Deadman's Bluff (25 page)

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G
loria Curtis hadn’t lasted twenty-five years as a newscaster by being a wallflower. Upon reaching the hotel, she cornered the tournament director and convinced him to let her announce DeMarco and Steele’s showdown, then persuaded the hotel’s general manager to let the event be played in the poker room. Once that was arranged, she hit every bar and restaurant in the hotel, rustled up a few dozen well-known players still hanging around, and talked them into sitting ringside.

“You really know how to set a stage,” Valentine said, shuffling the cards at the table where the match was to be held.

Gloria stood beside him with a pencil stuck between her teeth, studying the room. Removing the pencil, she said, “There’s something still missing.”

“What’s that?”

“Steele will be dressed up, and so will DeMarco. I think you need to be dressed up as well.”

With the tournament now over, he’d switched out of his geezer disguise and was wearing his last clean shirt and sports jacket. “What do you want me to change into?”

“A dealer’s uniform,” she said.

A dealer’s uniform consisted of a white ruffled tuxedo shirt, a black bow tie, and a black vest. It was a monkey suit, sans the jacket.

“You’re going to be on television and need to look the part,” she added.

“You’re the boss,” he said.

He left the table and found the tournament director, and got directions to the employee dressing rooms, which were at the far end of the lobby behind an unmarked door. He knocked loudly, and a male dealer opened the door. The dealer was about his size but heavier, and Valentine asked him if he’d be interested in renting his uniform. The dealer seemed amused by his request.

“You doing this on a bet?” the dealer asked.

“To impress a woman,” Valentine said.

“I figured it was one or the other. Sure, I’ll rent you my uniform.”

Valentine paid the dealer a hundred bucks, and the dealer took him to his locker, where a fresh set of clothes hung. Valentine stripped and put the dealer’s clothes on, then looked at himself in a mirror. The vest was too large, the shirt too tight, and the bow tie made him look silly. Otherwise, it was perfect.

“Thanks a lot,” he told the dealer.

He returned to the poker room tugging at his collar. Gerry was standing by the doorway waiting for him, and appraised his new wardrobe.

“Table for two, please,” his son said.

“Very funny,” Valentine said.

“You’d better hurry. They’re ready to start.”

Valentine went to the table and stood behind his chair. Close to fifty spectators had ringed the table with chairs, and he spied the Greek, Marcy Baldwin, and several suckers whom Rufus had fleeced sitting front row. The rest of the crowd consisted primarily of old-timers with chiseled faces who’d come to cheer Rufus on.

Steele stood at one end of the table, puffing away on a cigarette. He wore a scarlet United States Cavalry shirt buttoned diagonally from waist to shoulder, and his Stetson sported an ostrich feather in its band.

“Hey pardner,” he said. “Glad you could make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Valentine replied.

DeMarco stood at the other end of the table dressed in a bilious gold shirt, opened to the middle of his hairless chest, and black designer slacks. He’d rolled back his right sleeve, exposing his champion bracelet.

Gloria stood directly between the two participants, mike in hand. She did a sound check with Zack, then began. “Good afternoon, everyone. This is Gloria Curtis, coming to you from the poker room in Celebrity Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. To my right stands Skip DeMarco, newly crowned champion of the World Poker Showdown. To my left, Rufus Steele, one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. These two gentlemen are about to play for two million dollars. Before we start, I’d like to ask each participant to give us a few words.”

Gloria moved toward DeMarco, shoving the mike beneath his chin. “Skip? Would you care to say something?”

“Age before beauty,” DeMarco said.

Everyone in the room laughed, including Steele, the smoke billowing out of his nostrils like dragon’s breath. Gloria moved down to his end of the table and stuck the mike in the old cowboy’s face. “Rufus? How about a few words?”

“I’ve been playing poker for my entire life,” Rufus said. “I believe the game exemplifies the worst aspects of capitalism which have made our country so great. I am looking forward to beating my opponent like an ugly stepchild.”

More laughter from the crowd. DeMarco appeared to bristle. When Gloria returned to his end of the table, he said, “Rufus, how much money do you have?”

