The Reno Shuffle
The possibilities of various cheating techniques are quite intriguing.
The dealer might just retire a few unknown cards to confuse the casedown player--- a sort of early shuffle-up. Or, he might peek and retire a few 10s and Aces from the deck--- with devastating effect on any player.
Carried to the ultimate, the dealer might peek, retain, or burn the card, and deal seconds firsts at his choice.
Or, he might stack a couple of hands underneath and perform a turnover.
However, there is one method for which you should be on the lookout. It is rather crude and requires less skill than most. This is called the Reno Shuffle.
With the Reno Shuffle, the dealer merely purchases an undue number of 10s and Aces to the top of the deck during the shuffle. Then, with the usual cut near the center of the deck, these cards end near the bottom.
After dealing almost to them, the dealer reshuffles, and these cards, so desirable from the player's standpoint, are never quite reached. Against the Reno Shuffle the card-counting player is particularly misled.
He will repeatedly find the deck with a high point count, yet he will never reap the benefits from the apparently favorable deck.
Eccentric cutting can tend to frustrate the Reno Shuffle. Instead of cutting the deck near the center, the player can cut near the bottom--- or occasionally just a few cards from the top.
Obviously, however, no dealer engaged in the technique would really allow a player to take charge of the game in such manner. In addition to having exclusive control over when to shuffle, the dealer has the choice of which player is offered the deck to cut.
Lest you become overly concerned, it should be mentioned that during an extensive play, a player may have not once been certain that the Reno Shuffle was being used against another player, and one have only been moderately suspicious at a time or two.
It is advised that you should be on guard against its possibility. If you happen to read extensively on cheating or listen to some card players, you will probably encounter an item of advice that is really inane when applied to professional Twenty-One.
You will be cautioned to beware of a dealer who uses the 'mechanic's grip'--- the deck is held well back in the hand, and instead of all four fingers, only the last three are curled around the deck. The forefinger is wrapped around the leading edge; the thumb is on top near this edge.
That grip facilitates cheating manipulation. The problem is that if you avoid dealers who hold the cards in this manner, you can forget about playing casino Twenty-One. They all do it. A player may use the mechanic's grip, and certainly does not cheat.
After being accustomed to the grip, one would simply found that the more common, amateurish method of holding the card feels awkward.
However, a plague on both players and management are the dealers who cheat for themselves, helping a confederate to win, and make up for the losses by cheating honest customers. The temptation to do this is strong.
Thus, you should be delighted about the two-way mirrors, the pit bosses, the security personnel, and the State Gaming Control Board. Other parts of this section on casino gaming countertactics will deal less sordid measures that may be used against you.
