A continuation of the original article How to Protect Yourself at the Poker Table, this article will cover some more in-depth cheating measures and will help you to see how even in a regular game, people can still cheat.
These are just some of the techniques applied for cheating and therefore you need to be careful in tackling them with focus and dedication, as poker table is quite different from QQ online, where the computerized players may play according to your level of strength in poker.
The Shark
Alright, the Shark is the guy who knows how to handle cards backwards and forwards. This is the guy that can stack a deck and deal cards from the bottom and overall just make your game a laughing stock. For the most part, you aren’t going to be able to spot his moves unless you have studied a long time on card cheating, but here are some hints to help you recognize the mistakes he may make as more than just mistakes.
The Hanger
A Hanger is a card that, when dealing cards from the bottom, sticks out and is clear cut evidence that the guy is a Shark. Most of the time you won’t see a hanger because it will be squared with the deck faster than you can follow, and most people don’t pay that much attention to the dealer anyway.
The Rock
Rocking refers to the motion of the cards towards and away from the dealer. This motion is often used by people who deal the second card from the top as a way to hide it. If someone is dealing a second card because they are trying to hold onto the top card, then they will be forced to deal seconds all the way around, and you will get ample time to catch the motion.
The Thumb
When dealing cards normally, the thumb pushes the card out and then is raised, retracted and placed back on the deck to deal a second card. When a Shark is dealing the second card down, he can’t lift his thumb, so the thumb has to ride on the top card. You will have to be fast to catch the difference, but it is noticeable when observed with the Rock.
The Air-grab
This occurs when a Shark goes for the second card and retracts the first and second card, leaving him holding nothing in his dealing hand. This is a dead give away. There is almost no covering this motion up except though talking to the players while dealing and keeping their attention away from the deck.
The Hop
The best way to make sure that the cards aren’t stacked is to cut the deck. The Hop is a method in which the cut is reversed. The move is obvious because there is extraneous squaring of the deck or strange up and down motion when it occurs. Also, the Hop can occur on the table when completing the cut. ALWAYS MAKE SURE IF YOU CUT THE CARDS, YOU COMPLETE THE CUT.
The Shill
The shill is the guy who is sitting there looking a little nervous because he is down some chips, but don’t worry about him, he is working with the Shark. With two people working together, there are better odds that one of them will take the pot, and it also makes it two against the table. Here are some methods of working with a shill.
The Signal
The Signal is when the Shill tells the Shark what he has without speaking. This is most often done through hand placement. The only way to catch on is if you see the two looking at each other too often, but even then there isn’t sufficient evidence to show that they were cheating.
Distraction
The Shill can serve as the distraction necessary for the Shark to make his switch. When all attention is on the Shill then the Shark casually switches his cards.
These are some common ways in which a Shark will cheat, with and without a shill. Next time we will talk about two Sharks and some other devious methods to separate the sucker from his money.
