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CONTENTSCheating at Blackjack 2016. 1Chapter 1From the Casino’s Point of View. 9Chapter 2The Mind of a Cheater. 39Chapter 3Advantage Play. 61Chapter 4Stacking. 91Chapter 5The Cooler. 123Chapter 6Outside Plays. 141Chapter 7Adding to the Bet. 147Chapter 8Mucking. 157Chapter 9Miscellaneous Moves. 179Chapter 10Disguises. 203Chapter 11Relevant Topics . 209Chapter 12Conclusions . 225Glossary . 229About the Author . 237
CHEATING AT BLACKJACK 2016Twenty-one years ago (1994), I wrote the original Cheatingat Blackjack. Bill Clinton was president, cell phones only madecalls, and 9/11 was seven years away. A lot has changed sincethen. All that time passing has allowed me to reflect on what Idid and why I did it.No, I’m not going to repent, grab a shovel, and dig up thewinnings ( 87.20) I buried high in Red Rock Canyon (or wasit Mt. Charleston?), and return them to the casinos. It simplyenables me to look back on a unique way of life and rememberwhy I was successful at cheating the game of blackjack.Yes, I am, or at least I once was, a successful blackjack cheat.I think two criteria define a successful cheat. First, did he getthe money? Yes, I got the money. I was involved in hundredsof plays and I won every time. No exceptions. You see, I wasn’tgambling with my money; I was gambling with my freedom.There was no way I’d risk my freedom with an edge that wononly some of the time.The second criterion of a successful cheat is: Did he getaway? Yes. I was never caught. How did I get away with it? Ifollowed certain principles that guaranteed success, not just atthis particular game, but in any endeavor. As I recount my storyin this book, I explain these principles and how I applied them.So welcome to the curious and uncommon world of theprofessional “crossroader” (a specialist at cheating casinos).This is a captivating and thought-provoking story, I promise. Inthis book, you’ll read not only about cheating techniques and acrossroader’s lifestyle and philosophy, but also about psychology and a life story told to a select few individuals.
2CHEATING AT BLACKJACKIN THE BEGINNINGI started learning and practicing card magic when I wasseven years old. I remember the first time my dad took me tosee a magician, who must have been in his late sixties. At firsthe looked feeble, but as soon as he picked up a deck of cards, hebecame young again and the cards took on a life of their own,doing things that were clearly impossible. It looked like realmagic to me and I was hooked from that moment! I had foundone of my passions!And it led to one of my principles: If you find your passion,it will carry you through the tough times.From that day on, I had a feeling that magic and cards wouldplay an important part in my life.A second event that shaped my life also occurred at ageseven. My parents took a trip to Las Vegas and returned withlots of gambling souvenirs for me. I thought Vegas was thecoolest city on the planet and I knew one day I would makeLas Vegas my home.For the next 15 years, I practiced card magic. It was tougherin those days. There was no Internet, not even videos. Books andother magicians were the only options for learning.When I graduated college, a number of new books oncard magic appeared on the market. Most of the authors livedin Las Vegas. I decided that, if I wanted to become an expertat manipulating cards, I had to seek out these teachers. Andhere I employed another principle that guarantees success iffollowed: Find the experts. Success is achieved by listening toand associating with real specialists.How do you distinguish between experts and poseurs? Doyour research. With today’s tools, the least you can do is google the names (or pseudonyms). If the names have only a fewentries in the search results, they’re probably not true experts.
