What should a good dealer do to help detct cheating?

After lots of off-topic yesterday I figured I'd try help steer us back on course.

Where does the dealer's involvement in detecting cheating start and stop? By this I mean a dealer should first and foremost protect their game in not taking their eyes off the chips in front of them; mentally note bets to avoid obvious past-posting; no touching of cards when not allowed, etc.

Beyond that, should they just alert the pit-boss when changing tables if they suspect someone of cheating, or shoud they do more? I can see where it would be limited what you can do as dealing will take much of your concentration. But where does it begin and end?

Don't you think you should be asking your new employer?


Seriously, I'd have to think that this is the type of thing that may be different from casino to casino, and even from dealer to dealer.

It's certainly different from situation to situation.


For example, I'd expect different responses to the same issue if the dealer was a frail little old lady compared to a dealer that was a big, kick-ass kind of guy. Then again, maybe not.

Sometimes, the worst thing would be for the person at the front line customer service (the dealer) to act on a suspicion that turns out to be wrong.

Maybe, the best thing to do is to simply alert the pit boss, who will alert surveilance, who will watch closely, figure out if the suspicion has merit, and gather evidence.

There's also a fine line between cheating and an honest mistake. If the person made a mistake, that's one thing. But if he's cheating, you may want to allow him to continue cheating while the evidence is being gathered, so it's easier to prove that it was cheating rather than an honest mistake.

Last, is he cheating the casino or another player?


FYI: Much of what I've posted here is covered in one of the "Vegas Cheaters" shows on the VegasTravel Channel.

The guidelines we follow are simple.

Do not confront anyone you suspect of cheating directly. Alert the pit boss as soon and as discretely as possible. If there is cheating going on, it will be dealt with by someone above your pay grade.

This is not just to save the dealers from abuse, but also to protect the dealers in case the dealer made a mistake in the identification of the possible cheater. All relevant game security protocols should be covered by your new employers in training.

DJ pretty much covered it in his post.

Quote: Croupier

The guidelines we follow are simple.

Do not confront anyone you suspect of cheating directly. Alert the pit boss as soon and as discretely as possible. If there is cheating going on, it will be dealt with by someone above your pay grade.

This is not just to save the dealers from abuse, but also to protect the dealers in case the dealer made a mistake in the identification of the possible cheater. All relevant game security protocols should be covered by your new employers in training.

DJ pretty much covered it in his post.

This all pretty much confirms what I thought. Thanks, gentlemen.

This is way out of my area, but I've seen shows on this topic on cable TV. Based on those shows, the dealer will do a hand signal that he/she suspects cheating, and keep on dealing. I think one dealer who saw someone past posting tapped her head, and then motioned discretely towards the player who did it. After the player did it again, plainclothes security nabbed him.