The Ten Year Epidemic: False Shuffling Scams in Mini Baccarat
By Bill Zender
Written for World Game Protection, Inc., Featured Article for "The Catwalk" Newsletter.
October 2005
Over the last ten years the gaming industry has been inundated with cheating scams involving slug false shuffles in the game of mini baccarat. As a gaming consultant I have been involved as a court expert witness in no less then three of these scams, while I have knowledge of another half dozen throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and the Far East since the mid 1990's. On each occasion the losses to the casino amount in the hundred thousands and involve the utilization of inside help; something all casinos executives fear more than any other bankroll threatening situation. Unfortunately, these situations mentioned probably represent just the tip of the iceberg, while many incidents more then likely have gone undiscovered and attributed to very bad luck.
For those of us that know the characteristics of a false shuffle scam in mini baccarat it's something that makes us extremely uncomfortable as far as baccarat game integrate is involved; for those who are not aware how to identify this notorious act it has to be down right frightening. How do the cheaters set up for this scam? What does it look like when it happens? How does management and surveillance identify the difference between a false shuffle scam and players honestly riding through an unusual lucky streak? Nothing is more frustrating then watching players hammering a hot shoe and not being sure whether they are very lucky or have just pulled the wool over your head and made you look incredibly stupid.
Even though, a false shuffle scam in baccarat is extremely difficult for normal supervisors and surveillance operators to detect, the scam still has a number of telltale indicators that will lead the alert employee to see that things might be different then they first appear. Before getting into these indicates I first need to briefly explain the basic elements of the scam and how it comes together allowing the cheaters to win thousands of dollars.
The scam begins when the cheaters record a group or slug of cards during the previous play on the baccarat table. This slug will contain between forty and sixty cards that are recorded in the order they are picked up by the dealer. After the shoe is finished a dealer working with the cheaters will be required to perform a false shuffle that maintains the forty plus card slug in its original, unmixed order. This process might involve a series of false shuffles and false wash depending on the house's shuffling procedure. After the cards have been pseudo-shuffled, the cards cut, and put back into play, the cheaters use the previously recorded list of cards to identify and locate the reappearance of the un-shuffled forty to sixty card slug. Once this slug is identified the cheaters can determine the outcome of the next eight to ten hands, and will use this information to bet on either the player's or banker's hand, as well as any tie hands, with perfect accuracy. As everyone can see, wagering a $10,000 table limit on eight to ten guaranteed winning hands will cost the casino between $80,000 and $100,000 each scam attempt.
There are several elements that need to come together to make this scam successful for the card cheater, and each one of these elements has its own unique characteristic the alert operator or executive can identify. These indicators are:
The recording the cards on the previously played hand
In each situation someone on the table records a specific group of cards as they are played and picked up by the dealer. This is usually done by one player marking down the cards on one of the baccarat score cards that are provided as a convenience for the players. The biggest indication that a cheater is recording a group of cards is by the number of individual notations he/she makes during each hand. The standard baccarat player may be keeping hand information, but it is usually limited to "player, banker, or tie"; the out come of the hand which is recorded by making one simple notation. The cheater needs to record each card played in order and will make as many as six individual notations, one for each card played, in order on his score card. Also, in several past occasions where cheating has been discovered the operator has zoomed in on a cheater's score card and have been able to identify a correlation between his notations and the cards picked up during that hand.
Location of card group or slug
The cheaters will usually attack a group of cards that are played at the beginning or at the very end of the shoe. This technique makes it easier for the illegally recruited dealer to locate the slug during the false shuffle segment. If you notice a suspected player recording individual cards during the beginning of the shoe, it will indicate that the bottom forty plus cards in the discard rack will be the target for the false shuffle.
The false shuffle
While many false shuffles go undetected they usually do so because the process is not under strict scrutiny by either the floor or surveillance. Some cheaters go out of their way to distract floor personnel during the false shuffle phase so they can more successful elude detection. Most crooked dealers are not trained to be skilled stage magicians. Almost every false shuffle and false wash can be detected by utilizing low angled view provided by distant PTZ cameras. These angles can detect the un-shuffled 40 plus slug of cards that are concealed beneath the dealer's hands. What I find is a big indicator comes from the suspect dealer's process variation when attempting to maintain the slug; usually there is a noticeable difference between how he/she shuffles the slug and when shuffling the rest of the cards. Some false shuffles are very good and hard to distinguish, while others are very obvious.
When the slug is identified coming back into play
Usually at this point the cheater who recorded the slug during the previous deck will be seated at the table with his score card in from of him. At the very least he will be standing somewhere in the vicinity with clear view of the cards being played on the table. Once he has spotted the reappearance of the slug, he will check his score card and determine the outcome of the next hand. In most situations this cheater plays only a minor part in wagering and exploiting the information. Wagering into the slug is done by one or more other cheaters positioned at the table. It becomes quite apparent who these players are since they will be wagering large amounts of cash or chips, and they will be wagering on the same betting position, either player or banker, at the same time. This play will last between six to ten hands depending on how successful the dealer is at maintaining the slug and how quickly the tracking player identified the false shuffled slug of cards. Once the slug is played out the wagering by the cheaters will diminish and they may leave the table shortly there after.
Order of the cards in the slug
This is the most foolproof indicator of all previously listed indicators. You may not be able to identify the false shuffle and you might not be able to determine who is recording the cards, but the cheaters can not disguise the reappearance of an exact order of cards that should have been intermixed when they were previously shuffled. Have a surveillance operator review video of a big winning hand sequence and record the order of appearance of cards that appeared during a suspected section of play. Then have the operator go back and review the cards as they were being picked up during the previous hand. If the operator spots a group of thirty plus cards that are in the same order, it would be prudent for you to investigate the suspect play further. Remember that the cards will reappear in reverse order when recording the played hands from left to right.
By being aware of the above mentioned indicators you should be able to spot the false shuffle scam. Remember, the first several indicators should be used to spot a possible problem, but the final indicator, the reappearance of the order of cards in the slug, will be solid proof that your mini baccarat game is being attacked and is one of many that has fallen prey to the ten year epidemic.
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