CHEATING AT BLACKJACK 20163In the summer of 1983, I packed my bags and moved to LasVegas. I knew exactly no one. I had no job and a grand total of 2,100 in my pockets. But I learned from the magic books thatthe Las Vegas magicians met every Wednesday at midnight.Now all I had to do was find out where. This wasn’t easy. Themeeting was somewhat secretive and open only to magicians.Again, there was no Google. It took me about six weeks to learnthe secret location. And then one autumn night, on a Wednesdayjust before midnight, I walked into the meeting.There, sitting at a table, was the legendary Jimmy Grippofrom Caesars Palace, along with Michael Skinner (a favoritemagician of Johnny Carson), Allan Ackerman, Paul Harris, andthe list goes on and on. Eight weeks earlier, I was in the Midwestreading their books, and now I was sitting with them!Of course, these guys were magicians; they weren’t cardcheats. Still, many of them befriended me and my knowledgeand skill level skyrocketed. This takes us back to the secondprinciple: Find the experts.A background in magic is a great advantage for crossroaders. Not only are their hands in shape from the moves learneddoing magic tricks, but they can’t help but learn a certain psychology, along with misdirection skills, that’s perfect for thecasino environment. Many of the moves and deceptions usedby crossroaders have been borrowed from the magic fraternity.Naturally, I couldn’t live in Vegas for long without becoming interested in gambling. When I first sat down at a blackjacktable, I had no idea how to play the game, but I quickly figuredout that to win, I’d have to find a way to take control of the odds.After watching the casinos systematically beat the players bymanaging the odds, the morality of taking control of them didn’tbother me at all, but I didn’t know how to do it. Then I heardabout, and started to research, card counting. Card counting is
4CHEATING AT BLACKJACKa legal technique that involves keeping track of the cards, thusallowing the counter to identify favorable betting situations andincrease playing efficiency. However, counting is a long hardway to beat blackjack and it requires enormous discipline andpatience. I knew there must be a better way—and that led mestraight to cheating.I thought that somewhere in Las Vegas, there had to bepeople who knew how to beat the games and I wanted to findthem and learn from them.Finding professional criminals wasn’t easy. I couldn’t exactly put a classified in the paper advertising for cheaters, or lookthem up in the Yellow Pages. (Today, you might find candidatesonline, though I’d bet you wouldn’t want to do business withmost of them.) But I understood human nature and figured thatsome of the people I sought might have a place where they safely got together. I didn’t expect them to have strategy meetingslike a group of politicians, but I figured they probably gatheredinformally where they could leave word that they were lookingfor someone or something.Not knowing the language, I was well aware that I’d lookand sound like a square. My first challenge was to learn abouttaking off the casinos before trying to cut into the crossroaders.Then as today, the best and safest way to learn about cheatingis to read everything you can get your hands on. I was lucky.In Vegas, there was a bookstore, the Gambler’s Book Club, orGBC. It operated out of an old, unassuming, brick buildingoriginally on Charleston and 11th Street that catered to gameplayers around the world, and had more than a thousand bookson everything about, or related to, gambling. I was especiallyinterested in the books on blackjack and the how-to books andvideotapes used by casinos to train staff against cheating. I
CHEATING AT BLACKJACK 20165bought every book in the store concerning casino protectionand blackjack. I returned frequently and talked to differentcustomers about blackjack and cheating techniques. I learneda little about the subject, but didn’t meet anyone who cheatedthe casinos (or would admit to it).A lot of people had opinions as to just who was the best intown with a deck of cards. Of the many names that came up,most were magicians I’d met through the local magic club, butone name was new to me: Crunch. People said Crunch coulddo things with cards that were impossible and, best of all, mostof his tricks were gambling moves. I also heard that he workedat a casino in downtown Vegas.I went to the casino where he was supposed to work. I askeda pit boss if Crunch was working and I was told that he had quitand moved back East.Next, I employed a principle that I didn’t fully understanduntil 25 years later: When your attitude is right, the facts don’tmatter.Yes, you read that right. The principle is powerful and here’swhy. Many times the so-called facts are incorrect! Have you everflown on a plane? The Wright brothers were told hundreds oftimes that it was impossible for something that big and heavyto fly through the air.I was disappointed that I didn’t meet Crunch, but by applying this principle, I proceeded on the belief that he remainedin town and I soon learned that he was! The search was stillon and I figured that he’d eventually show up at the mecca ofgambling information, the Gamblers Book Club.A guy we nicknamed “Bookstore Paul” was at GBC so often, the owner gave him a job there. Paul was an amateur cardcounter. I’m not sure if he was a winning counter. The important