“ ’Bout a million and a half,” Rufus replied.

“Let’s play for that,” DeMarco suggested.

“Winner-take-all?”

“Winner-take-all,” DeMarco said.

“You’re on, son.”

Gloria faced the camera and flashed a brilliant smile.

“There you have it, folks. Skip DeMarco has upped the ante against Rufus Steele. Three million dollars, winner-take-all, the new kid versus the old warrior. This is one you’re not going to want to miss.” Then she stepped away from the table, and the contest began.

The two participants took their chairs, and Valentine explained the rules. The game was No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em, and would be played until one man had the other’s money. The blinds would be $20,000 and $40,000, which guaranteed that each starting pot had a minimum of $60,000. After a player bet or called or raised, his opponent had thirty seconds to respond, or would automatically fold his hand. Valentine would be the timekeeper.

“Agreed?” he asked.

“Sounds good to me,” Rufus said.

“Me, too,” DeMarco said.

Valentine then riffle-shuffled the cards seven times. A famous mathematician had proven that a true random order could only be obtained after seven shuffles. It was work, but he wanted the contest to be as fair as possible. Finished, he cut the cards, burned one, then dealt two cards to each man.

“Good luck,” Valentine said.

After ten hands, Rufus was up $540,000.

Valentine had never seen anyone play Texas Hold ‘Em the way Rufus played it. In a normal game of Hold ‘Em, each player received two cards, then there was a round of betting, followed by three community cards, called the flop, being dealt face up on the table, followed by another round of betting. Then two more cards, called Fourth Street, or the turn, and Fifth Street, or the river, were dealt face up, with a round of betting after each. The five community cards were common to both players, who used them in combination with their own cards to form the strongest possible hand.

That was how Hold ‘Em was usually played. But it wasn’t how Rufus played it. He beat aggressively before any community cards were dealt, putting DeMarco into a corner. It was an unusual ploy, and it forced DeMarco to make an immediate decision. Eight times DeMarco had folded. The other two times he’d called Rufus’s bet only to have Rufus go over the top and go “all in,” pushing every chip he had into the pot. Both times, DeMarco had wilted and dropped out of the hand.

“Having fun?” Rufus asked as the eleventh hand was dealt.

“It isn’t over yet,” DeMarco shot back.

Rufus looked at the crowd. “I love these kids.”

DeMarco brought his two cards up to his face and studied them. Placing the cards down, he paused for a few moments then pushed two hundred thousand in chips into the pot. His body language had changed, and Valentine sensed that he’d gotten good cards. Rufus glanced at his own two cards, his face as tight as a bank vault.

“I’m going to raise,” Rufus said.

DeMarco leaned back in his chair. Valentine sensed that DeMarco had set a trap he was about to spring.

“How much are you raising?” DeMarco asked.

Rufus played with his stacks of chips. “Half a million.”

“I’m all in,” DeMarco fired back.

Rufus peeked at his cards stonily. “How much you got left, son?”

DeMarco counted his chips. “Nine hundred and eighty thousand.”

Rufus pushed back his Stetson and rubbed his face, then stood up from the table. He shifted from foot to foot like a horse sensing bad weather. “What the heck. I’ll call you.”

DeMarco jumped out of his chair. Picking up his two cards, he slapped them face up decisively on the felt. He had a pair of aces, the strongest starting hand.

“What have you got?” DeMarco asked.

Rufus flipped over his two cards. There was a mass sigh from the crowd.

“What does he have?” DeMarco asked again.

“The ten of diamonds and six of diamonds,” Valentine told him.

“You called my bet with
that
?” DeMarco asked incredulously.

“Sure,” Rufus said.

“But those are lousy cards.”

“Son, I came here to gamble.”

Valentine burned the top card, then dealt the flop, calling the values aloud for DeMarco’s benefit. The three community cards were the four of diamonds, ace of clubs, jack of diamonds. DeMarco had flopped three of a kind, Rufus four cards to a flush. DeMarco was the odds-on favorite to win and let out a war whoop.

“No diamonds,” he begged.

