Deadman’s Poker

A Brief Glossary of Useful Cheating Terms

Action — Any gambling activity.

Beef — A complaint.

Bleed — To cheat a game slowly.

Bustout joint — A casino that cheats its customers.

Cheater — One who practices fraud or deception. Also known as an advantage player, grifter, hustler, mechanic, rounder, or scammer.

Classmates — Two people working in collusion in a card game.

Cooler — A prearranged deck that is secretly switched for a deck in play. Also known as iron man.

Cooler mob — A group of cheaters who switch decks of cards.

Crossroader — A cheater who specializes in ripping off casinos.

Doing business — Cheating.

Feel a breeze — When you feel something unnatural going on, but don’t know what it is.

Gaff — A cheating device.

Gamer — Someone employed in the gambling industry.

Giving the office — Communicating through a secret code.

Greed factor — Winning too much, too often.

Grift sense — The ability to spot a scam or hustle. A compliment among hustlers.

Hairy leg — A moneyman who backs a game.

Half smart — Someone who thinks he’s smart, but isn’t.

Heat — Unwanted attention. Also called steam.

Hot seat — Where the sucker sits.

Joint — A casino.

Juice — Influence with the right people.

Muck — To switch cards.

Mucker — A cheater who specializes in switching cards.

On the square — A game that is played legitimately.

Peek joint — A setup allowing a hidden person to see someone’s hand during a card game.

Paper — Marked cards. Also known as paint.

Proposition bet — A bet that you can’t win, and won’t win. Also known as a proposition.

Ring game — A side game in a poker tournament.

Shiner — A reflecting device used to spot cards as they are dealt.

Shoot the pickle — To make a huge bet. To go for it.

Suckers — 99 percent of the people who gamble. Also known as chumps, marks, pigeons, rubes, and vics (victims).

Tell — An unconscious signal that may be spotted by a knowledgeable player.

Texas Hold ’Em — A variation of poker invented by twelve ranch hands who had only a single deck of cards between them.

Tip your mitt — To inadvertently expose your hand or otherwise give away secret information.

Turn out — To teach somehow how to cheat.

Tush hog — A dangerous muscle man.

Whipsaw — Two partners in a poker game who try to force a third player out by raising and reraising each other.