[Hedgedweller]

Old Tricks;
Card Peeking, Bottom Dealing and Signaling.


Two months ago I came across a 1.00, 2.00, no limit game with 1 to 500.00 buy in. They met 4 to 5 times a week in a large billiards room in California in open site of it's many customers. That alone made me nervous seeing most everyone in this part of the country knows someone involved in gang activity. Also, knowing it took only one disgruntled customer to call the authorities made me a little uneasy too until I found out one of the regulars was a retired sheriff in that city.

On my first night of play at about six hours into the game I began to feel something was seriously wrong, but dismissed it for a while because I was having a bad run of cards and was only down about 100.00. The man who owns the business, along with a couple more of the players kept saying how two guys at the table were extremely lucky over the last year, hitting miracle river cards consistantly when they played. So I became the nit of all nits, playing very tight and avoiding all confrontation until I felt comfortable again. I tired to be friendly by engaging in conversation with everyone but doing that and watching everything going on was very hard. Finally the game dwindled down to four players and we were about 10 hours in, one man up 1800.00, another 1700.00 and I was 250.00 down. I had no intention of leaving until the game was over, especially since the play seemed to be very weak and besides I was intent on finding out what was going on.

Every button always dealed all the cards out, three up top, then the turn and river in-between the flop and the dealer, only about three to five inches from the dealers pocket cards. Let me say it's rare I wear sunglasses but I always seem to have them with me. But since I felt things weren't right I had put them on and left them on. Forget about them getting a read on me, I was more interested in watching the table now. I began turning my head one direction but looking back the other, focusing all my attention on the turn and miracle river card. Pretending to be distracted in conversation with another player it didn't take long before I found out my suspicions were true. One man was lifting up the turn and river all with one motion because they were usually laying on top of each other just a couple inches away from his hole cards. Now I was determined to find out how many adversaries I had. Am I the only bait, is this man working alone or does he have a partner. Within about ten hands I found out, it was two of them. About 20 minutes later the second party left and right before going out the door the main cheater told the other guy, "HEH, seeing your up tonight, why don't you pay me the two hundred you owe me, of course he did and was gone. Now it was three of us. The cheat, who I later found out was a dealer at San Manuel Indian Casino in San Bernadino California, the business owner and myself. I no longer had to pretend to be looking one way. I now turned and faced the cheater every time he dealt. Suddenly this man was reduced to the state of normalcy, average and lost all of his aggressiveness. Where before he would sometimes call a preflop raise of 50.00, with a jack 3 off suite. Then lead out and bet post flop for 100.00, then hit runner runner for a gut shot wheel, now he was folding top top to a big bet.

At one time I was down just under 600.00 before I made a slight come back ending the game down $125.00. I was in a little deli-ma over how to handle this being I was the new player, the outsider, but I was determined to break this guy and his band of cheats.

The second night I became the verbal target of jokes because of my tight play, but that was good, it allowed me to make bluffs in or out of position and it became a very profitable tool for me over the next month. The casino dealer cheat was using so many tricks it took a while before I was able to see them all. everything from peaking the turn and river in one move, to dealing from the bottom of the deck, to exchanging his pocket cards with the burn cards to collusion, (betting, raise and 3 betting with his partner so as to drive away marginal hands followed by the all too obvious check it down or fold, not ever having to show their hand. There was no end to it. The fact I knew they were cheating empowered me and could at any time eliminate it by turning and facing the dealer giving him my full attention.

That first session lasted 18 hours, which looking back I think it was a miracle I only lost a little over one hundred dollars, while no doubt playing tight helped. I eventually found out three players were involved after a new player surfaced the second night.

Over the next two weeks and 9 action packed heated games the cheat showed up 7 times and lost a little over $3,800.00 dollars in total. Listening to his crying I felt like the cheater was close to broke. It was at this time I made it known to the owner of the establishment what was happening, who was none the wiser though he said he thought something was very strange was ahppening with all the bad beats every time the guy played. As in the casinos, and rightly so, now the turn and river stays in the deck until dealt with a bottom card protector.

The owner along with several other men thanked me for revealing the cheat and his friends although they still let them come and play. Maybe they're just wanting to get back some of their loses and realizing he is human after all. Contrary to what Joane Rivers said on the apprentice, all poker players are not cheats and liars and hoodlums but one never knows who they are playing with, private game or not. So beware, always stay alert, be on guard and never get to caught up in conversation as to not watch the play. But most of all, if the home game you're playing in deals the turn and river cards out before they are suppose to be dealt, stop doing it. I play in several home games and I know all to well that this is a common occurance because of the mis-deals and drinking going on. I'm glad to report I'm up about $3,400.00 at present in this game.


On the several hands that I now feel I was cheated on, I would like my money back or revenge. I think getting the money back is out of the question so I've also thought about having the cheat rolled, beaten up very badly, to a few others thing I won't mentioned now, but I don't think the stakes behind prison walls are high enough for me to enjoy the game,, LOL. But I would be content if this man to lost his job at the casino. Do you think the management at the casino would be interested in his after work activities? Do you think it's possible for him to lose his job over this? How would I go about doing that? I hant been able find anything with the Ca. State Regulatory commission where dealers could be reported.

What would you do in a game like this,, ?