A professional card cheater can perform amazing magic tricks that show off many of the same sleights of hand techniques used by card cheaters to cheat in real-life situations. A professional cheater’s goal is to steal money from unsuspecting players, not to entertain them. This article examines some of the easiest methods that a professional cheater can use to cheat at cards. It also provides procedures on how to deal with a suspected cheater if one is found.
It is easy to cheat with cards by simply peeking at the top card or bottom of the deck. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, from leaning the body in a certain way to quickly darting one’s eyes. A shiner is a reflective object which acts as a covert-mirror to help cheaters sneak a peek at a particular card. Shiners can range from the screen of a smartphone to a coffee mug or even a butterknife, but must be subtle to avoid attracting too much attention.
Professional card cheaters often combine their peeking techniques with false shuffling or even false dealing. A player who usually uses a riffle shuffling technique suddenly switches to an overhand shuffle is a common warning sign. It is much easier to perform a false overhand than a riffle, but it takes years of practice to be able to do an undetectable one. False deals are possible in many ways, but using a “cold” deck that has certain cards stacked up on top that guarantee the cheater’s win is the most effective.