https://x.com/ChipBurglar/status/172...285619831?s=20

After being moved to the
@WSOP
feature table at King’s Rozvadov today, I immediately notice that the RFID deck was flawed and alerted the floor.

The card backs were not rotationally symmetrical, meaning you could tell if a card was upside down.

The commentators were wrong in saying it didn’t matter since all of the cards were flawed in the same way.

If the ace of spades is facing one direction, while all other cards are facing the opposite, you can always tell which card is the ace of spades, even after a shuffle.

Even if multiple cards are upside down, as is usually the case, you can still determine which cards could and which cards couldn’t be the aces of spades (or any other card you know the orientation of).

This is definitely a game integrity concern and why a properly designed playing card back looks exactly the same when you rotate it 180 degrees.

The deck was promptly pulled, but apparently King’s has been using this deck design for a long time and no one noticed. Wild.

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I think nobody is surprised about shady stuff going on at King's but people on X seemed to disagree about how bad this is. I think this should not taken lightly as it could give an opportunity for a skilled dealer and player to work together.

lol, it would be basically impossible to edge sort a poker deck. you should have tried it for a couple hands, seen it was impossible and then went on with your day. but het, BIG NEWS!

that said, i like your moxie and attention to detail but dont cry wolf because then if you do find something real everyone is going to ignore you.

Why would it be basically impossible? Can’t you just fold ace certain way up to the dealer who puts it to the shuffling machine (the side doesn’t change?) and deals the the deck in a way that each card comes to player’s hands without the cards changing side’s thus making a player able to spot the ace that is opposite way.

I know you promote yourself a legend of gambling so provide a more detailed answer why it’s nearly impossible.

I know players getting robbed at Rozvadov when driving back to the airport by ”the police” (= Leon’s thugs) so I don’t put it past them to have a deck that gives certain house players huge homefield advantage.

Back in the day the cards that Pstars used to include with their reward store chip sets were assymetrical. They had Poker Stars written once in the middle. Can't remember a huge outcry. It isn't in any way an issue in poker because cards get rotated so much. A dealer somehow utilising this "flaw", would have many other easier ways to cheat.

It is bad practice though as card backs should obviously be symetrical.

Hopefully just a dumb oversight and not something which has been exploited by someone before this guy discovered it. I feel like someone who has both the skills to exploit it and also would exploit it can do other more egregious things (better more precise markings, etc) anyhow..

I know a lot of players who spin the cards when folding. Some dealers do the same when dealing. After a few shuffles, I don't see how edge sorting is possible.

In between:

- dealer tossing a card
- player fiddling with card
- player tossing card into muck
- messy muck pile getting straightened

Wouldn't Every. Single. Discard be nearly random direction anyways? Seems like upset about nothing meaningful.