Chapter 9
Game protection
Resolving beefs
The subject of game protection is vast and certainly won’t be covered in its entirety in this chapter. This chapter is designed to give you the some of the basics and to stress the importance of doing your best to protect your employer’s assets.
In an era, where at many properties, a floorperson is more of a pit clerk or casino host than that of a traditional games supervisor, one may wonder if floor supervisors should be concerned with game protection. While you must ultimately take your cue from how your supervisors tell you to perform your duties, in the absence of instructions to the contrary, you must assume that you are expected to keep a keen eye on the operations of the games in your section.
This last point can’t be over-emphasized; supervisors are paid to watch the games! While a television monitor or a beautiful girl can occasionally distract us all, a good supervisor recognizes that bad things invariably happen at the moment he takes his eyes off of the game. There are three areas that will be covered; enforcing procedures, catching and correcting dealer mistakes and catching attempts by patrons to cheat.
In an era, where at many properties, a floorperson is more of a pit clerk or casino host than that of a traditional games supervisor, one may wonder if floor supervisors should be concerned with game protection. While you must ultimately take your cue from how your supervisors tell you to perform your duties, in the absence of instructions to the contrary, you must assume that you are expected to keep a keen eye on the operations of the games in your section.
This last point can’t be over-emphasized; supervisors are paid to watch the games! While a television monitor or a beautiful girl can occasionally distract us all, a good supervisor recognizes that bad things invariably happen at the moment he takes his eyes off of the game. There are three areas that will be covered; enforcing procedures, catching and correcting dealer mistakes and catching attempts by patrons to cheat.
Enforcing procedures.
Those of you that fail to make the connection between dealing procedures and game protection aren’t recognizing why procedures are established in the first place. A dealing procedure exists to make it easier to supervise a dealer and catch potential mistakes or to make it difficult or impossible for a crossroader (cheater) to make a move.
Some of the procedures designed to help catch mistakes are; utilizing card placement that doesn’t cover the center pip row, calling out change before sending it, calling out roulette payoffs before sending them and separating multi-colored bets before paying them.
Some of the procedures designed to prevent theft (by either the player or the dealer) are; walking the game, getting proper hand signals from BJ players, calling "checks play", getting approval before bringing in color change, calling "shuffle", getting approval before leaving the game to straighten chairs and waving "no more bets please" in roulette.
While some may try to tell you that you should rigidly enforce all dealing procedures to the letter, a realist like myself will tell you that to do that will only make you be perceived as an (read: asshole).
The reality of how a supervisor does his job is to serve two diametrically opposed concepts to the best of his ability.
Coaching dealers is an art. It involves a refinement of your communication and leadership skills. While each individual needs to find his own way of developing a style that accomplishes the goal of enforcing procedures without distressing the dealers, I offer what I think is important.
Be the best dealer you can be.
As you read in chapter 1, nothing creates resentment faster than a supervisor trying to enforce procedures when he obviously knows little about the game he is watching. Dealers need to respect your game knowledge if you expect them to listen to you.
Treat dealers as though they are adults.
Dealers need to be coached with a lack of emotion and with emphasis on what is required from them and why. Gone are the days when the only reason a dealer needed to comply with procedures is "because I said so." That honor is reserved for the pit or shift manager not the floor supervisor. Also, be prepared to explain why the procedure is in place.
I like quoting game protection expert George Joseph when he says; "The procedure is stronger than the move."
Ideally, the first time you correct a dealer is after he has violated a procedure and it resulted in a mistake. This puts him in the frame of mind that is receptive to listening and a forgiving attitude on your part only enhances his willingness to listen.
Back up your dealers when a player becomes irate about the dealer enforcing the rules.
I sometimes wonder how many supervisors truly appreciate the consequences of not doing so. When you approach a game and a player is bitching about the dealer attempting to enforce a rule, such as giving a hand signal in BJ, the first words out of your mouth should be; "The dealer is only trying to do his job." If the player comes back with; "Well how come the other dealer didn’t have a problem with it?" Your response should be; "I’ll make sure I have a talk with the other dealer."
If your supervisor notices a dealer not following procedure, he will often tell you to counsel the dealer. The natural tendency is to preface your counseling with; "The boss wants me to tell you." Ideally, you should counsel the dealer as though it was solely your idea and leave your supervisor out of it. However, we have all been guilty of not doing so, especially when you know that the dealer is going to be resistant to your suggestion. Sometimes when you do, you are enlightening the dealer to the fact that we all have our emperors to serve.
Those of you that fail to make the connection between dealing procedures and game protection aren’t recognizing why procedures are established in the first place. A dealing procedure exists to make it easier to supervise a dealer and catch potential mistakes or to make it difficult or impossible for a crossroader (cheater) to make a move.
Some of the procedures designed to help catch mistakes are; utilizing card placement that doesn’t cover the center pip row, calling out change before sending it, calling out roulette payoffs before sending them and separating multi-colored bets before paying them.
Some of the procedures designed to prevent theft (by either the player or the dealer) are; walking the game, getting proper hand signals from BJ players, calling "checks play", getting approval before bringing in color change, calling "shuffle", getting approval before leaving the game to straighten chairs and waving "no more bets please" in roulette.
While some may try to tell you that you should rigidly enforce all dealing procedures to the letter, a realist like myself will tell you that to do that will only make you be perceived as an (read: asshole).
The reality of how a supervisor does his job is to serve two diametrically opposed concepts to the best of his ability.
- The first concept is to increase the productivity of the dealers and to perform the sacred duty of preparing them for their next job.
- The second concept is a self-serving one; to "stay below the radar" and not bring unwanted attention to yourself from your supervisors.
Coaching dealers is an art. It involves a refinement of your communication and leadership skills. While each individual needs to find his own way of developing a style that accomplishes the goal of enforcing procedures without distressing the dealers, I offer what I think is important.
Be the best dealer you can be.
As you read in chapter 1, nothing creates resentment faster than a supervisor trying to enforce procedures when he obviously knows little about the game he is watching. Dealers need to respect your game knowledge if you expect them to listen to you.
