Part I: Card Game Cheating · Collusion & Electronic Cheating at Card Games · #2.18
Front-Loading
How it works
A technique used in games where the dealer loads their own hole cards under an up-card during the deal. If the dealer holds the cards too high or at the wrong angle when placing the hole card under the up-card, players at certain seats can see the card value. It can also be used at some carnival games, such as Three Card Poker and Mississippi Stud, according to Dustin Marks. The player gains an edge by knowing one or more of the dealer’s cards before making betting decisions.
Where it appears
Blackjack, Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud
On the record
Seeing one dealer card in Three Card Poker can give a player an edge of about 2.4% to 3.5%, according to the Wizard of Odds. Professional advantage players regularly scout cardrooms for dealers with exploitable loading technique. The Wizard of Odds has published an analysis of hole carding in Three Card Poker.
Detection & preventionADVISORY
The paid halfHow a monitoring room catches front-loading, 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.