Cheating at Texas Hold Em (Book) by John Born $55.00
Hardbound, 6 x 9, 560 pages, over 1300 photos
Available at: www.CheatingAtTexasHoldem.com
John Born is a talented card magician, perhaps best know for his well-received book, Meant To Be. He is also an avid Texas Hold Em player and a student of card table artifice. Mr. Born was moved to write this book after he turned down an offer to join a cheating team based in Kansas City.
This book appears at an opportune time. No Limit Texas Hold Em is huge. How huge? This years World Series of Poker paid a total of $182,746,865, with the winner of the Main Event pocketing $8,940,000. Industry pundits estimate that the average combined payout of all online poker sites is $20,000,000 per day. Thats how huge.
Mr. Born writes well and does a good job of describing the dirty work. He dutifully cites attributions and provides a four page bibliography.
The abundant photos are clear and helpful.
The author wrote this book for poker-playing laymen, not card magicians or casino employees. It is not his goal to teach laymen how to expertly execute these techniques, so he doesnt provide richly detailed, step-by-step instruction.
His mission is to alert readers to the existence of these illicit techniques so that they dont fall prey to those who utilize them. He educates his audience on how to detect poker artifice and ideally, how to prevent it from occurring.
Given the vast amount of material within these pages, there is no way in Hell that Im going to provide detailed descriptions of each and every technique. Life is too short for such compulsive behavior.
So, I will provide what could be deemed a glorified Table of Contents. In addition, I will note Mr. Borns contributions to the genre. Hopefully this approach will provide Texas Hold Em players with enough information to make an informed purchasing decision.
Here is a chapter by chapter taste of the material contained in Cheating at Texas Hold Em.
The Nature of the Game
Mr. Born discusses the allure of playing Hold Em. He notes that it can be played at home, in a casino or online. He describes how each of these venues lends itself to various forms of cheating. We are advised that the most common form of cheating across all venues is collusion.
The Nature of the Cheat
The author offers a rough profile of the poker cheat and describes the three primary motives for cheating.
Pre-Marked Cards
Mr. Born discusses various methods of marking cards prior to the game. These include Blockout work, Cutout work, Scratch work, Baking, Border Sorts, Juice, Flash, Luminous Readers, Ultraluminous Readers, Edge work, Punch work, Belly Strippers, Negatives, Blackline work, Dulling the finish, Will DeSieve Crimp and the Breather Crimp. The author includes a cool, previously unpublished Tom Gagnon technique that allows the dirty dealer to feel when he has dealt a Breather.
Mr. Borns shares his ideas for putting subtle work into cards using an adhesive product or a cleanser. He describes his technique of Delayed Crimping that provides both tactile and visual recognition of marked cards. He also teaches how to sneakily mark plastic Kem cards. I like these ideas.
Finally, he describes how to seal a marked deck in order to create the impression that the cards have not been tampered with.
Marking Cards During Play
The author describes the Nail nick, Corner Tip, Scratching, Corner Pinch, Denting, Applying moisture, Sand paper, Punch work, Crimping and Daub. I like his nifty and naughty hiding place for daub and his deceptive method for catching the light when using marked cards.
He discusses the use of a variety of Shiners and shares his method for glimpsing an opponents hole card during the final cut.
Flipping the Bullet is a method for ensuring that an opponent doesnt receive a valuable hole card.
Tony Mulles Rocking Chair Deal allows the dealer to glimpse an opponents hole card while dealing it.
Video camera work combined with a photon ray table allows a partner in another room to literally see through a normal card! He then relays playing commands back to the player. Ah, the marvels of technology.
Locating Desirable Cards
This chapter deals with techniques used to locate and cull desired cards during the course of play. The dirty work can occur during a wash shuffle, tabled riffle shuffle, the strip or the final cut.
Controlling Cards
Once valuable cards are identified, they can be controlled by using the Corner Crimp, Step, Thumb Break, Pinky Break, In-Jog, Riffle Shuffle Control, Multiple Strip Control, Riffle Riffle Strip Riffle Control, Cheating the Overhand Shuffle, Overhand Slip Shuffle, Overhand Jog Shuffle and Overhand Stock Steal.
Stacking the Deck
Mr. Born describes formulas for stacking a Pocket Pair, Set, Straight, Flush and a Double Duke.
Stacking Techniques
The author discusses the Pickup Stack, Riffle Stacking, Counting Before the Cut, Zarrow Shuffle, Peeking the Stack, Cutting the Bottom Card into Play, Bridge Shuffle Stack, Perfect Faro Stack, Perfect Table Riffle Interlace, Overhand Shuffle Stack, Milk Build, Positioning a Memorized Slug and Killing Cards.
Mr. Born shares a clever bit of blocking that allows the cheating dealer to get a better angle for peeking at the cards. He also tips his Poker Faro technique which is a top stock Faro stacking approach that eliminates the initial action of butting the packets together. I really like these ideas.
Nullifying the Cut
This chapter features methods by which the dirty dealer can maintain his stack after the deck is given the final cut. Techniques include the Leave-It Cut, Corner Crimp, Bridging the Deck, Classic Pass, Shade Card Pass, Top Card Turnover Pass, Worms Eye Pass, Squaring the Deck Pass, Point Shift, Tap Pass, Erdnase Shift, Anti-Gravity Shift, Table Hop, Scoop Shift, Tabled Spin Pass and Shade Card Insertion, Forgot the Shade Card and the Insertion Slip.
The author describes closing the Hermann Pass during the deal. Guy Hollingworth has similar work on this idea, but Mr. Borns approach is different in both technique and application. I like it.