Treat dealers as though they are adults.
Dealers need to be coached with a lack of emotion and with emphasis on what is required from them and why. Gone are the days when the only reason a dealer needed to comply with procedures is "because I said so." That honor is reserved for the pit or shift manager not the floor supervisor. Also, be prepared to explain why the procedure is in place.
I like quoting game protection expert George Joseph when he says; "The procedure is stronger than the move."
Ideally, the first time you correct a dealer is after he has violated a procedure and it resulted in a mistake. This puts him in the frame of mind that is receptive to listening and a forgiving attitude on your part only enhances his willingness to listen.
Back up your dealers when a player becomes irate about the dealer enforcing the rules.
I sometimes wonder how many supervisors truly appreciate the consequences of not doing so. When you approach a game and a player is bitching about the dealer attempting to enforce a rule, such as giving a hand signal in BJ, the first words out of your mouth should be; "The dealer is only trying to do his job." If the player comes back with; "Well how come the other dealer didn’t have a problem with it?" Your response should be; "I’ll make sure I have a talk with the other dealer."
If your supervisor notices a dealer not following procedure, he will often tell you to counsel the dealer. The natural tendency is to preface your counseling with; "The boss wants me to tell you." Ideally, you should counsel the dealer as though it was solely your idea and leave your supervisor out of it. However, we have all been guilty of not doing so, especially when you know that the dealer is going to be resistant to your suggestion. Sometimes when you do, you are enlightening the dealer to the fact that we all have our emperors to serve.
Catching and correcting dealer mistakes.
Those of you that might be expecting to read some kind of magical technique for watching games are going to be disappointed. I might present an idea or two that you have already considered but then reading something you already know can often reaffirm what you suspected to be the truth.
The number one thing to remember when watching your games is to actually watch your games! And for those of you that think I am merely being droll, you have only to observe the behavior of some of your fellow supervisors. Watching some supervisors "do their job" reminds me of that scene in "Airplane" where terrorists are taking wheelbarrows full of weapons through the metal detector while the airport screeners are ogling some woman’s cleavage.
Granted, no one will ever be able to watch the games 100% of the time. Being a floor supervisor means that you will have many duties that force you to take your eyes off of the games. But even as I am bent over the computer entering fills, I will look up occasionally. What am I looking for when I look up? In the BJ pit, the number one thing I am looking for is a dealer that has stopped dealing the game. A dealer will generally stop dealing for one of two reasons: either he is waiting for an approval call or there is a beef.
I doubt that there is a floor supervisor alive that answers every approval call. Between the distractions of your duties and the fact that some dealers refuse to call out in a voice that is loud enough for even a golden retriever to hear, some approval calls will go unanswered. When responding to an approval call, make sure you are loud enough to be heard. You need to be conscious of projecting your voice across the required distance. Do your best not to give approval for transactions you aren’t close enough to examine.
Now I’m sure you expected me to say that you are always going to drop whatever you are doing and go running to the game so you can confirm every hundred dollar buy-in. I am not so naïve to believe you will. But you need to do so more often than not; otherwise you are setting yourself up for a rogue dealer that will count on you not confirming his transactions to his agent.
By doing your best to answer every approval call in a loud and clear voice is good for morale and sends a number of unspoken messages to your dealers.
I cannot overstate; while it is important to respond to approval call in a loud and clear voice, you must always be conscious of your choice of words and the tone of your voice. "Thank you!" is always a better choice than "OK!" or "Go ahead!" when giving approval calls. Your best defense against being considered mean is to always use the words "please" and "thank you" when giving the dealers instructions. Sometimes in our desire to be concise in our instructions and communicate effectively we can talk in a manner that might be considered terse. Always chose your words and tone carefully and speak with the intention of not only communicating but doing so in a way that is unlikely to evoke an emotional response.
It is vitally important to get to a game as soon as possible when a beef occurs, as the longer it takes for you to get there; the more pissed-off the players get. Ideally you should notice the break in the action and get there before the dealer has had a chance to call you. When approaching the game, take notice of as much as you can, since the less you have to depend on the dealer to tell you what happened, the better.
When you get to the game, be prepared to listen. You first want to get the dealers viewpoint and this may require politely asking players to please wait. You then will patiently listen to the player’s side. Many players will start off by insisting that the dealer "pay the board." Your response to this should be; "that is only an option in home games."
Almost all beefs come down to the dealer taking an action that changed the order of the cards. The two guidelines that need to be remembered is:
The reason exposed cards shouldn't be used by another player because a player could ask for a hit and then claim he didn’t want it when he sees that the card will help the next player. As for allowing players the option of getting out of the hand: this isn’t such a great advantage for the players and is an equitable solution, even if you suspect a player is actually at fault. The moment I realize I will be giving the players a chance to get out of the hand, I will say something like; "Don’t worry folks, everyone will have a chance to get out of the hand."
Here is a list of the most common beefs in BJ and a guideline for solving them. Keep in mind that these solutions aren’t as universal as I would prefer and are subject to be modified by your supervisors and house policies.
No burn card.
No, we don’t "pay the board" as is traditional in home games. In fact we don’t even allow players the option of getting out of the hand. You can explain that burning a card is a procedure for the house’s protection and can be waived. BTW when a player requests to see the burn card, the answer is always no. That’s why it’s a burn card; it’s the house’s little secret.
Cards dealt to an empty betting spot.
Those cards are to be burned and all players can get out of the hand unless the mistake is caught after a player has busted. Players that have busted rarely have the option of calling a dead hand. Players that have busted may demand to get out of the hand but you need to explain that they should have pointed out the dealer’s error before they acted on their hand, since the house can’t be expected to give a player a chance to improve their hand, then allow them to call it dead. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
Cards not dealt to a player.
That player is out of that hand and the rest of the players have the option of getting out. If the player is only dealt one card, he has the option of getting out of the hand or taking a second card and finishing the hand after the last player has acted on his hand and before the dealer acts on his. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
The dealer doesn’t deal himself any cards.
