SEVEN SPINS YOU WIN
By
Raymond Arthur
Copyright Raymond Arthur 2011
Published at Smashwords
Cover by Joleene Naylor
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INTRODUCTION
As an ex casino Croupier (Dealer), long term Supervisor and one time Pit Boss, with experience in nine casinos, in the northern and southern hemisphere and going back to 1975, I can safely say, I've seen a lot of questionable hand and chip moves, played out on American Roulette and Blackjack tables. Some minor casino games can also be included.
The following pages contain a range of these moves - and their variations, that cheats (some accidental) from all walks of life, including Staff, have attempted at the tables - purely for your reading pleasure. I also explain in plain English just what Management, gaming Staff and Punters (Bettors) have to do, to cope with rules, regulations and security procedures, which play a major part in the attempted stings.
What I have written is an informative collection of memorable incidents; facts, figures and honest details about (often flawed) casino gaming, that few outside the industry realize exists or have noticed. Anyone can browse through the pages and pick up on general information attempted by clever, daring and dumb would be cheats alike.
This is not a 'How To' book, or a guide for would be hustlers, so copying any of the methods explained and using them at the tables could end up in ejection, prosecution, life bans or whatever. Some of the methods used are elaborate and deceptive, but most are in fact quite simple. Subtle and deliberate moves are explained at length, for you to digest and sometimes words speak louder than actions, as you will discover. Most of the dishonest methods I trace back to the seventies, while many will probably be as old as the hills.
No names (except one VIP at the end), places, except loose regions of countries and dates are mentioned, in this largely autobiographical gaze back at casino improprieties, showdowns, anomalies, wrongdoings and funny moments from down the years. Casino Staff can play a main role and I explain how easily some Dealers and their accomplices, have taken their employers for fools and how the casino might sting back, in these remarkable and addictive games, that millions play worldwide, but few actually get to win at, in the long run.
You will discover how honest Staff accidentally give Punters a second chance and then win. You are also given general gaming tips and good advice to keep you in the hunt legally. I include anecdotes and add humor throughout and I also lace it with plausible spice and appropriate cynicism, wherever I felt the need.
You will also find out just why the Number Of The Beast (666), is astonishingly relevant to Roulette and to a lesser extent on blackjack, later in the book.
This information book is not bogged down with slick in house jargon, terminology, or difficult technical breakdowns, as some (related by topic) books can be. However, I hope that the reader will already be familiar with the layout of roulette and blackjack, as well as some knowledge of how the games are played, plus the winning odds. In addition to Roulette and Blackjack in the later pages, I touch on a couple of minor casino games near the end, which are worth mentioning. I hope you enjoy reading this book, as much as I enjoyed writing it.
THE CASINO GAME
Casinos make vast amount of money all over the planet, simply because we walk in and play games designed to make money for the casino - not for you and me. Many of the numerous casinos worldwide offer incentives like complimentary or cheap drinks, meals, accommodation, entertainment, bonus points, loyalty membership incentives, prize draws, etc, to lure and keep you tied to their establishment.
These activities are applied carefully. Gaining some of these incentives can sometimes depends on your 'in for' figures (although basic membership systems are usually free). These 'in for' cash figures are what you 'drop' in a given night, week, month or year. The more money you drop, the merrier. You may become a rated or loyal Player if you wish to.
Casinos actual table winning margins are not high. It's well below five percent on European style tables, but more for American, which of course has a single and a double zero bet, whereas the Euro only has the original single zero to bet on. This means huge turnovers are required to make an establishment a highly profitable concern. People do provide astonishing amounts of cash, through irregular or routine visits and then there is the gambling addict who can be seen daily. The cash drop figures can vary wildly.
Casinos are by nature hungry for increasing profits. Punters get hungry too, which often turns into greed.
Don't get greedy in a casino.
Slot machines (also known as Pokies) account for huge profits as we all know and I, like anybody who has half a brain, should never put a brass razoo into these things, but we do. Machines do not respond like Dealers who have flaws, weaknesses and character. The casino cheat knows this and might never be seen playing slot machines. Win figures on these slot machines are often staggering. We cannot compete against them; it's beyond our capacity. We're people; they're not - no contest.
The real contest is against the system. The system is made up of people and the equipment they use, which in this case, is Blackjack and Roulette, the two most popular casino games on the planet, as far as I am aware.
This business that manufactures absolutely nothing, yet turns over billions worldwide is so cleverly set up. Anybody can be easily sucked in. Over many years I have seen many sucked in and blown out, one way or another and they say the house always wins - but so do some cheats I dare say, until they are deservedly caught.
