A Word on Cheating

Pssst! Hey You!Yeah, you!

Listen: if you are going to buck this tiger, there are some things you are going to have to get wise to before you go. Cheating is rampant out there and Faro has a bad reputation for the brace game. See, the problem is that Faro's odds are fairly even as far as games go, that's called a square game, because all the sides and angles are square, nothing is 'off'. In a square game, the punter has a fair shot at making out all right, maybe even break the bank! But in order to make this game a career or even a living for the house the odds are going to have to favor the house. They cannot risk losing thousands of dollars a night for very long. So they do some underhanded tricks in order to make sure the night's take is in the black. They have bills to pay, police to grease, people to feed and furniture to maintain, and so on. These tricks I will refer to as gaffed or braced. 

I will not teach you to cheat. 

I'm in this to bring up the past and explore it and have some fun. I have no interest in perpetuating the downward spiral of conning punters into making Faro something akin to Monte or the Shell Game. But I can teach you how to spot some gaffs in order for you to pass in your checks quick before you lose more than what you want. At the risk of sounding like the harangue of the "reformed black-legs" or former cheat essays that pop up from time to time in the period literature, this is meant to be a practical guide to smart play rather than cessation of all games of sport.

In any case of gambling, the real question you need to ask yourself before you sit yourself down is,"How square is this game?"

Defenses against cheating the punter

You are more likely to spend an enjoyable evening on the town bucking the tiger as a punter (player) so knowing how to protect yourself from cheats is the first importance. This is not about learning how to cheat but to understand what the cheats are and save yourself some grief. This is assuming that you are an upstanding citizen and not a cold-blooded outlaw.

• • Context and locations – You do not need to play! The reality of the situation is that there is no compelling reason to pitch in but by your own inclination. But very few people are willing to pitch in if they know the game is brace, so the job of the artist and others in his confidence are to make each and every game as square looking as can be done in order to deceive you into spending your hard earned specie, gold-dust, or greenbacks at their table. Because of this you must be sharp eyed and aware of your situation at all times. Generally there are two kinds of places to buck the Tiger: the high establishments and low establishments. The creme of society will congregate toward the higher establishments with the most amenities where their high society elites spend their evenings of leisure. But it can be a velvet swindle! Ask yourself how the owner pays for these furnishings and people. If he is a known sport, there is a strong possibility that the quiet and unassuming dealer is a card manipulating artist so polished and practiced as to be imperceptibly arranging the deck for the owner's gain.  A high class establishment can afford the best and that includes the best deck manipulators too. Boldfaced robbery will not occur in a higher establishment as they will be on the lookout to keep out the riffraff. 

Meanwhile the riffraff goes elsewhere to play. As a result, all sorts of petty thievery may be used against you the lower down the social chain you go. Since the lower establishments cannot afford slick artists, they are more likely to show their hand in dealing, but they are also more likely to work in concert with other people in their confidence to share equally in the spoils. Again, their success depends on the deception that everything is square. Watch how others play and see if they are working in concert in some way. They may feign to be strangers or a chum or two but depending on the skill of the team, it may be difficult to detect. 

• • Distractions – Distractions are more likely to be played upon you from the lower quarters. The purpose is to hide or cover a mistake, a unskilled moment, or to create a moment where you are not looking at what they are doing. A timed disruption breaks your attention away from someone doing something sneaky, like changing the order of the cards. An example may be to have a loud fight take place in a corner that turns your head so the dealer could quickly change the deck that was triggered by a signal subtly sent by the dealer. The presence of accommodating women and free food work the same way, to take your mind and eyes off of the most important thing - the game at hand. In addition to this, it is common to drink alcohol while gambling. While I am no member of a Temperance League, liquor in general while gambling is a terrible idea since it lowers awareness and dulls the senses in case of an emergency and thus makes it easier to pull one over on you. While unpopular, consider going dry when sitting down to try your luck.

  • The Scam: Roles. Be on the lookout for the Roper. A Roper is a paid pusher who befriends folks and lures them to the skinning den to be skinned of a few extra dollars. Be suspicious of anyone who suddenly is your new friend that wants to go buck the tiger or some other related amusements. They are likely to steer you to a skinning den so you can be fleeced. If this happens, politely beg off for the night.

  • Does this fellow seem to win more frequently? Be suspicious.

    • If someone gives you ‘secret information’ about the dealer or the deck that means that they want you to bet high so that they could take that money from you.

    • It can also be something too obvious as a marred or torn card.

  • Artists – The obvious person to watch is the dealer. It does not take a lot of skill to be a dealer. But it takes years of solid practice to be an artist at the cards. These expert dealers that can operate a dealer box to do what he wants, to throw a deck win or lose and signal the shill to place bets to win or lose. A game of faro should involve some give a take because you win some and lose some. But if you seem to lose whenever you place a large bet, something might be up. If you lose frequently, you are being played or it just isn't your night and try again at a different place. 