The dealer will deal himself the next two cards from the deck. If a ten-value or ace is the top card, the dealer will check to ensure he doesn’t have blackjack (insurance won’t be offered, except for "even money"). If he does, the hand is declared dead. If he doesn’t, all players will have the option of getting out of the hand. If after all players have acted on their hands, it is discovered the dealer failed to deal himself a hole card, he will take the next card from the deck after all players are offered the option of getting out of the hand. This might be one of the few times I would consider refunding a busting player’s bet. If the bet was small, I would take the player’s word on how much it was, if it was large, then I would call surveillance. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
The dealer hits his hand incorrectly.
If the dealer hits a hard seventeen or higher (or any seventeen in some houses) the hit cards will be burned and the players will not have the option of getting out of the hand. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
Dealer hits his hand without offering players hits.
The dealer will be instructed to burn all of his hit cards and then the players will be offered a chance to get out of the hand. All remaining players (if any) will then be offered hits. After all remaining players have acted on their hands; the dealer will act on his. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
Two cards come out of the shoe or hand held deck.
On a face-up shoe game, exposed cards will be burned. The floor supervisor will quickly determine the order of un-exposed cards. The players affected will be offered a chance to get out of the hand once all initial cards are dealt. If the dealer’s hand was affected, all players will be offered the chance to get out of the hand. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
A player’s hand is hit as a result of dealer’s error (or so they claim).
At the very moment you realize that this is the beef, you need to start preparing the players for an unpleasant truth by say something like; "Folks you need to understand that this card is now an exposed card and the only person that can take an exposed card is the dealer. If anyone wants to hit, this card will be burned. If no one wants a hit the dealer will take that card, if he needs to hit."
I won’t offer anyone the opportunity to get out of the hand. If any players demand this, I will only grant it after some careful consideration. The main thing I will attempt to ascertain is whether the player signaled for a hit. If the player in question is on third base or the last player, this becomes especially suspicious and I will consider making a call to surveillance.
A player claims he wanted a hit after a subsequent hand has been hit (including double-down card not given).
All players will immediately be offered the chance of getting out of the hand unless you deem the situation suspicious and then surveillance will be consulted. Again, this situation is most suspicious when the player is on third base and the dealer has hit and made a good hand. If the player is believed, then he has the option of either getting out of the hand or taking the next card after all players have acted on their hands and before the dealer acts on his.
If the player is on third base, the dealer will burn his hit cards and the player will take the next card from the deck. The dealer will then complete his hand. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
The player is given a double-down card and then claims he wanted to split.
The player will have the option of either keeping the card as a double-down card or using it as the first card on his first split hand.
A player disputes his hand total or that of the dealer.
If the hand is still in progress, the dealer will wait for the floor supervisor’s instructions before removing the cards from the discard holder.
If the hand is completed, it is important to bear in mind your house procedures and remember whether the hand on top of the discards is the dealer’s or that of the first player not to bust or get a snapper.
Even before backing up the cards I will ask the dealer how much the bet was. If it was a minimum bet, I will consider refunding or paying it without backing up the cards.
Dealer failed to offer insurance and it turns out he had blackjack.
This is my favorite beef to settle. I will merely say; "Well does anyone want it now?" This is just my cute way of calling a dead hand. Obviously you will have to refund a player’s money if he busted.
Those of you that might be expecting to read some kind of magical technique for watching games are going to be disappointed. I might present an idea or two that you have already considered but then reading something you already know can often reaffirm what you suspected to be the truth.
The number one thing to remember when watching your games is to actually watch your games! And for those of you that think I am merely being droll, you have only to observe the behavior of some of your fellow supervisors. Watching some supervisors "do their job" reminds me of that scene in "Airplane" where terrorists are taking wheelbarrows full of weapons through the metal detector while the airport screeners are ogling some woman’s cleavage.
Granted, no one will ever be able to watch the games 100% of the time. Being a floor supervisor means that you will have many duties that force you to take your eyes off of the games. But even as I am bent over the computer entering fills, I will look up occasionally. What am I looking for when I look up? In the BJ pit, the number one thing I am looking for is a dealer that has stopped dealing the game. A dealer will generally stop dealing for one of two reasons: either he is waiting for an approval call or there is a beef.
I doubt that there is a floor supervisor alive that answers every approval call. Between the distractions of your duties and the fact that some dealers refuse to call out in a voice that is loud enough for even a golden retriever to hear, some approval calls will go unanswered. When responding to an approval call, make sure you are loud enough to be heard. You need to be conscious of projecting your voice across the required distance. Do your best not to give approval for transactions you aren’t close enough to examine.
Now I’m sure you expected me to say that you are always going to drop whatever you are doing and go running to the game so you can confirm every hundred dollar buy-in. I am not so naïve to believe you will. But you need to do so more often than not; otherwise you are setting yourself up for a rogue dealer that will count on you not confirming his transactions to his agent.
By doing your best to answer every approval call in a loud and clear voice is good for morale and sends a number of unspoken messages to your dealers.
- First it says you care about your job and you are paying attention.
- Second, it acknowledges that the dealer is doing his job and you are recognizing that by doing yours.
- Third, it is a warning that no dealer can expect to get away with anything because you are maintaining a presence in your section.
I cannot overstate; while it is important to respond to approval call in a loud and clear voice, you must always be conscious of your choice of words and the tone of your voice. "Thank you!" is always a better choice than "OK!" or "Go ahead!" when giving approval calls. Your best defense against being considered mean is to always use the words "please" and "thank you" when giving the dealers instructions. Sometimes in our desire to be concise in our instructions and communicate effectively we can talk in a manner that might be considered terse. Always chose your words and tone carefully and speak with the intention of not only communicating but doing so in a way that is unlikely to evoke an emotional response.
It is vitally important to get to a game as soon as possible when a beef occurs, as the longer it takes for you to get there; the more pissed-off the players get. Ideally you should notice the break in the action and get there before the dealer has had a chance to call you. When approaching the game, take notice of as much as you can, since the less you have to depend on the dealer to tell you what happened, the better.