Casino Staff sometimes act like machines. Cheaters recognize these people and are aware that machine like Dealers (Croupiers) of both sexes, can be very useful at times, as you will discover. However, they are often trained by dour yes people, who can sniff a rotten chip at twenty paces. Those particular types are quite funny to watch and some are almost theatrical at times, however, many can also be recognized by their shifty eyes, hunched shoulders, sometimes invisible statue like demeanor, monotone voice, poor hair styles, grubby ill fitting clothes, over use of cliches, sour face, a false or no smile and maybe bad breath.
I say those things without fear because I have just described myself - an ex casino supervisor, although some might disagree. The bad breath may be due to alcohol, garlic or even a bad attitude. But of course I'm mostly jesting, except maybe for the breath.
Let's get one thing straight, casino gambling is not that much fun (unless winning), even if it's professed or advertised that way. It's hard work (fun for some maybe) to stay focused and most definitely if you have been drinking and want fun at the same time.
Do not mix heavy drinking and gambling, this is a major rule.
I have devised some other loose rules, to be taken with a pinch of salt, which I will mention from time to time. The fun can begin in the entertainment and bar sections, after you walk away with lots of recycled money - If you win.
If you read my INTRODUCTION you would have read that my descriptions are purely for your reading pleasure only. Almost all methods revealed are not allowed in casinos and could result in prosecution and you possibly being barred for a long stretch, or even life.
This is not a guide.
I have gathered this information after having worked in the business between 1975 until the new millennium. I was trained in the U.K. when it was largely run by ex Army Officer types. This very strict standard generally still applies, but is still flawed and contains many gray areas, which I touch on. I worked in small (private) and large Australian casino's, for many years also, so most info is from those two regions, but relates worldwide.
As well as giving general tips here and there, I will also give general advice, operational procedures, methods and rules, plus other linked information.
The only sure fire way to win in a casino is to cheat, or have outrageous luck, but if you get caught cheating you will suffer the consequences, unless you are a 'card counter' extraordinaire. These people are over rated in my opinion, NOT cheats, extremely rare and are likely to be banned anyway. More about them later.
No casino runs smooth as silk.
Sometimes - the wheels fall off. This causes some rules, policies and procedures to go out the window because a 'this has never happened before' situation arises now and again. This might be caused by a clever form of cheating, which we will also look at.
I would like to suggest, after observing thousands upon thousands of Punters, from all corners of the globe, incalculable wheel spins, mammoth sums of cash and frequent disputes, problems, mishaps, misdeals etc, that you understand the following a little more.
DEALING the game.
SUPERVISING the game.
These obvious straightforward but different roles, can hide a myriad of opportunities (legal), hassles and headaches, so I suggest you take in as much as possible from their perspective. You can be friendly, maybe sympathize at times. You should always respect the gaming Staff, they could help you in the long run.
THE DEALERS
We all have different characters and work ethics. Dealers are no different. Mostly of average intelligence they are usually ordinary folk, who just deal the games. Some of the girls are ex Models (plenty of wannabes) still seeking glamor, some guys too! They don't find it in casinos. Staff are often younger people, often eager to travel abroad once they get a couple of games under their belt. They will discover that working in a casino is actually unglamorous shift work, which doesn't take too long to figure out. In time they will be promoted ( if good enough, or are in with the bosses) and settle into shift patterns.
BOREDOM sets in. Cheats like and recognize bored Staff.
Gaming Management are almost exclusively drawn from the ladder system (one or two sneak in via associated gambling careers) and are the same ordinary people, but light years ahead in casino life's geography over inexperienced Dealers, junior Supervisors and yourself, especially if you are new to this type of gambling. They can run rings around most people with casino psychology and bullshit, believe me. Cheats will already know this.
New and inexperienced Dealers are known in many countries as 'Lumpies'. They keep this - put down tag - until the next training school comes along. Lumpies are very vulnerable. They can be easily spotted by their slow, fumbling and nervous style.
Gaming Supervisors (also Inspector or Floor-person), Pit Bosses etc, are usually highly experienced Dealers. But sometimes because of Staffing problems, table Supervisors can be first or second year Dealer's filling in, or just real bright sparks. These new ones are often much more alert than experienced ones, they can be spotted by being super attentive to everything and tend to really get involved. They may talk too much and expect Punters to listen to everything they say. They might not be as flexible regarding marginal disputed decisions, as the more experienced types.
The two roles, Dealer and Gaming Supervisor are very different jobs. It will pay you to watch and understand these people. Talk to them, ask question and make them feel as if they know you. They soon will anyway, if you become a regular, so best to stay on the right side of all Staff members, including the waitresses, who can make you a decent sandwich or not, if in place.
Some Cheats get to know Staff socially, often by way of nearby pubs, clubs or cafes. These friendships can sometimes cause serious complications, as some interesting associations have developed and ultimately failed. Certain casinos frown heavily if their Staff fraternize with Punters, mostly in the smaller casino's, where it's easier to get to know regular Punters on a personal level. Long serving Staff, can and have been instantly fired for it (more later), so friendships are often covert and have to be continued that way, to avoid any hassles.
