For Charles Swain
Luck aint never paid the bills.
PUG PEARSON, famous poker player
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
Distracting your opponent while jerking cheating him.
Iggy
A cheater pretending to be a tourist.
Joint
A casino.
Kepplinger
A hidden device that secretly switches holdout 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.”