When you get to the game, be prepared to listen. You first want to get the dealers viewpoint and this may require politely asking players to please wait. You then will patiently listen to the player’s side. Many players will start off by insisting that the dealer "pay the board." Your response to this should be; "that is only an option in home games."
Almost all beefs come down to the dealer taking an action that changed the order of the cards. The two guidelines that need to be remembered is:
- Exposed cards can never be moved to another player’s hand.
- Any player that will be affected by a change in the order of the cards will be given the opportunity to get out of the hand.
The reason exposed cards shouldn't be used by another player because a player could ask for a hit and then claim he didn’t want it when he sees that the card will help the next player. As for allowing players the option of getting out of the hand: this isn’t such a great advantage for the players and is an equitable solution, even if you suspect a player is actually at fault. The moment I realize I will be giving the players a chance to get out of the hand, I will say something like; "Don’t worry folks, everyone will have a chance to get out of the hand."
Here is a list of the most common beefs in BJ and a guideline for solving them. Keep in mind that these solutions aren’t as universal as I would prefer and are subject to be modified by your supervisors and house policies.
No burn card.
No, we don’t "pay the board" as is traditional in home games. In fact we don’t even allow players the option of getting out of the hand. You can explain that burning a card is a procedure for the house’s protection and can be waived. BTW when a player requests to see the burn card, the answer is always no. That’s why it’s a burn card; it’s the house’s little secret.
Cards dealt to an empty betting spot.
Those cards are to be burned and all players can get out of the hand unless the mistake is caught after a player has busted. Players that have busted rarely have the option of calling a dead hand. Players that have busted may demand to get out of the hand but you need to explain that they should have pointed out the dealer’s error before they acted on their hand, since the house can’t be expected to give a player a chance to improve their hand, then allow them to call it dead. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
Cards not dealt to a player.
That player is out of that hand and the rest of the players have the option of getting out. If the player is only dealt one card, he has the option of getting out of the hand or taking a second card and finishing the hand after the last player has acted on his hand and before the dealer acts on his. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
The dealer doesn’t deal himself any cards.
The dealer will deal himself the next two cards from the deck. If a ten-value or ace is the top card, the dealer will check to ensure he doesn’t have blackjack (insurance won’t be offered, except for "even money"). If he does, the hand is declared dead. If he doesn’t, all players will have the option of getting out of the hand. If after all players have acted on their hands, it is discovered the dealer failed to deal himself a hole card, he will take the next card from the deck after all players are offered the option of getting out of the hand. This might be one of the few times I would consider refunding a busting player’s bet. If the bet was small, I would take the player’s word on how much it was, if it was large, then I would call surveillance. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
The dealer hits his hand incorrectly.
If the dealer hits a hard seventeen or higher (or any seventeen in some houses) the hit cards will be burned and the players will not have the option of getting out of the hand. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
Dealer hits his hand without offering players hits.
The dealer will be instructed to burn all of his hit cards and then the players will be offered a chance to get out of the hand. All remaining players (if any) will then be offered hits. After all remaining players have acted on their hands; the dealer will act on his. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
Two cards come out of the shoe or hand held deck.
On a face-up shoe game, exposed cards will be burned. The floor supervisor will quickly determine the order of un-exposed cards. The players affected will be offered a chance to get out of the hand once all initial cards are dealt. If the dealer’s hand was affected, all players will be offered the chance to get out of the hand. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
A player’s hand is hit as a result of dealer’s error (or so they claim).
At the very moment you realize that this is the beef, you need to start preparing the players for an unpleasant truth by say something like; "Folks you need to understand that this card is now an exposed card and the only person that can take an exposed card is the dealer. If anyone wants to hit, this card will be burned. If no one wants a hit the dealer will take that card, if he needs to hit."
I won’t offer anyone the opportunity to get out of the hand. If any players demand this, I will only grant it after some careful consideration. The main thing I will attempt to ascertain is whether the player signaled for a hit. If the player in question is on third base or the last player, this becomes especially suspicious and I will consider making a call to surveillance.
A player claims he wanted a hit after a subsequent hand has been hit (including double-down card not given).
All players will immediately be offered the chance of getting out of the hand unless you deem the situation suspicious and then surveillance will be consulted. Again, this situation is most suspicious when the player is on third base and the dealer has hit and made a good hand. If the player is believed, then he has the option of either getting out of the hand or taking the next card after all players have acted on their hands and before the dealer acts on his.
If the player is on third base, the dealer will burn his hit cards and the player will take the next card from the deck. The dealer will then complete his hand. On hand held games, instruct the dealer to shuffle after the hand.
The player is given a double-down card and then claims he wanted to split.
The player will have the option of either keeping the card as a double-down card or using it as the first card on his first split hand.
A player disputes his hand total or that of the dealer.
If the hand is still in progress, the dealer will wait for the floor supervisor’s instructions before removing the cards from the discard holder.
If the hand is completed, it is important to bear in mind your house procedures and remember whether the hand on top of the discards is the dealer’s or that of the first player not to bust or get a snapper.
Even before backing up the cards I will ask the dealer how much the bet was. If it was a minimum bet, I will consider refunding or paying it without backing up the cards.
Dealer failed to offer insurance and it turns out he had blackjack.
This is my favorite beef to settle. I will merely say; "Well does anyone want it now?" This is just my cute way of calling a dead hand. Obviously you will have to refund a player’s money if he busted.
Learning how to watch your games.
Although it has little to do with game protection, a floor supervisor needs to be conscious of his posture. A supervisor that stands up straight, doesn’t keep his hands in his pockets and doesn’t lean against a podium projects a positive image to the patrons, his supervisors and the dealers.
Since we now are aware of how to stand, the next consideration is where to stand. The first thing to remember is to avoid having your back to a game. Even when doing a fill, I try to stand at a ninety-degree angle to the game, so I can watch as many games as possible while the dealer is emptying the racks. The second thing is to find a half dozen or so places in your section where you can stand and see all of your games. Be unpredictable in your walking pattern.
