Cheating in casinos

Las Vegas Strip panorama

Cheating in casinos refers to actions which are prohibited by a casino's rules. Cheating is usually illegal but the exact sanctions will depend on the jurisdiction in which the casino operates. In Nevada, cheating in a casino is a felony under Nevada law. In most other jurisdictions, specific statutes do not exist but cheating in a casino would likely be considered fraud and dealt with as such by the authorities.

Methods of cheating

The methods for cheating in a casino are often specific to individual games and include:

Pastposting 
After a bet is won, one replaces smaller denomination chips with chips of large denomination.
Hand Mucking 
Palming desirable cards then switching them for less desirable cards that the gambler holds.
Marking Cards During Play 
Various methods.
Introducing Previously Marked Decks Into Play 
Usually involves "inside" help, i.e., the collusion of casino employees. There are many different way to mark decks of cards, some of them very difficult to detect.
False Deals 
Ability to deal the second card from the top (used in conjunction with marked cards), or the ability to deal the bottom card of the deck (used in conjunction with placing desirable cards at the bottom of the deck.)
False Shuffles and Cuts 
Ability to seemingly mix and cut the cards while retaining certain cards or the whole deck in a desired order.
Slot Machines 
Methods exist for altering the outcome of slot machine games.
Collusion 
In poker games, the practice of two partners signalling to each other the values of their cards; this can be very difficult to detect.

How casinos combat cheating

Proper Procedure
This means certain standardized ways of shuffling cards, dealing cards, storing, retrieving and opening new decks of cards.
Eyes in the Sky
Most casinos have an extensive array of cameras and recorders which monitor and record all the action in a casino. Some casinos use facial recognition software to detect known cheats or card counters/advantage players as they enter the casino.
Software
Casinos use software to analyze game play to uncover any unusual betting patterns or winning patterns and thus discern cheaters (as well as non-cheating card counters and "advantage players").

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

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