Casino cheats naturally have limited scruples and many a young Dealer has been conned by these types and ended up corrupted and eventually axed. It is hard for vulnerable Dealers to escape clever con men and women, especially when they talk themselves up and impress the often struggling young Dealers, who will be suckered in.
THE FRIENDLY WAY
Here are some mixed reasons in no particular order, why cheats and regular Punters (or Bettors), and Staff become friendly with each other, not always for the right reasons.
They trust you.
They get to like you.
They ignore you.
They don't get any hassles from you.
You become part of the furniture.
You fill a space.
You help pay the wages.
You help Staff stay awake.
You might be visually or mentally appealing.
Punters may well be GIVEN the benefit of the doubt in a dispute over ownership of a cash-winning chip, over a stranger - if the Dealer likes you. Also you might have a badly placed chip that pays odds of eleven to one, over a five to one bet on Roulette, or if a chip of yours is marginally resting on a split, where the difference could mean an extra eighteen pieces (I assume at this point that you are familiar with the layout of a Roulette table, its odds, etc), then the Dealer could pay highest odds without batting an eyelid.
Staff will be on your side if you are friendly without becoming a nuisance. Conversely they can make you feel uncomfortable, unwelcome and invisible. They may also become less friendly and cynical towards you like any friendship can with time. Personality clashes can easily occur across the table, any table - sometimes very quickly.
Arrangements to pay any minor disputed bets (chip ownership) are made on the spare of the moment, usually by the Supervisor, or the Dealer, if experienced. He or she will make a quick decision on who owns what and verify payouts etc, unless it's a major dispute, where a Pit Boss is called and makes a different decision, or seeks assistance from video surveillance, which can over rule Supervisors, Pit Bosses and Dealer's decisions, in a flash.
It may be worth noting here that if you feel a genuine travesty of justice has occurred, then the local overseeing Gaming Authority/Commission/Board etc, should investigate for you, following any failure from Management. However, some Countries may not have such authorities in place. Check that you have.
Serial cheats come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities and ages.
Cheats that operate alone are often simply opportunists. There are pairs of cheats (and more) who operate. They will most likely dress plainly, be quiet, secretive and move from table to tale looking for an opportunity to take advantage of a situation, like seeing a favorite Dealer/Supervisor, a Chipper (later pages) or a lumpy Dealer.
OPPORTUNISTS
A favorite and bold method Cheats often use which is difficult to detect and unexpected, is during a game where the action is fast, busy and for reasonable stakes. They will play with a number of lowest value color chips, in what appears a normal fashion. But what they are doing, is actually PICKING UP the show off Punters twenty five dollar cash chips (or any cash value), that are being placed all over the layout, in possibly a drunken couldn't care less way.
During heavy gaming the Supervisors can be very hard pressed staying in control and have little chance of tracking big player action accurately (a necessary duty). Big games sometimes cause confusion, which cheats can take advantage of, perhaps by watching the Punter who is throwing (sometimes literally but not for long) his cash chips everywhere. The following method explains how this took place.
Cheat has at least ten of the lowest value table chips in both hands (most people can hold about twenty chips - a stack - in each hand, comfortably face down). He appears to be placing chips randomly but he's often re-picking them up again, along with some selected twenty-five dollar cash chips, that are NOT his.
He will place one of his own low value chips, on top of roughly ten to fifteen, of the many twenty-five dollar cash chips scattered over the roulette layout. The Player then might place more cash chips on top the cheats low value chips, so the Cheat places another chip on top of those. Further chip action takes place, but the Cheat then takes the top few off, which reveals the original twenty five cash chip. So with thrifty 'masking', he might steal a few twenty fives, per spin. But Supervisors and Surveillance are there to catch these cheats and they do.
This might work for him only in a very busy game where hands and chips are flying everywhere and every number is covered by many chips. He is careful not to pick up anybody else' s colored chips by mistake, doubling his risk of detection.
This form of chip stealing takes place in split seconds and happens when the ball is spinning. There may be a panic as the ball slows further and the Punters scramble to get final bets on, before 'no more bets' is called out, which is another opportunity for the cheat to strike in the following ways.
Clever 'late bets' are a form of cheating that was common everywhere. Very difficult nowadays with the much earlier calls of 'no more bets' and a sweeping arm movement to cease chip action, but some Dealers still call it late, which is when cheats strike. There are late bets and there are extremely late bets, that can only be described as bets that are a little too early for the next spin. Let me explain this next move.
They say the camera cannot lie, but sometimes it cannot pick up clever use of late hidden chips. The Cheat knows that using this method is risky, but it has probably fooled many people.