Once these positions are established, it is merely a matter of walking from one position to the other, all the while, sweeping and scanning with your eyes and trying to see and be aware of as much as possible. While you want to avoid planting yourself in one spot for an extended period of time, there are some times when you need to. The most obvious of these times is when you have big action on a game or a break-in dealer that is having a bad night.
Let me give you a tip that will ingratiate you to your boss: when you are watching a big action game and your supervisor walks up and starts watching the game. Don’t give in to the temptation of feeling the need to stand there and watch it also. Take this opportunity to check out the rest of your games. If your boss has any observations or questions, I’m sure he won’t be bashful about sharing them with you. And be careful not to block his view of the game.
Anticipation is the primary skill you will use to watch any casino game.
If you wait for a BJ dealer to get to a player’s bet before computing that hand’s total, you have little chance catching a mistake before the dealer has made it and is already a hand or two past it. As soon as the dealer finishes hitting his hand, you should be scanning the layout, starting of course from third base. You should be thinking something like: lose-push-win-win, so you know what the dealer should be doing, before he gets to a bet.
When a dealer taps the layout for a push, this tells you if the dealer really knows what his total is. When you do catch a dealer making a mistake, it is difficult to stop them without looking mean and getting the dealer flustered. I say something like "No" or "Stop" in a clear and carefully measured tone and then approach the game. You need to take notice of the amount of the bet as the dealer or the player will likely "destroy the evidence" at any moment. You also need to take notice of where the dealer left off, since you stopping them will inevitably break their concentration and they will probably forget where they left off.
The second skill that deserves to be mentioned is the ability to read a playing card’s "pips." You often won’t be close enough to a game to read the index number and will need to be able to identify a card from two or even three games away. This is especially true when you are working in a break-in house and may have a four or six game section with all break-in dealers. Most cards are easily identified by their pips and the only skill you will need to develop is the ability to tell the difference between a "8" or an "10."
Although it has little to do with game protection, a floor supervisor needs to be conscious of his posture. A supervisor that stands up straight, doesn’t keep his hands in his pockets and doesn’t lean against a podium projects a positive image to the patrons, his supervisors and the dealers.
Since we now are aware of how to stand, the next consideration is where to stand. The first thing to remember is to avoid having your back to a game. Even when doing a fill, I try to stand at a ninety-degree angle to the game, so I can watch as many games as possible while the dealer is emptying the racks. The second thing is to find a half dozen or so places in your section where you can stand and see all of your games. Be unpredictable in your walking pattern.
Once these positions are established, it is merely a matter of walking from one position to the other, all the while, sweeping and scanning with your eyes and trying to see and be aware of as much as possible. While you want to avoid planting yourself in one spot for an extended period of time, there are some times when you need to. The most obvious of these times is when you have big action on a game or a break-in dealer that is having a bad night.
Let me give you a tip that will ingratiate you to your boss: when you are watching a big action game and your supervisor walks up and starts watching the game. Don’t give in to the temptation of feeling the need to stand there and watch it also. Take this opportunity to check out the rest of your games. If your boss has any observations or questions, I’m sure he won’t be bashful about sharing them with you. And be careful not to block his view of the game.
Anticipation is the primary skill you will use to watch any casino game.
If you wait for a BJ dealer to get to a player’s bet before computing that hand’s total, you have little chance catching a mistake before the dealer has made it and is already a hand or two past it. As soon as the dealer finishes hitting his hand, you should be scanning the layout, starting of course from third base. You should be thinking something like: lose-push-win-win, so you know what the dealer should be doing, before he gets to a bet.
When a dealer taps the layout for a push, this tells you if the dealer really knows what his total is. When you do catch a dealer making a mistake, it is difficult to stop them without looking mean and getting the dealer flustered. I say something like "No" or "Stop" in a clear and carefully measured tone and then approach the game. You need to take notice of the amount of the bet as the dealer or the player will likely "destroy the evidence" at any moment. You also need to take notice of where the dealer left off, since you stopping them will inevitably break their concentration and they will probably forget where they left off.
The second skill that deserves to be mentioned is the ability to read a playing card’s "pips." You often won’t be close enough to a game to read the index number and will need to be able to identify a card from two or even three games away. This is especially true when you are working in a break-in house and may have a four or six game section with all break-in dealers. Most cards are easily identified by their pips and the only skill you will need to develop is the ability to tell the difference between a "8" or an "10."
1.) As one might expect, the space between the pips in the outer rows, is greater on the 8’s than it is the 10’s.
2.) However, on the center pip row, there is more space between the pips on the 10’s than there is on the 8’s.
3.) These cards belong to a deck designed for casinos that use card readers on their BJ games. Notice that the index (number) on the 8 is lower than the pip to the right of it. But on the 10, the index is higher than the pip to the right.
2.) However, on the center pip row, there is more space between the pips on the 10’s than there is on the 8’s.
3.) These cards belong to a deck designed for casinos that use card readers on their BJ games. Notice that the index (number) on the 8 is lower than the pip to the right of it. But on the 10, the index is higher than the pip to the right.
A brief history of the crossroader.
A "crossroader" is a highly skilled professional gambling cheat that uses one or more techniques to gain an unfair advantage (or flat-out steal) in a game of chance. The term probably originated in the Old West and was used to describe a cheater that frequented saloons that were usually located at the crossroads of small towns. A crossroader would spend many hours learning a specific skill, such as card manipulation or dice switching, so he could fleece suckers in the many private games that flourished in the latter third of the nineteenth century and the first third of the twentieth.
The skills a crossroader needed were passed along from cheater to would be cheater and techniques were refined over the years. With the involvement of America in WWII, many crossroaders enlisted, so they could have the opportunity to fleece the thousands of GI’s that wanted a momentary diversion from the monotony and the horrors of war.
The number of gambling supply factories that specialized in the manufacturing of marked card and loaded dice increased dramatically in the war years and all of them did a booming business. Famed magician and gambling expert John Scarne recognized this and gave demonstrations to members of our armed forces, in an effort to educate our GI’s in the methods of cheaters.