6CHEATING AT BLACKJACKthing about Paul: He was a connector. He probably connectedmore people in the blackjack world than anyone before or sincecombined. Everyone liked Paul.Paul and I became friends and I asked him for help trackingdown Crunch. We’d found a photo that we believed might behim, and Paul said he’d call me if he came into the bookstore.In a few weeks, I got the phone call.GBC was 20 minutes from my house; I got there in eight.Determined not to let the opportunity pass me by, I walkedright up to him and asked him straight out, “Are you Crunch?”He laughed and said, “That depends on who’s asking.”That answer told me everything I needed to know.Most people go through their entire lives never meetingthe best in their chosen field, let alone having the opportunityto work with him. I’m very lucky: It’s happened to me twice.That’s the reason this book exists and why I’ve lived my life verydifferently than most. When you work with the best, it changesyour perspective forever. You marvel at their talent and learnto believe that anything is possible. You begin thinking in newways and always believe the answers exist; you just have to putin the hard work to find them.Crunch and I talked for a while and then he invited me overto his house. He showed me move after move—for blackjack,poker, dice, hold-out machines, and chop cups. He taught meabout basers, front loaders, handmucking, and coolers. I sawthings that seemed impossible. He showed me virtually everything and I remembered virtually nothing. Brilliant! Six hourslater when I left, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that thisguy was light years ahead of the casinos.Learning what was really possible opened my eyes andmade me believe I could cheat the casinos. I’ve been activelyinvolved—directly or indirectly—with every cheating technique
CHEATING AT BLACKJACK 20167in this book. That’s how you learn. It’s impossible to fully understand and to implement these methods just by reading a book.Reading, research, and practice are important, but they’re notenough. There comes a time when you just have to do it. Talkis cheap. Many people talk a good game, but have never beendown with a play. Ultimately, you aren’t judged by what yousay or want, but by what you do!I’ve made it a point to understand the principles behind themoves, not only from a technical standpoint, but from the psychological viewpoint, as well, and I’ve come to this conclusion:The moves are secondary. What’s really important is the waythe casino bosses perceive you.In essence, cheaters are con men. The better they are atconning the casino, the smoother the play will go and the lowerthe risk will be. If everything is done right, the casino will nevereven know it got whacked. This is extremely strong! How cananyone get arrested if the victim is unaware of the crime? Howcan there be an investigation if a crime is never reported? If theplay goes down without any heat and the crossroaders keeptheir mouths shut, the chance of getting caught is almost zero.It’s very hard for the casino to put together a case after thefact. If the cheating method is sleight of hand, there’s little orno physical evidence. Since this is gambling and someone alongthe way has to get lucky and win, it can seem perfectly naturalthat the cheaters have done just that.To deceive your enemy, you must first study him, understand him, and discover his vulnerabilities. We’re often whatwe think we are, so let’s see what the casino thinks of itself.
CHAPTER 1FROM THE CASINO’S POINT OF VIEWEvery casino in the world is in business to make money. Inthe old days, the casino games made enough of a profit to allowthe other areas, such as food, shows, and hotel rooms, to losemoney. This is no longer the case. Mr. Greed has entered thepicture, brought here by his friend Mr. Corporation. Most of thecasinos in Vegas are corporations and casinos operations arebased on a corporate philosophy that requires every departmentto be a profit center that should at least break even, as well as amagnet that draws customers into the casino.Some megaresorts have “people movers,” motorized walkways similar to those in airports, but with one notable exception:They only go in one direction. They will move you effortlesslyinto the casino, but when you leave, you must walk under yourown power. For some, it’s easier to stay.Casinos are built on losers. People lose billions of dollarsevery year and without that income, Las Vegas would not beon the map. Within reason, the casino will do whatever it takesto bring you into the house and win its statistical share of themoney you gamble. This is one of the reasons drinks are freewhen you play, because the more a person drinks, the lesscontrol he has.Another way the casinos seduce you into losing is by introducing new games. Over the years, the casinos have experimented with many. Some have been major embarrassmentsand financial disasters. For example, in 1993, the Las VegasHilton introduced an interesting variation of blackjack called“50/50.” It offered a side bet that allowed a player to “freeze”(stand on) his original hand if its point value was between 12