As difficult as it can be, since the hand is quicker than the eye, watch the hands. Does the dealer do things that are out of the ordinary or a little strange from time to time? Watch for repeated obvious behavior; scratching an arm and where for example. Listen for sounds as they can give away secrets. For example, if the shuffling of the deck sounds strange or the shuffling method odd, you are probably getting played. If the dealer box makes a sound that it shouldn’t, it is probably gaffed. Things to listen for are a soft click or a groan of cheap metal straining.

• • Bad dealing - Faro used to be dealt from the hand. It sounds like it would be obvious that someone could manipulate the deck in the open in front of a host of punters but it was true! In fact there was more suspicion against the dealing boxes than there was against the dealer's ability to manipulate a deck. As most folks now-a-days know, a person can deal from the bottom as well as second from the top and a bunch of tricks. If you are bucking the tiger with an old timer that deals from the hand, make sure you watch his hands.

  • What to do when you suspect a swindle. Leaving is the best option. Get what you can or lose what you are prepared to lose and do not throw in any more money. However, getting something back is not always easy.

  • Bait and Switch with the winnings. Winning is not always winning if you can’t get your cash back. If you win and are ready to cash in, the cash box that your cash went into when you paid for your check is mysteriously out of the room until someone else comes in with the box, or the key, or the owner is out, or some excuse why you cannot have your money now. They are hoping that you get frustrated and leave. Sometimes they might laugh it off as a lark or some part returned; "payment" for the food and drinks provided. 

  • Police assistance may not be of much use since in many cases. That's a strange thing to say isn't it? Consider this: If faro is illegal, why should the police help you? Have you heard of the stories of thieves complaining to the police that someone else stole their ill-gotten gain from them? Such a predicament would be an admission of wrong-doing and could mean jail time and perhaps a bribe to get out. Another thing to consider is the police may be in the pocket of the owner. Cheating in faro can be lucrative and to keep the police off the backs of the cheats, they may be bribing them to look the other way for a cut of the take in exchange for protection. If this is the case, you really have no course for redress. However, it may be worth a shot as “squealing” to the police might do some good. 

  • Some aggressive tactics may be considered as well like overturning tables and confiscating gear and raising a ruckus. This may draw attention and may actually do some good in getting your money back. Just make sure you aren't followed back to your accommodations.

  •  More violent options like robbery or bonneting the dealer are punishable offenses, that is, if you are alive to be prosecuted when the authorities arrive. I simply cannot recommend this avenue because no good comes of it. If you do choose to get violent remember this one thing: Assume the dealer and/or the lookout is armed. This is probably not the first time they've been exposed so if you choose to draw, another thing to consider is "Are they faster on the draw than you?" Better hope so! But outright killing a cheat will result in court-ordered neck-wear. The law will simply not abide killing outside of self defense.

  • If you catch a crooked dealer, you have very few options. In a higher establishment, get the owner involved. If they are “shocked and surprised” they may pay out. They may even pony up some hush money. In a baser game, it will depend on the context. If it is an establishment, making a ruckus might get you some support from the other punters, that is, unless all the other punters are in on the con, then you have a problem. If it is a snap, threatening the dealer may make some headway. Your best option is to make a non-violent, lightly upsetting ruckus until you get what you want. If you get thrown out at least you are alive, so be happy with that and learn to distinguish a brace game before you play.

    • • Shooting the dealer on the basis of cheating will not give you a lenient sentence in court. It is murder since your life was not at stake.

Defenses Against Cheating the Dealer

As the dealer, you have particular types of cheating to guard against that will require you to be vigilant for action. This means being sober. Dealing while intoxicated is probably more detrimental to you than intoxication while playing. But I'm not your Momma; you do as you please. If things go south, know what is essential to take with you in a hurry and know where your exits are. Here are some things to consider when you sit in the dealer's chair:

• • Robbery – A revolver suddenly produced is very persuasive, so make sure to be aware of your surroundings. A knot of Plug-Uglies hanging about watching with keen interest or grumbling tend to be a bad omen. Be armed and maybe arm your Lookout too, if he's trustworthy. 

  • Bonneting – This robbery involves a blanket over the head thrown from behind to incapacitate you while someone else robs you. One solution is simple: Sit with back against the wall. This way no one can sneak up behind you. This was a tactic that was used extensively by poor Bill Hickok, until the one time he broke his own rule. It is not necessary to sit in a corner as it makes it difficult to escape in a scrape.

  • Corking – In a Wolf Den, the equipment does not belong to the dealer; he simply banks the game and turns the cards. This includes the checks which are usually stacked in rows before he sits down. He is robbed by using a fake replacement stack of checks hidden in the rows. So instead of banking with 100 checks, he has whatever he can see except for the checks that are already in the hands of the players. If you bank a Wolf Den, make sure the stacks are stacked with checks and not anything else.