False Deal

A more complex, and less easily detected poker con is the so called “false deal”. This is whereby instead of the top card of a deck of cards being dealt, it is the card immediately under it that is dealt. In the hands of an inexperienced cheat this is a clumsy and painfully obvious con and readily detected, but with practice can be virtually impossible, especially if timed correctly. There are two main types of false deals and they are as follows.

A bottom deal, is the name would suggest is where the card on the very bottom of the deck is dealt, instead of the very top card of the deck, and whilst it has a good success rate in a skilled cheat, there are some things to watch out for. Watch the actual hand positions of the dealer, to better achieve this con, the cheat has to hold the deck of cards between the flesh of his hand and their second finger.

The left hand is the hand that is used to remove the top card from the deck and the right hand is used to simultaneously remove the bottom card from the deck, because these two processes are happening at the same time, it becomes obvious in the hands of the inexperienced conner. One of the most obvious indicators and which certainly should place you on your guard, is for a snapping sound that the bottom card will make as it removed from the deck. If your dealer should happen to cough or in some other way distract you just as the cards are being dealt, then make sure to ask for a reshuffle, preferably with another dealer. You can never know for certain, but it better to be safe than sorry.