How to Detect Casino Cheating at Blackjack [Paperback]

Bill Zender (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0910575096 | ISBN-13: 978-0910575096 | Publication Date: January 1999 | Edition: 1st

You may think that the days of cheating in casinos ended with the corporate takeover of Las Vegas, but you’d be wrong. The fact is, you are unlikely to be cheated in a modern casino, but that doesn’t mean that an entire class of criminals has been eradicated from the planet. Cheating can occur in a variety of ways and, though rare, you should be prepared to detect when it is happening so that you can protect yourself and your bankroll. This book contains actual cheating scenarios that you won’t believe still happen, but have been documented in the courts and elsewhere. Don’t take a chance with your money; read this revealing, informative, and entertaining book and learn "how to detect casino cheating at blackjack" for yourself.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Although cheating is rare in today's modern, highly regulated casinos, the proliferation of casinos throughout the U.S. and around the world has created new opportunities for crooked dealers, and new dangers for honest players. Never before has any casino insider revealed the hidden "tricks of the trade" of the scam artists. Zender describes in vivid detail the short deck, the cooler decks, the selective up card, switching the hole card, and dozens of other cheating techniques at casino blackjack that cheaters have been using for decades to separate honest players from their money. Don’t make another bet until you know the game is on the level.

About the Author

Bill Zender, a former Nevada Gaming Control Agent, worked his way up through the Las Vegas casino industry. In his 20-year career, he worked as a dealer, a floor manager, a pit boss and a shift manager, before he became Director of Casino Operations and part owner of the Aladdin Hotel. Now a highly paid consultant to the industry, he is widely respected as an expert on table game protection. Blackjack is his specialty.

Product Details

• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: Rge Pub; 1st edition (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910575096
• ISBN-13: 978-0910575096
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #600,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Blackjack

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Play for Serious Coin without Reading This Book!, August 8, 2000

By 

Patron Anejo (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Detect Casino Cheating at Blackjack (Paperback)

Bill Zender worked his way up through the ranks from dealer all the way to Casino Manager at the Aladdin. He has also worked for the Nevada Gaming Control Board. His unique perspectives on casino cheating are a "must read" for the serious blackjack player, as a cheating dealer can obliterate your bankroll faster than a Vegas floozy. He discusses seconds-dealing in great detail, and how to detect it from the players chair. He also discusses methods taken by the casinos (since they are often victims of cheating dealers as well) and by the commission. All serious players will hit a bad streak eventually. You MUST be confident in your ability to determine whether it is luck alone, or a cheating dealer that is to blame (it's almost always bad luck, but you gotta know this). If you can't do this, you won't win over the long haul, it's as simple as that.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read for anyone playing Blackjack outside the US, December 7, 2006

By 

Elihu D. Feustel "daringly" (South Bend, IN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How to Detect Casino Cheating at Blackjack (Paperback)

Zender is the most recognized expert on casino cheating in the world. His preface focuses on where you have to worry about cheating - mainly outside the US, or in small unregulated US casinos (if you play in Las Vegas or other large casinos, cheating is not a problem).

The second area he focuses on is the methods casinos use to cheat, and how to detect them. I have played in casinos outside the US, and have personally seen casinos cheating (in Curacao). As a card-counter, I could have been financially wiped out if I played there unaware of what the casino did.

This book is a quick read - it is entertaining with the antecdotes, but also includes good documentation on how to identify cheating, including illustrations. Another book to consider if you play many casino games is "Casino Game Protection" by Steve Forte.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice work, October 5, 2002

By 

CARDSHARK Online (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Detect Casino Cheating at Blackjack (Paperback)

If you frequent casino blackjack tables this book is well worth your time.

This book deals with a controversial subject -- insider cheating in casinos. Although the days of unregulated bust-out joints is over (at least in the US it is) it is not impossible to encounter some kind of cheating at casino blackjack tables. According to the author (who worked as a casino exec for a number of years), nowadays insider cheating in casinos is rare and it mostly happens by the floor staff running their own scams; not by the house running a scam against their customers. Even if the establishments are not to be blamed for such occurrences this book made some noise in the casino community simply because these establishments do not want the subject of the possibility of insider cheating even mentioned. I say, wherever money passes hands there will be some fast hands and the subject can not be ignored.

Those who are already familiar with some standard blackjack cheating techniques and strategies will have to read through some descriptions they already know. However, I still found some fresh ideas and even the author's opinion on the subject is well worth the read.

Highly recommended.