To be clear, I don’t condone cheating at anything in any way, shape, or form. If you’re caught cheating in a casino, you’re going to face some severe consequences.
However, I do find the prospect of cheating a somewhat fascinating proposition. Perhaps the danger appeals to my “rule-follower” sensibilities. And perhaps there could be something to learn here besides the obvious.
Let’s look at the why, the how, and the who of casino cheating exposed.
“If You Ain’t Cheating, You Ain’t Trying”
The famous race car driver Richard Petty once proclaimed, “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.” You know, there may be something to that logic.
However, squeaking the fine lines of the parameters set by race officials and all-out breaking the laws don’t exactly fall under blurred lines to me.
In fact, I consider cheating in a casino tantamount to be flat-out stealing. I’ve had more than one party try to justify cheating to me by pointing out how the casino rakes in cash hand over fist.
Sure, casinos make a pretty sizeable profit from the losses of their patrons. It wouldn’t make much sense to open a business where you weren’t making a profit.
Nobody has ever confused a Las Vegas casino with a charity either. If you have a problem with the way casinos exchange your money for entertainment, you’re welcome to find another hobby.
At least the casinos give you a shot at getting your money back and then some. When was the last time you were walking out of a show, and the producer walked up and handed you cash?
Let’s imagine that somebody who is in the business of cheating the casino was honest for a moment. They’d probably tell you they cheat for one simple reason: greed.
That’s what it really boils down to, right?
After all, they aren’t redistributing their wins among different charities. I fundamentally disagree with cheating at any competition. Still, there are degrees of stealing to which I can turn a blind eye.
For example, I think a young father that’s doing everything in his power to make ends meet and needs to feed his family may take food from the grocery store. He isn’t going to garner the same disdain that someone stealing a car radio would.
My point is that you can’t eat a car radio. Nor are many of those that are cheating the casino starving for anything but excess.
Techniques Used for Cheating
Cheating has been around in real money gambling since the first gaming houses opened their doors. In every corner of the world, wily gamblers found ways to fleece the casinos or fellow players for cash.
Sleight of hand was likely one of the earliest forms of cheating in the casinos. Whether it was swapping cards or smoothly doubling their bet after a result, players are still incorporating the primitive method to gain an edge.
Having a partner on the inside is another popular ploy of those who wish to exploit the casino’s cash piles. An “inside man”—the dealer, for instance—can basically give a player the ability to write their own check.
Players have also used their knowledge of mechanics to fool slot machines and, of course, used weighted dice where advantageous. In some cases, these cheats can slowly milk a casino for a fortune over decades.
Let’s look at the crafty ways players have tipped the scales out of the casinos’ favor and into their pockets.
I mentioned sleight of hand, and it’s a go-to for cheats in some games. Think about the way a magician uses sleight of hand to make the impossible a reality.
The whole time you know something is coming, but your brain can’t pick up on the switch. Now. imagine you weren’t even aware there was a magic trick happening.
That’s how sleight of hand is used gambling in a casino. The dealers, the pit boss, and security have to be on alert at all times.
This method went along for centuries, largely unchecked. Best case, it was a he said-she said proposition.
Today, the highly sophisticated security camera systems of the casinos can catch most of this pretty easily. They do still rely on humans to process and interpret the information being presented.
Partner in Crime
Dealer collusion is among the most rampant forms of cheating from the past. There’s no single casino table game where having the dealer on your side won’t unfairly edge the house or other players.
Take poker, for instance. A dealer can’t exactly fluff your payout because the chips in the pot are just that and nothing more. However, if you have a dealer that’s skilled in sleight of hand, they can absolutely determine the results of a hand.
Not only could a dealer determine who got what cards, but they could also decide what community cards were played.
I can’t imagine casino security taking too long to figure this one out, though, and it’s far less likely to occur today than it was 50 or more years ago.
Still, what if a dealer and player developed a complex system for non-verbal communication? The dealer then really only needs to see the cards as they’re being dealt to give one player a tremendous edge over the others.
Have you ever sat at a table where one player seems always to fold or call at exactly the right time?
They’re probably just a better poker player, but it does make you think. A solid player that has a dealer on the side could make a killing in the poker rooms.
Pairs of cheats aren’t reserved for the poker table. In fact, dealer collusion is probably more likely elsewhere in the casino.
When a player and a dealer decide to team up against the casino, they are fueled by a mutual lust for money. What better place to pad their wallets than on the casino floor?
From deliberately altering the game results to intentionally paying more than a bet was worth, dealer collusion costs the casinos. They take great measures to dispel even the notion of trying to scam the house.
Eye in the Sky
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that you’re being watched on about every square inch of the casino floor. Casinos go to any lengths necessary to protect their investment, and most of the countermeasures are old hat.
It all begins with the floor staff, dealers, and pit bosses that are highly trained at spotting unusual behavior. The dealers pay particularly close attention to players that appear to be signaling others around the table.
The casino’s vigilance continues to much more intricate precautions. For example, the casinos use a facial recognition technology that will pick out a known cheater or suspected thief before they even sit down at a table.
Security can swoop in and deal with the matter before interrupting the game. Casinos go to any length necessary to avoid any conflicts at the tables.
Take, for instance, the RFID technology in the chips. Casino chips are embedded with a unique RFID chip that allows them to be tracked throughout the casino and makes them nearly impossible to replicate.
If there’s an instance of suspected cheating, the dealer can alert a pit boss, who in turn will deactivate the chips until security can clear up the matter away from the gaming table.
The real James Bond-style technologies lie above us, keeping a careful eye on everything we do at the tables.
TableEye21 is one of the casino’s greatest tools in the fight against cheating. The technology tracks all actions of the players, the dealer, and betting patterns.
If the complicated algorithms spot any variances, it alerts casino staff, and the problem is addressed. Of course, anomalies are just that sometimes, and everyone goes along none the wiser.
Basically, if you’re cheating in a casino, it’s a matter of when you’ll be caught rather than if you’ll be caught. Getting caught cheating in a casino is a less than desirable experience under the best of circumstances.
Ramifications of Cheating
First and foremost, if you’re caught cheating in a casino, you’re in for a long legal battle. In most states that allow casino gambling, cheating is considered a felony.
So, in addition to being labeled as a felon, you’re facing serious prison time and huge fines. I’ve read about several dealers involved with collusion that have received prison terms for their part in cheating schemes.
The casinos employ former law enforcement and even former casino cheats as security consultants. These dedicated teams have but one primary function to catch cheaters.
Fortunately for the casinos, they’re extremely qualified to hold their position. Many starry-eyed dealers have found themselves on the wrong side of the interrogation table from these professionals and paid a steep price.
There’s not a casino prize in the world worth risking five years in prison. Play the games better, but play them fairly; cheaters never win in the end.
Conclusion
Casino cheats exposed is meant as a warning and an educational piece that would be cheaters.
It’s fun to watch Hollywood glamorize casino cheats. However, the real saga of those greedy enough to try to steal from the casinos is far less glamorous.
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