Part V: Regional & Cultural · Casino Slang & Historical Terms
6.22 Cold Deck
Slang — Cheating
A “cold deck” is a pre-arranged deck of cards introduced into a card game by a cheater to produce a predetermined outcome. Cold decks are one of the oldest and most effective cheating methods in card games. In surveillance terminology, “cold decking” refers to any pre-arrangement of cards or equipment to manipulate game outcomes. Modern casinos use multiple deck shoes, automatic shufflers, and strict card handling procedures to prevent cold decking.
In practice
Cold decks have been featured in numerous gambling films and represent the quintessential card cheating technique. Surveillance teams are trained to spot deck switching through close monitoring of dealer hand movements and card handling procedures.
More in Slang — Cheating
One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary — 1,157 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.