Valentine burned the top card and dealt Fourth Street. The card was the queen of spades, which helped neither player. DeMarco was jumping up and down. He was one card away from winning. It didn’t seem right, but gambling rarely was. Out of the corner of his eye, Valentine glanced at Rufus. The old cowboy looked like he was enjoying himself.

Valentine burned the top card, then paused dramatically before turning over Fifth Street, and calling out its value.

“Two of diamonds,” he said.

DeMarco stopped jumping. Valentine slid the two of diamonds down to his end of the table, and DeMarco picked the card up, and held it in front of his face.

“Jesus Christ,” he whispered.

Rufus had made his diamond flush and beaten DeMarco’s three of a kind. A hush had fallen over the room. Facing the crowd, Rufus took off his Stetson and bowed deeply from the waist. Then everyone in the room, including the Greek, Marcy Baldwin, and the suckers, gave him his due, and broke into long and hearty applause.

DeMarco stood frozen in place, his face pained and astonished. Gloria appeared by his side, and with Zack’s camera whirring, asked, “Skip, what happened?”

DeMarco spent a moment regaining his composure, and the crowd grew quiet. Even Rufus seemed interested in what he had to say.

“Mr. Steele was the better man today,” he said quietly.

“Were you surprised by how aggressively he played?” Gloria asked.

“Yes. I’ve never played anyone like him. He’s really good.”

“So the old man taught you a few things,” Gloria said.

DeMarco winced. When he spoke again, his voice was subdued. “I’m sorry for the disparaging remarks I made about him earlier in the tournament. I was out of line.”

“Apology accepted,” Rufus called out.

DeMarco nodded solemnly, then placed his hand on the table edge, and used it to guide him to Rufus’s end. Stopping, he stuck his hand out, which Rufus warmly shook. It was the way contests were supposed to end, and Valentine rose from his chair, and joined in the applause. As it subsided, Gloria edged up beside him and squeezed his hand.

“You see,” she said. “Sometimes the good guys do win.”

Also by James Swain

GRIFT SENSE

FUNNY MONEY SUCKER BET

LOADED DICE

MR. LUCKY

DEADMAN’S POKER

Poker Protection Tips

C
heating at poker may well be the largest unchecked crime in the United States. It takes place on all levelsprivate games, tournaments, the Internet, and in casino card rooms. As any pro will tell you, the best protection is to understand the various forms of cheating so you can look out for them when you play. Here are some of the most common forms of cheating taking place today, and what you can do to stop them.

MARKED CARDS

Recently, a poker book appeared on the market stating that marked cards are rarely used by cheaters. The author claimed that cheaters don’t use marked cards because it was too easy for players to spot them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Marked cards (also called paper or paint) are a favorite weapon among poker cheaters. Magic shops and gambling supply houses sell tens of thousands of marked decks a year for “amusement purposes only.” They are easy to obtain. And they are easy to use.

Marked cards give cheaters an unbeatable edge. They can be used in a variety of different games, especially those where cards are dealt face down on the table, then turned over one at a time. Here’s what you need to look for.

Professionally Marked Cards

Cheaters know dozens of different ways to mark cards, many of which are undetectable to the untrained eye. Some favored methods are called juice, block out, humps, white ink, shade, flash, white-on-white, and sorts. Sounds confusing? It is. I’ve been shown cards marked by all of these methods, and I could not spot the marks until they were pointed out to me. The only surefire way to prevent marked cards from showing up in your game is by doing the following:

• Bring new decks to the game every time you play. Use established brands from the U.S. Playing Card Company. Do not use promotional cards. They are often inadvertently marked by the manufacturer.

• Make it a different player’s responsibility to bring the cards for each game. This rotation will ensure that one player doesn’t continually cheat the game by bringing marked cards.

• Open the cards in front of the other players. The cards should still be in the box, and have the plastic wrapping and seal on them.

• Spread the cards face up on the table after they’re opened. Make sure they’re all there, then check the pip configuration on the ace of spades, ace of clubs, and ace of hearts, plus the center pips on the threes and fives of the same suits. The pips should all be pointing in the same direction (top of the box when first removed). If not, someone has tampered with them.

