Deadman’s Bluff

A Brief Glossary of Useful Cheating Terms

Action  Any gambling activity.

Agent  A cheater working with a casino employee while posing as a legitimate player.

BP  Big Player. The member of a cheating team who bets the big money. Also called the “take off man.”

Brush off  A signal that says it’s time to leave a casino.

Bug  A clip designed to secretly hold a card beneath the table. Also called a “thief.”

Cold deck  A prestacked deck of cards.

Crossroader  A cheater who specializes in ripping off casinos.

Deadman’s hand  Two black aces and two black eights. The poker hand held by Wild Bill Hickock the night he was murdered by a gang of cheaters in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Deal a deuce  To deal the second card from the top of the deck. Also called “dealing a blister.”

Deal a plank  To deal off the bottom of the deck.

Doing business  Cheating.

Double heat  Intense scrutiny from casino security.

Feel a breeze  To know when cheating is going on, even if you don’t know what it is.

Gaff  Any cheating device.

George  A signal among cheaters that everything is all right. Often done with an open hand on the chest or layout.

Giving the office  Signaling among cheaters.

Greed factor  Winning too much, too often.

Grift sense  An innate ability to spot a hustle or a scam. A compliment among hustlers.

Grind joint  A casino with low table minimums and small denomination slot machines.

Hairy leg  A moneyman who backs a game.

Herking and jerking  Distracting your opponent while cheating him.

Iggy  A cheater pretending to be a tourist.

Joint  A casino.

Kepplinger holdout  A hidden device that secretly switches playing cards.

Leaking  Exposing a secretly palmed card.

Local courtesy  An unwritten arrangement between local players in poker not to bet against each other.

Mechanic  A cheater skilled in sleight-of-hand.

Miracle move  A perfect cheating move. Also called a “million-dollar move.”

Mortal lock  A sure thing.

Old moustache  A mobster.

On the square  To play a game honestly, without cheating.

Punch  A device used to create tiny indentations in cards.

Put the heavy on  To use force when dealing with an unpleasant situation.

Subs  Various types of cloth bags worn inside the clothing to hold stolen chips.

Suckers  Ninety-nine percent of the people who gamble. Also known as chumps, marks, pigeons, rubes, and vics (victims).

Steam  Unwanted attention. Also called “heat.”

Swinging  To secretly switch cards during a game.

Texas Hold ‘Em  A variation of poker invented by a dozen ranch hands who had only a single deck of cards among them.

Tokes  Tips.

Tom  A signal among cheaters that things look bad. Often done with a clenched fist on the chest or layout.

Wake the dead  A scam that is blatantly obvious.

Who shot John?  A ridiculous conversation among people who know better.