Marked Cards Poker

Marked cards poker is a cheating technique that involves marking the back of playing cards in order to gain an unfair advantage. It can be used in a variety of poker games and is one of the oldest forms of cheating that is still in use today.

The cards are marked using a number of different techniques, but mainly the marks are done on the back side. This makes it very difficult to spot the marked card from a normal card.

Aside from the marked decks that are specially designed for magic shows, there is also a variety of other types of marked cards that are used in poker games. These include:

Block-out Work

In the past, the most common way of marking cards was by block-out work. This was a method where a magician would add small amounts of colored ink to the backs of the cards and then use a marker to write or draw the desired message on them. This is a very effective and safe way of marking the cards, but it has the disadvantage of being very easy to detect by any poker player at a close distance.

Other methods of marking cards are nicking, scratching, bending and fingernailing. These are all very low-tech techniques and the most common ones that you will find in a casino environment.

The cards are also marked with a variety of other symbols and numbers that allow the cheater to easily spot the cards that are being used by his opponents. These marks can also be a combination of symbols and numbers to give the cheater an even more powerful advantage.

Anchors

In poker, anchors are player-cheaters who will alter their play according to the marked cards in an attempt to strengthen or weaken their opponent’s hand. This will typically involve adjusting their betting pattern, leaving the dealer with bad cards and taking off (hitting) the good cards in an attempt to win the pot.

These are usually used in face-up blackjack shoe games but can be adapted for many other situations as well. Some casinos even offer an option to buy a special “anchor” that enables the player to mark his own cards in an attempt to strengthen his hand or weaken his opponent’s.

Another type of anchor is a punched deck that uses tiny bumps that are very hard to feel by the human eye. These are most commonly used in the expert second deal.

There are some tests that can help players to detect a punched deck, but none are more valuable than simply evaluating the play. A player can watch for a regular pattern of good hands that are consistently folded by a partner.

This may be a sign that there is collusion in the game. Often, the poker house will introduce these special marked decks only when suspect colluders are seated in the game.

There are several types of marked cards that can be used in a poker game, including contact lenses marked decks, side barcodes and infrared ink markings. Regardless of the type, these are a very effective form of cheating that is still in use.