Since the end of the war coincided with growth of legalized gambling in Nevada, it was only natural that some crossroaders decided to call Reno or Las Vegas their new home. Other crossroaders wore out their welcome in illegal gambling Mecca’s such as Steubenville Ohio, Hot Springs Arkansas and Galveston Texas. Some of them became "bustout dealers" that were hired by the casinos to "enhance" the house percentage. Others worked in gangs that took full advantage of the fact that there was no "eye in the sky." Understand that even catwalks weren’t invented for many years, so if someone made a move when the bosses were looking the other way, who was going to see it?
Some were dealers that either worked with an "agent" (partner in crime) and did things like deal seconds or overpay bets to them or they wore "subs" (a hidden pocket in the pants or apron) and stole as many silver dollars and five-dollar checks they thought they could get away with. Sometimes they would pass off their subs to their agent by meeting them in the restroom and passing it under the stalls.
Eventually the "wild west" settled down a bit, due primarily to the advent of surveillance.
Another factor is that the federal government eventually cracked down on the companies that manufactured crooked dice and cards, forcing the few remaining manufacturers underground. It has been said that the era of the crossroader has, in all but a few cases, has come to an end. Perhaps, but I had a known dice slider get a shot on a game that I was sitting box on because surveillance contended the die tumbled, when I knew it actually slid.
A friend of mine caught two BJ players mucking cards in on a game. I caught some flea doing the $27 for $3 switch on my game and we later found out that he had used that move for many years without being caught. I was working on a crew where one of the dealers was caught handing off a stack of green to his agent. I was working in a joint that caught a dealer changing into a disguise in the parking lot. Apparently she had been stealing red and silver for months from her BJ game and then changing into a disguise, so she could become her alter ego and cash out on her breaks. I have worked in at least three casinos that fired a BJ dealer for tipping their hole card to a George.
All of this makes me wonder how far removed the industry really is from the "wild west" days. If I have been exposed to this much in my career (and much more) can you imagine how much more was going on? It has been suggested and I tend to agree, the era of the highly skilled crossroader has all but disappeared but a few are probably still out there and there will always be a supply of people with larcenous intentions.
Catching the elusive crossroader.
It is highly unlikely you will ever catch a true crossroader in your career. The first reason is because there are so few out there. The second reason is because they seldom make their move when you are standing there watching them.
A "crossroader" is a highly skilled professional gambling cheat that uses one or more techniques to gain an unfair advantage (or flat-out steal) in a game of chance. The term probably originated in the Old West and was used to describe a cheater that frequented saloons that were usually located at the crossroads of small towns. A crossroader would spend many hours learning a specific skill, such as card manipulation or dice switching, so he could fleece suckers in the many private games that flourished in the latter third of the nineteenth century and the first third of the twentieth.
The skills a crossroader needed were passed along from cheater to would be cheater and techniques were refined over the years. With the involvement of America in WWII, many crossroaders enlisted, so they could have the opportunity to fleece the thousands of GI’s that wanted a momentary diversion from the monotony and the horrors of war.
The number of gambling supply factories that specialized in the manufacturing of marked card and loaded dice increased dramatically in the war years and all of them did a booming business. Famed magician and gambling expert John Scarne recognized this and gave demonstrations to members of our armed forces, in an effort to educate our GI’s in the methods of cheaters.
Since the end of the war coincided with growth of legalized gambling in Nevada, it was only natural that some crossroaders decided to call Reno or Las Vegas their new home. Other crossroaders wore out their welcome in illegal gambling Mecca’s such as Steubenville Ohio, Hot Springs Arkansas and Galveston Texas. Some of them became "bustout dealers" that were hired by the casinos to "enhance" the house percentage. Others worked in gangs that took full advantage of the fact that there was no "eye in the sky." Understand that even catwalks weren’t invented for many years, so if someone made a move when the bosses were looking the other way, who was going to see it?
Some were dealers that either worked with an "agent" (partner in crime) and did things like deal seconds or overpay bets to them or they wore "subs" (a hidden pocket in the pants or apron) and stole as many silver dollars and five-dollar checks they thought they could get away with. Sometimes they would pass off their subs to their agent by meeting them in the restroom and passing it under the stalls.
Eventually the "wild west" settled down a bit, due primarily to the advent of surveillance.
Another factor is that the federal government eventually cracked down on the companies that manufactured crooked dice and cards, forcing the few remaining manufacturers underground. It has been said that the era of the crossroader has, in all but a few cases, has come to an end. Perhaps, but I had a known dice slider get a shot on a game that I was sitting box on because surveillance contended the die tumbled, when I knew it actually slid.
A friend of mine caught two BJ players mucking cards in on a game. I caught some flea doing the $27 for $3 switch on my game and we later found out that he had used that move for many years without being caught. I was working on a crew where one of the dealers was caught handing off a stack of green to his agent. I was working in a joint that caught a dealer changing into a disguise in the parking lot. Apparently she had been stealing red and silver for months from her BJ game and then changing into a disguise, so she could become her alter ego and cash out on her breaks. I have worked in at least three casinos that fired a BJ dealer for tipping their hole card to a George.
All of this makes me wonder how far removed the industry really is from the "wild west" days. If I have been exposed to this much in my career (and much more) can you imagine how much more was going on? It has been suggested and I tend to agree, the era of the highly skilled crossroader has all but disappeared but a few are probably still out there and there will always be a supply of people with larcenous intentions.
Catching the elusive crossroader.
It is highly unlikely you will ever catch a true crossroader in your career. The first reason is because there are so few out there. The second reason is because they seldom make their move when you are standing there watching them.
Steve Forte said it best in his book "Casino Game Protection."
"The most important element in many scams is the "turn." This entails the distraction or blocking of a dealer, boss, surveillance camera or customer. Many scams would cease to exist without cover from one or more turns."
