Know and Avoid These Big-time Poker Cheats

The good thing about poker is that the pots could go really high, and that there is no house edge. That means if you really have a good enough strategy, excellent poker skills, and a bit of luck, you are sure to go home a ton richer. However, because of the amount of money involved, poker is a hot target for cheaters.

Most of the time, cheats happen in a minimal way: from a player who bets less than what they announce, to those who peek at their opponent's cards. These cheats are really easy to confront and has a minimal effect on the whole game. They will run off with a few chips, but not the whole pot.

However, big-time cheaters also run loose. They are the ones who are the most game-devastating, as they will try to cheat their way off to the pot. They have almost professional and almost undetectable ways of cheating at poker.

The best way to avoid these kinds of poker cheats is to know what their schemes are, and catch them in the act. One good thing about these poker cheats is they can be caught red-handed, unlike the minimal cheaters who will often make the excuse that it was 'accidental.'

Here are two common big-time poker cheats:

1. Hand-mucking

Hand-mucking is when a player switches their hand with hidden cards so that they would have a much better one. This is an extremely difficult cheat to do: the cheat would need to know which cards are already dealt so they couldn't bring out a wrong card, and they would need to have the same kind of playing card up their sleeve.

Yet, hand-mucking is really possible especially if the cheat has a confederate. The best way to catch a hand-muck is to keep track of the cards, much like how one would count cards in blackjack. If you have your poker math skills finely tuned, you will be able to suspect abnormalities in the dealing of hands.

2. Card-marking

Card-marking is an easier big-time poker cheat, but is as vile. Since some casinos do not readily change decks after each deal, poker cheats could easily mark the back of the cards with certain substances, like a daub. By marking the cards in a subtle way, the cheater could easily read their markings and avoid detection.

Keep these big-time poker cheats in mind. They may be undetectable, but with a keen eye and a sharp observation, you can catch them in the act and serve them the proper justice. Once you catch a poker cheat red-handedly, immediately inform a casino official.