Part I: Card Game Cheating · SLEIGHT-OF-HAND TECHNIQUES
Card Palming
How it works
Card palming is the technique of secretly holding a card (or multiple cards) in the palm of the hand, hidden from view. The palmist can then introduce the palmed card into play at an advantageous moment or remove a valuable card from the game. Palming requires specific hand positioning to make the card appear to disappear. Professional card mechanics can palm multiple cards simultaneously. The technique is used in conjunction with mucking (switching) to improve one’s hand.
Where it appears
Poker, Blackjack, private games
On the record
Card palming is one of the fundamental skills of sleight-of-hand magic and card cheating. It has been practiced for centuries and remains a core technique of professional card mechanics.
Detection & preventionADVISORY
The paid halfHow a monitoring room catches card palming, and what stops it recurring, written for the desk, not the reader.
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Published as a detection reference for surveillance, compliance and gaming-operations professionals. Thresholds and tuning are set by the property. Nothing here is instruction: the method is described so it can be recognised.