"The most important element in many scams is the "turn." This entails the distraction or blocking of a dealer, boss, surveillance camera or customer. Many scams would cease to exist without cover from one or more turns."
The best way to protect the house’s money from crossroaders is to first educate yourself in tried and true scams that have been used for years. By far, Mr. Forte’s book is the best one written, specifically on the subject of casino game protection. But there are many books available that will help you know what scams and moves have been used, some of my favorites are by John Scarne.
Even after you do this, you may still not recognize a classic move, even if you are looking right at. But you will develop a sense for when "something just doesn’t look right." George Joseph said something in one of his seminars that I will never forget;
"You can usually spot any kind of play involving marked cards, slug tracking or hole card spotting because the play sucks. The players are hitting hard seventeen or higher and making hands. They are standing on a total of eight and the dealer is busting. They are playing like they know what the dealer’s hole card or the next hit card is because they do!"
My friend that uncovered the players mucking cards in on a game didn’t recognize what was going on when he looked at it. He told me;
"I just knew something was wrong because the player’s hands went under the table way too often to be natural." He notified his boss and the eye and sure enough the eye caught them on tape and the player’s were arrested.
Which brings me to the second thing you can do to protect the house from crossroaders: notify your boss and/or surveillance when you see something suspicious. Of course this can be overdone and you wouldn’t want to become known as "the boy that cried wolf." But the sooner you notify, the sooner they can get the players on tape. No matter what you or anyone else sees, an arrest will be unlikely unless the move is caught in tape.
Advantage play.
"Advantage play" is when a player exploits weak procedures or a failure to adhere to procedures in order to gain an advantage. This was portrayed beautifully in the movie "Casino" when Rothstein (De Niro) caught players "spooking" on a BJ game. In this scene a BJ dealer is exposing his hole card to a signaler on the game behind him when he looks under a ten. The signaler then uses an electronic device to inform the BP (big player) on the dealer’s game, the value of the card.
"I saw that the dealer was weak, but he wasn't in on it. And that's just what these hustlers look for. They cruise from casino to casino, lookin' for weak dealers the way lions look for weak antelope."
Actually, from a legal standpoint, this example represents stealing more than advantage play. If the BP could see the hole card himself, then the law says he is merely taking advantage of information available to anyone at that table. Since he depended on someone not on that table and because that person used an electronic device to transmit the information, they were breaking the law.
The most prominent of all advantage play is catching a glimpse of the dealer’s hole card as he checks for blackjack or when the dealer gives himself a hole card. The peepers most casinos use now days prevent the former but never underestimate the power of the later. Get into the habit of watching your dealer give themselves hole cards from behind, first base, third base and outside the table (when possible).
Another advantage play that is more common than most people imagine is ace tracking. Given the fact that the player receives 3 to 2 for a blackjack and the dealer only wins even-money, if a player knows when an ace will be dealt, he will bet more and have an advantage, even though the dealer might end up being dealt the ace half of the time. The only defense you have against this is to ensure your dealer follows the house shuffle.
Cheap shots.
One of the most common of all cheap shots is when a player "pinches" (reduces) a bet in an unfavorable situation or "caps" (increases) a bet in a favorable one. The scenario you are looking for is a BJ dealer that doesn’t walk his game and turns their back to first or third base or a craps dealer that hawks the dice.
The greedy look on the player’s face when the dealer turns away from him is often comical. If I suspect this is happening, I will position myself so I can see (and memorize) the player’s bet from the corner of my eye. Now the trap is set and I have only to wait for the would-be hunter to become the prey. When the flea makes his move I will calmly walk over and explain to the player that he can’t increase (or decrease) his bet after he has cards. The player will inevitably claim that he didn’t know that and I am more than happy to let him think that I believe him. Surveillance will be notified and the dealer will be counseled.
The most common of all cheap shots is one that you are likely to encounter on a daily basis, especially on a craps table. It is simply a lack of communication that enables a player to make a claim. Say a player makes come bets almost every roll and sometimes takes odds. A ten-dollar come bet has just gone to the five and now the player sets twenty-dollars in the come and says nothing. If the dealer says nothing, the player can now accept the twenty-dollar win if the next roll is seven or eleven or claim the twenty-dollars is odds if the next roll is five. Of course, the player is required to state that the twenty-dollars is odds when he sets it in the come but in the interest of public relations we will often grant the player his claim.
Now a careful dealer would have said; "Twenty-dollars coming" when the player made the come bet in ensure that claim would have been prevented. However, careful dealers that understand when they are getting into a situation that will leave them vulnerable are becoming a dying breed. Most will remind you that "money plays where it lays" or that the player should have stated that he wanted odds. These are the dealers that don’t understand the true dynamics of the situation and are the first ones to go into pout mode when you pay a claim they could have avoided.
I once had a player bet $1,800 ($300 on each number) working on the come-out roll. Understand that on a $500 table, this is a large bet. The dealers there were so conditioned to move the dice after the bets are booked that I had to stop the stickman four times from moving the dice until I could get the bet set up, look the player in the eye and point to the lammer as the dealer put it on the last bet and say; "You are working on the come-out roll!" The player said; Yes. I’m working!" After the winner seven, this flea blew up when the dealer picked up his bets and tried to claim his bets were off.
This flea screamed so loud and for so long that my bosses wanted to give him the money back, just to shut him up. I refused and my bosses backed me up. In a meeting at the next casino I worked at I told the craps dealers and boxpersons this story and how the moral of it is to hold up the dice, when you get large place bets across working on the come-out roll, until you have the bets set up, the lammer positioned and look the player in the eye as you tell him he is working.
Two months later I’m called to the dice pit to solve a beef and whom do you think I see? My buddy claiming his $1,800 was off. I looked at the boxperson and asked; "This is the guy I was telling you about. Did you hold up the dice until the bet was set up?" The boxperson said;" No, the shift boss told us to move the dice after all bets are booked." I called the shift boss and the player got his money back.
But really, what should be learned from all of this is that it is better to prevent a beef than to win one. If preventing a beef means taking a couple of seconds to ask a player if he wants his hardways off coming-out rather than just announce; "the hardways work, unless you call them off" then that is what you do.