• Do a riffle test. This is still the best way to detect most marking systems. Hold the deck face down just below eye level, and riffle them while staring at the backs. Do this several times. Shift your eyes, and look at different areas of the cards. Most marking systems will jump out when this test is performed.

• Always perform these tests. If a cheater is trying to bring a marked deck to your weekly poker game, this will convince them to find another game.

Cards Marked at the Table

Some cheaters prefer to mark cards during the course of a game. There are three ways to accomplish this. The first is to use a foreign substance to mark the cards. Favorite substances include nicotine and ash from cigarettes and cigars and water. Pros will use a substance called daub, which is normally kept behind the ear, or in a shirt button. The second method of marking is to put bends or warps in the cards during play. The cheater accomplishes this while handling the cards. After six or seven hands, it’s not hard to put bends or warps in the majority of high cards in the deck. The third method is nicking. This is done with a sharpened fingernail. Nicks are put in the short ends of the cards. Cheaters read nicks when the cards are lying face down on the table, or when the deck is held in preparation for the deal. Some cheaters can read nicks when they are several cards down from the top. A famous cardshark named Walter Scott was able to read nicks halfway down in a deck.

Protection Tips:
Keep ashtrays and drinks off the table. Encourage players in your games not to bend the cards. Most important, examine the deck between hands. If the cards are starting to look dirty or bent, throw them away. The cost to replace them is far less than getting swindled out of a pot.

Factory Marked Cards

During the famous California Gold Rush of the 1850s, thousands of Americans went west to seek their fortunes. Many found gold, and subsequently lost it in the gambling halls that sprung up in and around gold mining towns. One of the most notorious scandals of this period was the fact that over 200,000 decks of playing cards that had been printed in Mexico were marked, and were being read by cheaters. As a result, gamblers refused to play with cards that were not manufactured in this country, a situation that continued until a few years ago.

At the present time, factory marked cards are being manufactured in China, and used to cheat unsuspecting players. These cards are thin and cheaply made, with marks on the back specifying suit and color. These cards have turned up in discount stores and other places that sell playing cards in the United States.

Protection Tip:
Whenever possible, play with cards manufactured by the United States Playing Card Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, which follows the strictest guidelines when it comes to ensuring the quality of its products.

COLLUSION

Collusion between players is the single biggest threat to the individual player in both private games and professional card rooms. It has been going on since the beginning of time, and is more prevalent today than ever before. Sadly it is a subject that is rarely talked about, although everyone knows it goes on. Casinos that have poker rooms are also lax in tackling the issue. Since the house makes its money from raking the pot, it does not scrutinize poker games as thoroughly as it should. As a result, you’re as likely to get cheated by collusion inside a casino card room as you are in a private game.

Playing Top Hand

Playing Top Hand is one of the strongest forms of collusion known. Two players get together before a game, and agree upon a simple signal. It might be scratching the nose, or lighting a cigarette. This signal means that the player has “the nuts” (a cinch hand), and wants the other player to raise the betting when it’s his turn. This effectively brings more money into the pot, while taking the heat off the player with the best hand. Cheaters call this “getting value for your cards.” After the game is over, the two players will get together, and chop up the winnings.

Playing Top Hand can also serve another purpose. Let’s say the game is Texas Hold ‘Em, and the signals being used are more complex. Two fingers on the wrist means two aces, while two fingers on the elbow means two kings. Player A signals to Player B that he has two aces. Player B, who has two jacks, folds. Another player wins the hand with a straight. This player has been cheated. He won Player A’s money, but not Player B’s money.

Protection Tips:
This scam is difficult to detect, and difficult to stop. Knowing the people you play with is a good start. If you notice that one player always raises, and another player always wins, then you may have two players using this scam. Further confirmation would come from the fact that these players never act against each other. If you catch two players doing this, you have two choices. Warn them, or bar them.

Local Courtesy

When a player is willing to bet against certain players but not others, it’s called Local Courtesy. I have seen this countless times in Las Vegas card rooms. The locals (who account for over 50 percent of the players) don’t mix it up with each other. They reserve their action for tourists. This makes the game extremely one-sided. More often than not, the tourists leave as losers. The truth is, most players have done this at one time or another. It’s psychologically harder to bet against a friend than a stranger. It’s one thing if it’s subconscious, an other entirely if it’s deliberate.

