Deadman’s Poker

Shiners

A shiner is a common method of peeking cards, and something most card players should be aware of. A hustler who uses a shiner is said to be “playing the lights.”

A shiner is particularly effective in Texas Hold ’Em, where each player receives two face-down cards. Let’s say there are five players. By using a shiner, the cheater memorizes the first ten cards dealt. Let’s say the cards are the ace of clubs, king of hearts, two of spades, five of hearts, nine of diamonds, ace of hearts, eight of hearts, two of hearts, six of hearts, three of clubs. The cheater now knows the following:

Player one has pocket aces (a great hand).

Player two has the king and eight of hearts (a possible flush).

Player three has pocket twos.

Player four has the five and six of hearts, connected (also a good hand).

Player five (the cheater) has the nine of diamonds and three of clubs (a bad hand).

Based on this information, the cheater would drop out of the hand.

Shiners come in many shapes and sizes. Pros use small, coin-shaped mirrors tucked in their hands to spot cards during the deal; amateurs tend to favor mirrors stuck in pipe bowls or shiny rings to do the dirty work. Another favorite shiner is a common Zippo lighter, which sits on the table next to the dealer. As the cards are dealt, the deck is brought directly over the lighter, allowing the cheater to spot their values in the Zippo’s reflection.

Protection Tip: Keep the playing area for your games clear of any foreign objects, no matter how innocent they might appear. Even a cup of coffee can be used as a shiner, with the liquid’s dark surface reflecting the face of a card. If you think someone might be using a shiner, glance up at the ceiling. Any light reflected off the shiner will also be reflected on the ceiling, and will look like a tiny butterfly.