*WARNING*

DO NOT ATTEMPT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING METHODS TO CHEAT IN YOUR HOME GAME. YOU WILL GET CAUGHT. NONE OF THESE TECHNIQUES CAN BE LEARNT OVERNIGHT.

Card cheating in Texas hold'em: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H860qYDwkuE

Contents of the video:

The stack

- stacking
- peeking

The cut

- hops
- retention hops
- cover hops
- cold decks

The deal

- shiners
- bottom dealing
- 2nd dealing
- pineapples
- post flop peeks

Hi everyone, I suggested that I make this video for the benefit of 2p2 and the home game folks. I think it’s a great follow up to the previous COTW of playing in home games. This COTW is not only for live players, it’s a pretty entertaining topic as well so just check it out anyway.

My background: I am a theatre and parlour magician and I have been practicing magic since I was 11. I perform regularly in Singapore and occasionally overseas in Asia and Australia. A part of my act consists of card cheating and as I take my work very seriously, I have honed card cheating to the best of my abilities.

Alrightey I was reading a couple of home poker threads and I realized that a lot of online poker pros are easy targets for a card cheat. Card cheats are very rare however they do show up occasionally at games so always keep a look out. I’m always been shocked at how easy it is to cheat in a poker game, even the ones on TV. The durrrr challenge could have been an absolute disaster if I were there as a dealer (seriously, a two deck rotation with one dealer shuffling somewhere in the dark?) and I have been invited to plenty of private games in the hotels I perform at where I could cheat if I wanted to. I never turn them down since I love poker and my job is to entertain guests anyway (sort of).

Till today, I have never played in a home poker game which I could not cheat at. It’s ridiculous the amount of loopholes there are in the system that the host runs, just to put in more hands per hour.

The following are just some precautions to follow in a home game.

1. Don’t bother looking out for marked cards. Some are so well manufactured that no one (including myself) except the cheater would know the pattern. Always buy a new brand of cards to play poker, keep it sealed and open it only at the table. If this is not possible, just use cards that are as blank as possible. Bicycle decks are TERRIBLE as they can be easily marked.

2. Always be vigilant. A cheater will not risk cheating when you are staring right at his hands. Even though it is possible to cheat with people focusing on a cheater, he wouldn’t risk it.

3. Do not use a 2 deck rotation. The extra hands you put in does not make up for the cooler deck a cheat sets up every 9 hands.

4. Always be vigilant.

5. Watch the video.

Feel free to discuss more about the topic. I would consider myself an expert on cheating as I make money by showcasing it so shoot me any questions and I’ll answer what I can. Split once mentioned that he found a card mechanic in his home game and I would love to hear about that.

Also I tried my best to squeeze in as much info as I can however I didn’t want the video to be too long. There are many other methods of cheating but these are the most common and practical.

Thanks for checking out the COTW. Enjoy!

P.S While I was in Melbourne I decided to visit a local magic shop (I absolutely hate magic shops. It was my first visit in 3 years). There was a dude there who claimed he was a magician. I asked him what sort of magic he did and he said he practiced all the cheating work. He couldn’t do a single magic trick though but he was flawless in his card cheating technique. I asked him whether he knew what texas hold em was and he said he’s been playing it and learning ‘magic’ since Joe Hachem won the main event. Hmmm….

The video should still be processing although it can be watched in a lower quality format now. It should be done by an hour's time. Watch it in 720p for extra effect.

Oh and my apologies for lousy camera angles and all that. I rushed this within a few days.

frist

3

wow..

You aren't invited to my home game.

Seriously, I'm amazed and impressed. One of the best COTWs.

i love it thanks for doing this

Wow, that was a real eye opener! The thing is, as you say it would be really hard to spot, so I will just have to hope I am not being cheated.

sick. thanks for pointing out the 2nd/bottom deal sound. I had always heard there was a sound before, but that was the first time I was able to really hear it.

good job sir =)

Very nice. Recommended even for people who don't play in home games just because it's a cool video to watch.

honestly don't understand how you did 90% of that dealing but it was awesome nonetheless. Dealing the cooler deck just made me laugh

That was absolutely sick. Great job OP.

+1

couldn't most of this be avoided by using standard dealing procedures? for example, square up the deck before cutting, keep the deck level at all times, never pull a card off the deck, never cover the deck with your other hand, never massage the muck pile, etc. if there's a 2 deck rotation, the person shuffling and the person dealing should not be the same person in any given hand. If this is unavoidable, someone else should cut the deck.

btw i quoted a lot of short phrases from The Professional Poker Dealer's Handbook.

vn man.

definetly not invited to my home game, but very nice.