10CHEATING AT BLACKJACKand 16. He then started a new hand for equal stakes againstthe same dealer up-card. The advantage came from freezingthe hand when the dealer had a 2 through 6 as his up-card.The local card counters heard about this and ran some mathematical simulations that showed it was beatable. In three and ahalf days, the Hilton lost more than 200,000 on this one table,before closing down 50/50 for good. The game was so crowdedat the end that players were taking numbers to get a seat whenone became available.THE HILTON 50/50Anthony Curtis, the long-time Las Vegas-based gambling publisher (including this book), was a member of oneof the first blackjack teams to take advantage of the Hilton’s50/50 blackjack mistake. Coincidentally, he’d just bought anew BMW convertible.Anthony was on his way to the home of Max Rubin, author of Comp City and a table-games consultant, who wasfriends with the Hilton’s casino manager at that time. Maxand the CM just happened to be talking about the 50/50 situation on the phone when Max looked out his window andsaw Anthony climb out of his new car. He said to the Hiltonboss, “All I can tell you is that one of the guys who hit yourgame just pulled up in brand new BMW.”Many years ago, the Fremont casino in downtown LasVegas introduced a new twist in blackjack by adding a joker tothe deck. When a player received the joker, he could assign itany value he wanted, essentially guaranteeing a win. However,if the dealer received the joker, he had to discard it. The housewas beaten very badly with this novel idea, and that was the
FROM THE CASINO’S POINT OF VIEW11last time a joker was used in a blackjack game in Las Vegas.In their search for increased customer traffic, casinos sometimes make stupid mistakes. This isn’t common knowledge.Why not? Read on.THE HYPE AND THE TRUTHThe lights of Las Vegas, the glamour, the hustle, thousandsof dollars won or lost on the turn of a card, mega-superstars performing nightly—and the casino staff, all good-looking, sharp,aware of every scam in the book. That’s the impression a squaregets from reading about Las Vegas. After all, it’s Vegas’ goal toconvince the would-be cheater that the pit bosses, surveillanceagents, and security guards know absolutely everything aboutgambling and the prevention of cheating. They work hard tocreate the image of total competence and invulnerability, witheyes everywhere. And it is an intelligent strategy.But did you ever meet anyone who really knows it all?No such person exists, though some people think they do andironically, their confidence makes them the easiest to deceive.A lot of casino floormen actually think they know it all. “If Ican’t spot it, nothing is going on” is a direct quote from a casinoowner in Nevada. This particular casino had a line of cheatersstealing from it.The mainstream media collaborate in giving the impressionthat it’s impossible to successfully cheat, simply by believingand regurgitating the stories they’re fed. Many books about LasVegas include a chapter on people who were caught trying tocheat. These books tell how sharp the casinos are at catchingcrossroaders. They always end with some version of the warning, “If you think you can cheat the casinos, think again: Thecasinos know every scam in the book.”
12CHEATING AT BLACKJACKThe truth is, no one knows every scam. No one.Blackjack, in particular, is a cheater’s dream come true.Blackjack has two elements that make it favorable for cheatingand advantage play. Number one is the fact that the game isdealt by humans, and humans make mistakes and can be easilymanipulated. Number two is the concept of “dependent events.”This describes a series in which each event depends on otherevents. Unlike craps and slots, where each roll of the dice andspin of the reels are independent events, blackjack hands aredependent on which hands have already been played. (Onceall four aces are dealt, no more blackjacks are possible in thatround.) And thanks to dependent events, there are so manyways to attack blackjack that it’s impossible to circumvent all ofthe cheating techniques without shutting down the game. Remember, the casino’s objective is to keep the customers gamblingand that means open doors and mostly invisible security. Thecasinos may create a new method or rule to stop one cheatingmove, but every change usually opens up a new vulnerabilityfor people like me to exploit.The casinos are in business for one reason: to make money.They don’t give anything away; nothing is “free.” If a friendsays that every time he goes to Vegas, he gets his hotel room“comped” (short for “complimentary,” when the casino “paysfor” a player’s room and/or board, plus show tickets, limorides, etc.), you know that he loses a lot of money. A playermust bet at a certain level for a minimum period of time beforehe’s comped. You can be certain that by the time a person hasplayed that predetermined number of hours, the odds havetaken their inevitable toll on his money.Even if a player wins initially, if the casino can keep himcoming back to the tables, he’ll lose eventually. No casino wantsa player to win big, then leave without returning, so it does