Even after you do this, you may still not recognize a classic move, even if you are looking right at. But you will develop a sense for when "something just doesn’t look right." George Joseph said something in one of his seminars that I will never forget;
"You can usually spot any kind of play involving marked cards, slug tracking or hole card spotting because the play sucks. The players are hitting hard seventeen or higher and making hands. They are standing on a total of eight and the dealer is busting. They are playing like they know what the dealer’s hole card or the next hit card is because they do!"
My friend that uncovered the players mucking cards in on a game didn’t recognize what was going on when he looked at it. He told me;
"I just knew something was wrong because the player’s hands went under the table way too often to be natural." He notified his boss and the eye and sure enough the eye caught them on tape and the player’s were arrested.
Which brings me to the second thing you can do to protect the house from crossroaders: notify your boss and/or surveillance when you see something suspicious. Of course this can be overdone and you wouldn’t want to become known as "the boy that cried wolf." But the sooner you notify, the sooner they can get the players on tape. No matter what you or anyone else sees, an arrest will be unlikely unless the move is caught in tape.
Advantage play.
"Advantage play" is when a player exploits weak procedures or a failure to adhere to procedures in order to gain an advantage. This was portrayed beautifully in the movie "Casino" when Rothstein (De Niro) caught players "spooking" on a BJ game. In this scene a BJ dealer is exposing his hole card to a signaler on the game behind him when he looks under a ten. The signaler then uses an electronic device to inform the BP (big player) on the dealer’s game, the value of the card.
"I saw that the dealer was weak, but he wasn't in on it. And that's just what these hustlers look for. They cruise from casino to casino, lookin' for weak dealers the way lions look for weak antelope."
Actually, from a legal standpoint, this example represents stealing more than advantage play. If the BP could see the hole card himself, then the law says he is merely taking advantage of information available to anyone at that table. Since he depended on someone not on that table and because that person used an electronic device to transmit the information, they were breaking the law.
The most prominent of all advantage play is catching a glimpse of the dealer’s hole card as he checks for blackjack or when the dealer gives himself a hole card. The peepers most casinos use now days prevent the former but never underestimate the power of the later. Get into the habit of watching your dealer give themselves hole cards from behind, first base, third base and outside the table (when possible).
Another advantage play that is more common than most people imagine is ace tracking. Given the fact that the player receives 3 to 2 for a blackjack and the dealer only wins even-money, if a player knows when an ace will be dealt, he will bet more and have an advantage, even though the dealer might end up being dealt the ace half of the time. The only defense you have against this is to ensure your dealer follows the house shuffle.
Cheap shots.
One of the most common of all cheap shots is when a player "pinches" (reduces) a bet in an unfavorable situation or "caps" (increases) a bet in a favorable one. The scenario you are looking for is a BJ dealer that doesn’t walk his game and turns their back to first or third base or a craps dealer that hawks the dice.
The greedy look on the player’s face when the dealer turns away from him is often comical. If I suspect this is happening, I will position myself so I can see (and memorize) the player’s bet from the corner of my eye. Now the trap is set and I have only to wait for the would-be hunter to become the prey. When the flea makes his move I will calmly walk over and explain to the player that he can’t increase (or decrease) his bet after he has cards. The player will inevitably claim that he didn’t know that and I am more than happy to let him think that I believe him. Surveillance will be notified and the dealer will be counseled.
The most common of all cheap shots is one that you are likely to encounter on a daily basis, especially on a craps table. It is simply a lack of communication that enables a player to make a claim. Say a player makes come bets almost every roll and sometimes takes odds. A ten-dollar come bet has just gone to the five and now the player sets twenty-dollars in the come and says nothing. If the dealer says nothing, the player can now accept the twenty-dollar win if the next roll is seven or eleven or claim the twenty-dollars is odds if the next roll is five. Of course, the player is required to state that the twenty-dollars is odds when he sets it in the come but in the interest of public relations we will often grant the player his claim.
Now a careful dealer would have said; "Twenty-dollars coming" when the player made the come bet in ensure that claim would have been prevented. However, careful dealers that understand when they are getting into a situation that will leave them vulnerable are becoming a dying breed. Most will remind you that "money plays where it lays" or that the player should have stated that he wanted odds. These are the dealers that don’t understand the true dynamics of the situation and are the first ones to go into pout mode when you pay a claim they could have avoided.
I once had a player bet $1,800 ($300 on each number) working on the come-out roll. Understand that on a $500 table, this is a large bet. The dealers there were so conditioned to move the dice after the bets are booked that I had to stop the stickman four times from moving the dice until I could get the bet set up, look the player in the eye and point to the lammer as the dealer put it on the last bet and say; "You are working on the come-out roll!" The player said; Yes. I’m working!" After the winner seven, this flea blew up when the dealer picked up his bets and tried to claim his bets were off.
This flea screamed so loud and for so long that my bosses wanted to give him the money back, just to shut him up. I refused and my bosses backed me up. In a meeting at the next casino I worked at I told the craps dealers and boxpersons this story and how the moral of it is to hold up the dice, when you get large place bets across working on the come-out roll, until you have the bets set up, the lammer positioned and look the player in the eye as you tell him he is working.
Two months later I’m called to the dice pit to solve a beef and whom do you think I see? My buddy claiming his $1,800 was off. I looked at the boxperson and asked; "This is the guy I was telling you about. Did you hold up the dice until the bet was set up?" The boxperson said;" No, the shift boss told us to move the dice after all bets are booked." I called the shift boss and the player got his money back.
But really, what should be learned from all of this is that it is better to prevent a beef than to win one. If preventing a beef means taking a couple of seconds to ask a player if he wants his hardways off coming-out rather than just announce; "the hardways work, unless you call them off" then that is what you do.
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Scott Cameron
Las Vegas, Nevada
Scott Cameron
Las Vegas, Nevada
Email me [email protected]
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Last update 3/18/2024
Last update 3/18/2024
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