In this particular case scenario, the cheating Punter was positioned at the end of the table. When the ball has just stopped (and the Dealer was seriously inattentive) in one of the lower numbers, then he would swiftly place five, or more chips on top of particular winning chips, in the winning 'Column Bet' area at the foot of the table, near to hand. The five chips might be arranged in the following order and value.
The bottom of the five would be the same color chip as the top of the stack that the late bet is put onto. The next two might be high value cash chips and the other chips will also be the same as the bottom one. The top chip (and others below) of the legal bet is often the cheat's (or accomplices) actual legitimate winning chips, possibly surrounded by other Punters winning chips.
The Cheats other low limit color bets might also be on the other two column bets.
Timing was important to the Cheat when he placed his late bet, AFTER seeing the ball drop. He expects the late bets to be handed back, but hopes that it might have been missed. The observant Cheat will have watched the Dealers body/eye movements very closely. He will also strike when the attention of the Supervisor is on another nearby table.
Supervisors often 'inspect' two roulette tables at the same time and of course, that is impossible to do properly.
The Dealer should have seen the late bet being placed and given them back straight away. But what chips? The cheat having placed the five or more masked chips on top of the others, has cast doubt over the true amount placed too late. The Dealer may hand the five chips back (or more). He may only hand the top matching color chips back and leave the cash chips, which is what the Cheat(s) wants.
The Dealer has to make a quick accurate decision, or the game stops awkwardly because genuine bets could have been removed. The late cash chips could be up to table limit.
If the Dealer takes all the chips off, it is then that an accomplice might strongly query why 'his' cash chips have just been removed. This confuses the Dealer who will then have to seek help, from a Supervisor to keep the integrity of the game flowing. Surveillance may be phoned and asked to review it, if the value is in the thousands. Multiple chips will be hard to get a clear fix on from only one angle, especially the back ones, which are hidden by the Punters and direct overhead camera would be of no help.
This form of cheating I have observed from time to time and with clever masking it was hard to detect, especially when there are multiple column bets and an accomplice is involved and the Supervisor is absent.
If this move is clearly detected, the cheat usually doesn't argue, especially if the Supervisor has seen it first and called it loudly as a late bet and knows what went down. The cheat has to accept their correct decision and may smile, shrug his shoulders, apologize, look shocked, appear innocent, etc. Either way he lost nothing and maybe even wins, or break even with his small legitimate bets, on the column boxes.
If the Supervisor and Dealer are in on it, then detection is probably down to video surveillance, or an unobserved security floor walker to pick it up and nab them, but that could take a very long time, maybe never.
Let's now look at this simple strategy again only with a different slant. We know the cheat made clever use of masking, to hide the type of chips he is illegally placing late. It is known as 'past posting' in some circles. He knows that it works best with color connected table chips, which he would have to have bought in for, stolen or borrowed earlier, but those same color chips are now being used by a genuine Punter, not an accomplice. So this tactic - can causes confusion to the genuine Punter, who is playing innocently with those same chips as the cheat. This can slow down the game, possibly cause an argument and make the cheat appear innocent.
This may need lengthy surveillance investigation (two separate winning claimants). The cheat would need to be very self-assured to try and get away with this outrageous move.
It seems that cheats sometimes deliberately keep a few colored chips, that belong to certain tables, then use the above method, as if totally ignorant to the fact that somebody has already bought in for that color before him and placing them normally.
The usual excuses are, 'I bought these chips earlier on', or simply, 'they're my chips, it's not my mistake'. They both might be paid out and one of them given a fresh color, gaming can continue as it should without any hassles.
Supervisors appear to be doing very little at times and some people like to point this out quite vocally, like when some drunk once cheerfully said.
'That's a fucking easy job you've got there pal.'
'Yeah, but...' He didn't notice I was dealing with a nasty dispute over a winning cash chip ownership, a twenty thousand dollar float fill, while timing two Dealers, tracking three big Punters win/loss action figures and handling another drunk Punter, as well as working out two complex payouts, an alcohol spillage and coping with a headache at that moment. Not to mention I only had four hours sleep during the day and my favorite football team lost only hours earlier. Real easy hey.
Gaming Staff actually hardly lift a finger, physically speaking, except in smaller casino's where all cash chips are taken back to the 'cash cage,' in large purpose built trays, when the last Punter has gone and 'the count' has taken place. A full tray of chips is hardly weight training though, which is just as well, because the brain is given lots of mental activity. It can get very taxing for a Supervisor, during busy gaming. It doesn't take a cheat long to recognize this and eventually take some kind of advantage.
Some Punters dash from table to table, placing even money bets on as the ball spins. They become known for this and genuine confusion takes place as to who owns which bet at times. It might also be a cover for placing late bets. They are nuisances.