Tops, Bottoms and Middles
19 December 2005
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
As a former dealer, were you ever instructed to
deal "seconds" to winning players at a blackjack
table? Charles L.
It's crucial, Charles, that I address the issue
of cheating first, then your question regarding
seconds.
In my 17 years working the Green Felt Jungle, I
have never been asked to do the slightest thing
that borders on deception. Pit Bulls have gotten
in my ear to tell me to speed up my hands per
hour, but that's to get the math to work in the
casino's favor, never to use a sleight of hand
technique to swindle the general public.
There is another reason why casinos don't play
the flimflam game. Most casinos today are
publicly traded companies on the NYSE. They have
zero interest in exposing their gaming license
to loss with even an inkling of hank-panky.
A more significant reason why casinos have no
interest in defrauding the public is the way
casinos reap their profits. They pay players
less than the true odds. Point being, every game
offered, including blackjack, is mathematically
in the casino's favor. Paying patrons less than
even money on every bet made is a virtual
license to print money, so why would they even
consider chiseling Charley out of his money by
dealing seconds?
Now to seconds: what it is, how it's done, and
how to identify a "home-game" dealer doing it.
In seconds dealing, done by a "mechanic" (card
manipulator -- aka "deuce dealer", "number two
man"), the dealer does not deal the card from
top of the deck, but the card just beneath it. A
mechanic will hold back that top card because he
knows its value and wants an accomplice to have
it for winning purposes, or another to have it
for losing.
If a charlatan dealer sees the top card is
something he or an accomplice on the game can
use, the dealer will pitch second cards until he
gets to the person where he wants to plant that
top card. So how does he know what it is? Could
be marked cards, proficiency at card-peeking, or
even a shiny ring may aid the deuce dealer in
identifying that top card.
Because I had many years experience dealing
blackjack, I have decent hand dexterity, so for
card trick proficiency ONLY, I became skilled at
dealing seconds. Yet, I never became good at
identifying that top card to send a recipient
their desired card.
Dealers who deal seconds use what is known as a
"mechanic's grip," a handclasp of the cards that
makes it easier to deal not only seconds, but
from the bottom, or even from the middle of the
deck. A right-handed dealer holds the deck in
his left hand, three fingers on the edge of the
long side of the deck, and the index finger on
the outer right corner.
But because many non-cheating dealers also grasp
a deck this way, the mechanic's grip alone is
not enough proof to accuse them, especially the
heavyweights, of dealing seconds.
Dear Mark,
Can a poker room ever run out of money and not
be able to pay the players? Kenny V.
Your brief question, Kenny, didn't distinguish
between land-based and online casinos, so the
answer could be yes, or no.
With land-based casinos, it is highly unlikely
that a poker room can "run out of money" since
the money the players are winning is not the
casino's, but that of losing players. Even if
you are Doyle Brunson holding a straight
flush--King high, you can't break the bank, just
your opponent's bankroll, and probably his will
to live.
As for internet casinos, since it is a
buyer-beware environment, there is a possibility
of an online casino being poorly capitalized and
running out of money.
Legal issues aside, those that prefer playing
from the comfort of their Lazy Boys should stick
to the more established operations.
Unfortunately, Kenny, all my gaming credentials
are land-based, and, since I don't play online
poker, my recommendation of where to play
wouldn't be worth much.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "This book is
purely informational. It is not intended to
incite gambling or rioting. It is not to be used
against a husband or wife in a court of law."
--Tony Korfman, "Slots Playing To Win"
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