. “I’m sorry for the disparaging remarks I made about him earlier in the tournament. I was out of line.”
“Apology accepted,” Rufus called out.
DeMarco nodded solemnly, then placed his hand on the table edge, and used it to guide him to Rufus’s end. Stopping, he stuck his hand out, which Rufus warmly shook. It was the way contests were supposed to end, and Valentine rose from his chair, and joined in the applause. As it subsided, Gloria edged up beside him and squeezed his hand.
“You see,” she said. “Sometimes the good guys do win.”
Also by James Swain
GRIFT SENSE
FUNNY MONEY SUCKER BET
LOADED DICE
MR. LUCKY
DEADMAN’S POKER
Poker Protection Tips
Cheating at poker may well be the largest unchecked crime in the United States. It takes place on all levelsprivate games, tournaments, the Internet, and in casino card rooms. As any pro will tell you, the best protection is to understand the various forms of cheating so you can look out for them when you play. Here are some of the most common forms of cheating taking place today, and what you can do to stop them.
MARKED CARDS
Recently, a poker book appeared on the market stating that marked cards are rarely used by cheaters. The author claimed that cheaters don’t use marked cards because it was too easy for players to spot them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Marked cards (also called paper or paint) are a favorite weapon among poker cheaters. Magic shops and gambling supply houses sell tens of thousands of marked decks a year for “amusement purposes only.” They are easy to obtain. And they are easy to use.
Marked cards give cheaters an unbeatable edge. They can be used in a variety of different games, especially those where cards are dealt face down on the table, then turned over one at a time. Here’s what you need to look for.
Professionally Marked Cards
Cheaters know dozens of different ways to mark cards, many of which are undetectable to the untrained eye. Some favored methods are called juice, block out, humps, white ink, shade, flash, white-on-white, and sorts. Sounds confusing? It is. I’ve been shown cards marked by all of these methods, and I could not spot the marks until they were pointed out to me. The only surefire way to prevent marked cards from showing up in your game is by doing the following:
• Bring new decks to the game every time you play. Use established brands from the U.S. Playing Card Company. Do not use promotional cards. They are often inadvertently marked by the manufacturer.
• Make it a different player’s responsibility to bring the cards for each game. This rotation will ensure that one player doesn’t continually cheat the game by bringing marked cards.
• Open the cards in front of the other players. The cards should still be in the box, and have the plastic wrapping and seal on them.
• Spread the cards face up on the table after they’re opened. Make sure they’re all there, then check the pip configuration on the ace of spades, ace of clubs, and ace of hearts, plus the center pips on the threes and fives of the same suits. The pips should all be pointing in the same direction (top of the box when first removed). If not, someone has tampered with them.
• Do a riffle test. This is still the best way to detect most marking systems. Hold the deck face down just below eye level, and riffle them while staring at the backs. Do this several times. Shift your eyes, and look at different areas of the cards. Most marking systems will jump out when this test is performed.
• Always perform these tests. If a cheater is trying to bring a marked deck to your weekly poker game, this will convince them to find another game.
Cards Marked at the Table
Some cheaters prefer to mark cards during the course of a game. There are three ways to accomplish this.