FROM THE CASINO’S POINT OF VIEW13everything it can to entice that player to come back. Casinosknow that anyone can get lucky, but the odds will catch up withhim. If he wins big enough, the casino might even pay for hisairfare back. This is also the case if a player is a big loser: Casinoswant to keep that guy returning and losing even more. Squareseventually become losers if they play long enough.Note that if you think your table-game play justifies comps,ask a pit boss to “rate” you (machine play is automaticallyrated via the use of players cards). The boss will watch yourplay and if you meet the casino standard, you’ll be comped. Itdoesn’t matter whether you win or lose; if you bet enough, thecasino knows it will win your money. You might as well takethe comps. It’s like getting a discount.Have you ever seen a floorman bend over backwards to benice to a player? He’ll call for cocktails for the player, ask himif he wants a comp for dinner, and try to console him if he’slosing. It’s all an act, of course, carefully scripted and managed,and it happens hundreds of times every day, in every casino,with the same words and gestures. The goal is simple: Keep theplayer playing and playing and playing and eventuallyhe’ll lose.Most of the shift bosses (one rung up from pit boss) in thelarger casinos are on a bonus structure. If the casino wins a targeted percentage of money from the gambling games, the shiftbosses are handsomely remunerated. This is why they’re personally concerned about winning players. I’ve seen shift bossesget upset when players are winning and they’ll do anything tokeep a winner playing.It might seem strange for a shift boss to yell at a dealer, but Isaw it happen a lot in the old days. In addition to the cold hardmathematics of gambling, a casino operates on superstitionmore than you might think. Many bosses back then felt that
CHEATING AT BLACKJACK14some dealers were luckier than others. It was routine for a bossto assign a “lucky” dealer to a game that was losing, hopingthe dealer would bring luck to the casino. It’s totally irrational,but there’s still some of that going on today and it’s a very important concept for the cheater to comprehend. I discuss thisphenomenon thoroughly later.THE CHAIN OF COMMANDA casino is organized like any profit-making business, witha chain of command and support functions that keep everythingoperating properly. A typical structure is shown here.CASINO MANAGEROperationsSHIFT BOSSPIT BOSSESFLOORMENDEALERSSupportSecurityFacilitiesFood servicesTransportationCommunicationThe gambling floor of a casino is broken down into manyparts. The “pit” is the main focus of the casino. Though slotsnow win more than table games, that’s a relatively recent phenomenon; traditionally, the pit was where the big bucks werewon and lost. The table games—blackjack, craps, roulette, paigow poker, and various “carnival” games—are arranged withinthe pit. In the larger casinos, there may be multiple pits. In eachpit are usually six to ten blackjack tables, one or two roulettetables, a few pai gow poker tables, and a crap table or two (ifthere are multiple crap tables, they may have their own pit).The floormen move around inside the pit and watch the
FROM THE CASINO’S POINT OF VIEW15games. Each floorman is assigned from four to six games towatch.Overseeing the floormen are the pit bosses, usually one bossper pit. The pit boss is in charge of everything that happens inhis pit. He’s the ultimate judge for that area, unless the shiftboss intervenes.The shift boss is in charge of the entire casino for that shift.This includes non-table games.The top man is the casino manager. He’s responsible for theentire operation of the casino and frequently reports directly tothe owner or board of directors.As for front-line employees, legalized gambling is now everywhere. The more places there are to play, the more opportunity a cheater has to make money and limit his exposure. Manynew casinos are very weak in their defense against cheating;only so much experienced help is available and it takes time tolearn the games. Many casino employees have never been in acasino before. They’re in a new environment and, at first, areout of their comfort zone. This creates excellent opportunitiesfor the cheaters. A cheater can rotate his play between differentshifts, different casinos, and different states. By using a rotating schedule, the cheater can stay well under the casino radar.He can go months before being seen by the same floormen. Itwould be very difficult for a floorman to remember someonefrom that long ago.CASINO EMPLOYEESCasino dealers actually deal cards six hours a day. Theywork eight hours, but their breaks give them a couple hours offper shift. This is still too much, so most dealers go on automaticpilot and are barely conscious when dealing the game.
4 CHEATING AT BLACKJACK a legal technique that involves keeping track of the cards, thus allowing the counter to identify favorable betting situations and increase playing efficiency. However, counting is a long hard way to beat blackjack and it requires enormous discipline and patience. I knew there must be a better way—and that led me