Protection Tip:
If you’re playing in a poker room, find out who the locals are. Watch their betting. If they avoid playing against each other, find another game. You can also complain to management.

Speaking in Tongues

A friend recently told me of playing in a game in a poker room in Gardenia, California, and how several players spoke Vietnamese to each other. My friend seemed astonished that he lost all his money to these guys. Wonder what they were talking about?

Whipsaw

Two players raise and reraise each other while forcing out a middle player. This works best in the early stages of a game such as Texas Hold ‘Em or Seven Card Stud, and allows the players to steal the blind.

Protection Tips:
Limit the number of bets in the early rounds. It’s also wise to make the players show their hands after a bet and call.

LOCATION

Location is one of the most sophisticated card scams around. It requires no sleight-of-hand, just a good memory and some practice. Two players are involved. For the sake of explanation, let’s call them A and B. A sits to the right of B. A deals the game. He drops out, and so does B. While the other players are finishing the game, A and B show each other the hands they folded. This is common among players and is called rabbit hunting. A and B secretly memorize their hands. If the game was five-card draw, they will memorize ten cards. These cards are thrown in the center of the table (the muck). As other hands are folded, they are thrown on top of these cards. The deck now goes to Player B. He shuffles the cards, but does not disturb the memorized cards on the bottom. He presents the deck to Player A, who cuts the memorized cards to a known position. The cut doesn’t have to be perfect, but it needs to be close. The purpose is to position the memorized cards so they will fall after the first sixteen cards are dealt.

B announces he’s going to play Texas Hold ‘Em and deals two cards to each of the eight players in the game. A and B now have two advantages. First, they know that their ten memorized cards will make up the River, Turn, and Fifth Street. If none of the memorized cards help them, they fold. Second, after the River is dealt, they will be able to work forward in the memorized stack and know what cards the Turn and Fifth Street will be.

Protection Tips:
Discourage rabbit hunting in your games. Once a player folds, don’t let him show the cards he folded to another player. You should also watch each player as he shuffles, and make sure that
all
the cards are mixed.

DEALING WITH CHEATERS

Most of us are hesitate to confront someone we think is cheating. Cheaters know this, which is another edge they have over honest players. Frank Garcia, a gambling expert, once explained to me how a cheater deals with being confronted. It goes something like this: The cheater is dealing off the bottom of the deck. Another player starts yelling, and says she saw the cheater. The cheater throws the deck onto the table, pushes his chair back, and in a loud voice says, “Are you calling me a cheater? Who the hell do you think you are?” The cheater has effectively neutralized the situation. He’s turned the accusation into something personal and confronted his accuser head-on. By doing so, he’s removed the other players from the conflict.

One of two things will now happen. Either the accuser will back down and the game will resume. Or the accuser will hold firm and the cheater will leave the game in a huff. Either way, the cheater has saved his neck.

There is a better way to deal with this situation, and it’s something all cheaters fear. It’s called forming a posse. If you suspect someone of cheating, mention it to the others during the break, when the cheater is out of earshot. Then start watching the cheater. Figure out what he is doing, even if it takes several sessions. Once you know the scam, confront the cheater as a group. This is one scenario a cheater can’t worm his way out of.

Be careful when playing with a group of players you don’t know, especially if there are high stakes involved. If there is cheating going on, 99 percent of the time two or more players are involved. Don’t try to be clever and turn the tables on the cheaters. The results can be disastrous. The best thing to do is leave the game.

Then there is the problem with being cheated in a casino or a card room. If you suspect foul play, file a complaint with the management, and make sure you have corroboration from another player as to what happened. Do this immediately after you’ve been swindled. If management brushes you off, write them a letter documenting what happened. Include the date, time, and where you sat. Be sure to copy whatever governing body regulates them. Don’t forget to mention that the casino or card room “looked the other way” when you lodged your complaint. The governing body will follow up on your complaint, either by letter or phone. If other letters are on file, they’ll probably pay the establishment a visit.