Mr. Born discusses several techniques by which a partner sitting on the cheaters right can maintain the stack on the final cut. These include the One Card Cut, Leaving the Brief, Cutting to the Crimp, Jog, Step, Bridge, False Cuts, Multiple Cuts and Scarne Bluff Cuts.
Sneaking the Cooler
When a cooler in switched in prior to the shuffle, the dealer must execute some type of blind shuffle in order to maintain the stack. At his disposal are the Shank Shuffle, Zarrow Shuffle, Partial Zarrow, Strip Out Shuffle, Push-Through Table Riffle Shuffle, Overhand Jog Shuffle, Overhand Chop Shuffle, Greek Shuffle, Faro Shuffle, Blind Multiple Strip, Up the Ladder and the Blind Triple Strip.
Mr. Born and Jed Smith conspired to develop Clean Cut Cold Decking, which allows an opponent to cut the deck at almost any location, yet the dealer will still win. I like it.
Mr. Borns Estimation Cold Decking allows an opponent to freely cut the stacked deck without the dealer needing to maintain a break. I like it.
Cheaters wishing to switch in a cooler during the final cut may resort to Direct Switch #1 and #2, Butterfly Switch or the Gamblers Switch.
A cold deck designed for a full table of players isnt of much use if a player or two leaves the table. So, Mr. Born developed the Flexible Cold Deck that guarantees a win for the cheater when he is playing against a limited range of opponents. I like it.
For switching in a cold deck after the final cut, the cheater may execute the Dump, False Take or the Delayed Cold Deck.
Creating the Turn
In cheaters parlance, a turn is any type of distraction that focuses opponents attention away from the dirty work. Mr. Born offers a number of distractions that accomplish that goal. He also describes several character choices that a cardsharp can employ to gain trust and psychologically misdirect his opponents.
Crooked Dealing
The author describes various sleight of hand techniques used to change the outcome of the game. He discusses the Bottom Deal, Flop Bottom Deal, Bottom Stock Slide, Second Deal, Center Deal, Double Deal and Milking the Deal.
Handmucking
In this chapter, Mr. Born describes methods by which cheaters switch hole cards during play. Prior to switching them, the cards must be stolen out of play using the Classic Palm, Gamblers Palm, Thumb Clip or Gamblers Cop.
The cheater must Hold Out the cards in preparation for the switch. He can retain them on his person or under the table using a Bug. However, Bugs can be discovered, so the author developed the clever Poker Top Holdout, which he uses to Play the Tables Edge. I like it.
He goes on to describe the Sweeper switch, One Card Front Muck and the One-Handed Daley Switch.
Secretly playing with three hole cards will certainly give you a significant edge over your opponents. Mr. Born discusses his two cool versions of Playing from Three, which allow you to do just that. I like them.
He also describes his ballsy Fourth Street Switch and the Stacked Fourth Street Switch.
The chapter wraps up with a description of Partner-To-Partner Switches, and Doug Edwards delightful Pocket Load.
Cheating on the Flop, Fourth Street and River
Flop Foresight involves memorizing and controlling cards so that you know which cards are going to be dealt on the turn and the river.
Mr. Born describes the Table Peek and offers valuable enhancements on the Bubble Peek. He also covers the Heel Peek, One Hand Top Palm and the use of Shiners. His Crotch Glimpse is naughty and nice.
Using a Partner
Collusion is the strongest, most prevalent form of cheating. Partners conspire to Play Best Hand Forward, Build the Pot, Whipsaw, Signal a Stacked Deck, Relay Dead Cards, Relay an Opponents Hand, Flash Upcoming Community Cards, Ask For a Card, Create a Distraction and Provide Cover when a partner gets caught cheating.
Delayed Signals can be sent by using the Playing Card Grid, Card Alignment, Rotated Card Protector, Rotated Chip, Table Grid, Tables Edge Line and the Tables Arch.
Real-Time Signals involve Body Gestures, Sounds, Electronics, Spinning the Bet, Playing Card Grid, Players Grid, Fist/Fingers, Chip Location Quadrants, Exposing the Card, Fingers on Chip, Time Delay Addition, Betting Patterns, Colluding Dealer and Jay Jayaramans nifty Boat Bluff.
Partners can also engage in Finding Action, Setting the Stage, Chip Dumping, making a No Bluff Agreement and the Muck Scam.
Cheating the Chips
The chips themselves can also be used for cheating. Methods include Splashing the Pot, Confusing the Pot, String Betting, Dishonest Bankroll, Hidden Winnings, Sticky Paw, Sneak Chip, Palming, Railbirding, Loading the All-In, Overpaying, Skipping the Blind, Cheating the Rake, Stealing Chips, Cheating the Backer, Slow Playing, the Tear-Up and the Cash Scam.
Proper Procedures
Mr. Born offers sound, practical suggestions for preventing cheating. He covers Choosing Equipment, Beginning the Game, Shuffling, the Final Cut, Dealing and Checking Hole Cards, Dealing Burn and Community Cards, Betting, Making Change, Preparing for the Next Round, Taking a Break, Introducing a New Deck and Counting the Cards.
He also discusses several options for responding to someone you catch cheating.
Online Poker
Collusion is the most likely form of cheating that you will encounter when playing online. The author describes several methods by which partners can collude online.
He also discusses Database Applications, Bots, Bum Hunting, Disconnecting, Account Hacking, the Transfer Scam and Site Security.
Whew!
So there you have a glimpse of the treacherous techniques used to shear the unsuspecting sheep. While I was already familiar with most of the published techniques described, I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting them in the context of Texas Hold Em. Im also very impressed with Mr. Borns innovative contributions to the cardsharps toolbox. I really like this book!
If you play Texas Hold Em and youre interested in learning how unscrupulous scoundrels can sneakily separate you from your hard-earned green, the implied odds dictate that you buy this book.
Highly Recommended