http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011...1/cards_021111
The FBI has detected a card cheating ring where the dealers in 29 casinos played "the Slug" so that confederates would know which cards were coming. In the slug, the dealer put the old flop on the bottom in Texas Hold 'em, and false shuffles so that these cards stay in sequence. Then if some of those cards are on the board, the confederate knows what is coming.

In blackjack (21), the dealer scoops a group of little cards and makes the slug on the bottom. Then he can easily roll over the deck, and those are on the top so his partner knows to hit 14 and below.

In gin rummy, "the Slug" is easy for the cheater. If a hand has four Kings, then the dealer keeps these together on the bottom for the next deal. He may deal each two Kings, but the dealer knows they both have two Kings.

Being old school, I never take my eyes off the deck. I have noticed that in casinos and home games, folks do not watch the deck. The most common forms of cheating are the Slug, and partners. Be on the watch for them. The Slug does not require much skill with the deck or the years of practice needed for cold decks, second dealing, holding out cards. The Slug is harder to catch or prove.

In the old days, in the biggest games with road gamblers, there was rarely ever cheating because everyone knew what to look for, cheating is very difficult, and you would get barred from all games, beaten senseless, or shot.

Keep your eyes on the deck.

A reason to require auto-shufflers. The use of a "professional" dealer rather than rotating the deal makes cheating more difficult as it requires co-operation of a dealer but the dealer is still the "weak link".

They were ripping off casinos by betting against the house, not playing poker. The payoff to do this in poker wouldn't make sense unless at the very highest stakes.

Greed overcomes sense quite often.

FTFY

I thought this would be another thread praising the Rio by the op. I was shocked when I opened it and it was not praising the Rio.

you're not very intelligent.

debating between anoblegent and johnny hughes for NVG poster of the year

barking iron reference is gold again

Sick, yesterday I saw the same flop twice. Hmmm

Funny how other former road gamblers have said cheating was common, but I guess Johnny knows best.

Shuffle machines guard against players holding out extra cards and dealer manipulation during the shuffle. They also get out more hands which benefits the winning players and the house.

Holding out has happened more than most people would think when all the elements occasionally lined up in unexpected places.

An easy form of dealer cheating is "turning the deck over" and flashing upcoming cards to a confederate. A much harder move is "turning the deck over," peeking and dealing seconds.One slug move consists of placing a confederates hole cards on the next flop. For a highly skilled dealer (not that this is prevalent), well "it's magic!"

Bill Boyd (old Las Vegas Golden Nugget) was the strictest cardroom manager in regards to game protection. No deck turning, the dealers were not even allowed to wear jewelry when they dealt, and so on... I give the Bellagio credit for strengthening their dealing procedures from time to time, while most card rooms (floor supervisors, etc) do not regularly police their dealers for the shoddy practice of "rolling the deck".

Few casinos anywhere routinely ask dealers not to turn the deck over. In blackjack, if a dealer continuously rolled the deck, he would be warned, written up, and fired. ALL dealing schools teach their students not to roll the deck. New dealers fresh from school rarely roll the deck but as time goes on, well...

The reason most dealers roll the deck is that it makes the game MUCH easier to deal- less awkward reaching, for eight hours. Most dealers, of course, do not cheat and as one dealer commented, "I'm honest so why should I follow that rule?" I think the answer to this question is obvious...

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During "The Premier Tournament of the Year", many years ago, I thought I was witnessing a dealer setting up a cooler when two name players who were playing heads up 7-Stud went for a walk leaving the dealer alone; the dealer seemed to be splicing trips with aces. Sometimes things happen so quickly and before you know it one player did get the trips winning a huge pot from the player with the aces. In the end, however, the recipient of the dealer help lost all of his money.

Knowing proper dealer procedures is a good idea for the serious player.

boy you must have been drunk as hell

@OP: you left out the interesting part, how did they catch them eventually?

When you play in home games, watch the bottom of the deck cards and see if they change or stay in the same place.

History of a typical Johnny Hughes thread -

1 - long rambling nonsensical OP

2 - handful of responses consisting of 95% people making fun and 5% fellow inbread hicks saying "goshdarnit ah love yer threads jawnny!"

3 - thread sails quickly into page 2 of NVG, inevitably destined for digital bolivian

4 - johnny makes random unnecessary post whose sole purpose is to bump the thread

5 - steps 2 thru 4 repeat a couple of times

6 - eventually some overzealous youngster gets so disrespectful that the thread turns into a volley of nasty personal insults in which johnny somehow manages to come off even worse than most people already picture him

7 - mod (mercifully) locks thread

fin

I'm thinking it was a slug. The shuffle master was out of order on that table and the dealer was only using one deck

FYP and you forgot 8.

8 - Johnny rhetorically challenges mods to heads up poker

FBI agent sexed up one of the dealers and they spilled the beans ldo isn't that how a good investigation gets done.

Johnny Hughes for most improved poster imo

Thanks to one and all.

Step 4 complete.

home games are the games that most, not all, cheating occurs. everyones drinking, late at night, lets raise the stakes, everyone gets to deal, drink accidentally spills for diversion, badda bing badda boom, cooler is in. game set match, all in one glorious hand. omfg, what a river !!! beware in home games. no camera to rewind to see what happened. homes and hotel rooms and suites have no surveillance. tk

oh man, bigtonyk is posting. watch the **** out.

Someone needs to photoshop something to go with that!