Roulette Cheats, Team Play, and Cheating Methods

Team Play

Team play is an incredibly common tactic that cheaters use when targeting a casino. It is used on games such as blackjack and baccarat, however Roulette is the most tempting game with its high odds, easily netting a group thousands of dollars per spin. There are hundreds of different scams these teams use, which is why following correct policies and procedures at all times is so vital for the security and protection of the game. The way one of these scams is played out is through distraction. Typically a beautiful woman sitting near the roulette wheel, will place her bets on the numbers that are near the columns, such as 35. The mechanic will sit on the other side of the table, near the columns, as he is the one that will swap the chips. There will be two more team members that will strategically place their chips in front of the mark, angling them in a way that the dealer cannot easily see the entire stack of chips on that number. As soon as the ball drops and 35 hits, the two actors will make their move. The woman will cause a distraction by becoming frantic, saying she lost two of her black chips, as she starts searching for them. At that same moment, the mechanic will swap out the woman’s chips for a stack of chips that have two black cheques mixed in with it. Once the women’s “missing” chips are located on the winning number 35, she is happily shouting for joy about her “accidental” win of $7,000. That is why it is important for the dealer to case their layout, looking for any high value cheques, and it is also important for the dealer to take a few steps back and watch the table as the ball drops, so they can easily see all actions taken at the table at the same time as they glance at the wheel to see the winning number.

Teams commonly use distractions to cheat. Distractions are a great way of getting the dealer to move in a certain way and focus on certain things at certain times, making it easy for the mechanic to work. For example, if a player spilled a drink at one end of the table, this causes the dealer to have tunnel vision as they turn their back on another end of the table making it easy for the mechanic to switch bets. Other distractions can range from common, such as being asked rude or upsetting questions; to unusual, such as players getting into a fight; to the absurd, such as a player walking around the casino topless or fully naked.

Sometimes cheaters will target the floor supervisor instead of the dealer. This next cheating move uses casino procedure and the floor supervisor’s memory to their advantage. A team will already be placed on the table, a mechanic and two chip-bettors. The “claimer”, the player who will take the winnings, will walk up to the table and legitimately bet $100 cheque inside, straight up on one of the 3rd Dozen numbers in full view of the dealer. This is the set-up. It is procedure for the dealer to notify the floor supervisor if a $25 green cheque or higher plays on any of the inside numbers. The dealer will see this black chip and announce its presence to the floor supervisor, who will walk over and take note of the $100-a-spin player and their wager. The Floor will watch the spin, and win or lose, the player will walk away from the table and out of sight immediately afterwards. The claimer would stay out of sight and wait, watching for the mechanic’s signal to return.

As soon as one of the 3rd Dozen numbers hit, the mechanic will signal to the claimer, and they will walk in behind the seat closest to the wheel. This makes it look like he was less likely to have tampered with the bet. As soon as the dealer sweeps up the losers and turns his back on the table, the mechanic will make his move, placing a $100 black chip under the winning bets of the winning number. Once this move was finished, the claimer will excitedly exclaim he won. Since he had previously set up the floorman and the dealer with the legit bet, they expect to be instantly accepted as a winner and paid by the casino staff without suspicion. This allowed the cheater to receive a $7,000 payoff.

In order for the dealer to prevent this, the dealer will case their layout and see that there are no black chips inside. As soon as the black chip appears the dealer will know something is fishy because it was not there when they cased their layout. The dealer will notify the floor that something is fishy, and the floor can request the cameras to play back the footage. Another thing the dealer can do to prevent this is as soon as the ball starts to drop, the dealer will take a few steps back so they can see the table and the ball at the same time. The dealer will always stay square to the game and never turn their back on the table, even when making a payout. By following these procedures, it will make it harder for the mechanic to get away with past posting.

Other Scams

Another scam these cheaters will try is by creating a diversion based on how they place their chips. Two or more “Chip-Bettors” will place themselves strategically on the roulette table, making predetermined bets on specific numbers and colors. They do this with the intention of manipulating the dealer’s body based on the location of their chips. The chips they use are the minimum wager of $1 or $0.50. The goal is to try and control the dealer, so that the dealer has to physically move their body and head in a specific way, as to give their mechanic enough openings and time to be able to past post or switch bets. The mechanic is normally located near the 3rd Dozens area where the numbers 25 through 36 are located.

One way to protect against this is to make sure the dealer is aware of the angle of their body and how it should always be facing the entire table. This includes when the ball is dropping, after the ball dropped, when sweeping the layout, and when going to get chips in order to pay people. The dealer should never turn their back on the layout. The dealer should be able to see the entire table clearly at all times.

If one scam doesn’t work, these cheaters will try something else. There are so many scams up their sleeve that it is important for dealers to be knowledgeable about as many as possible and how to protect the table from them. The next scam we’ll cover is these players would play value chips inside in such a way that if their number didn’t hit, they would quickly slide a stack of chips onto the winning spot. They would complete this maneuver before the dealer sets down the marker. Usually, they’ll have people standing near the wheel distracting the dealer at this crucial moment.

In order to protect themselves from this scam, dealers should refrain from losing focus during this crucial time of the game. When the ball is dropping to when the take-and-pay procedure is complete. Answering questions, providing change, or helping players should be done after all of the bets have been paid. Again, the dealer’s body should be angled in such a way that they never turn their back on the roulette table or the bank. The dealer must stay square with their table, walking the game so that the table and bank are in view at all times. This includes when the ball is dropping, as the dealer should take a few steps back and angle their body so they can see both the wheel and the table at the same time.

Cheating Dealers

The casino not only has to protect their games from players, but they also have to protect their game from cheating dealers. Dealers who watch the wheel as they spin the ball are trying to hit certain numbers or neighborhood of numbers. These kinds of cheaters are called “The Watchers”. That is why casinos have a policy that when the dealer spins the ball, they are supposed to look at the table and not the wheel. It is also why the speed of the wheel is supposed to vary. In order to complete this move correctly, the roulette wheel has to spin at an identical speed consistently. Not too fast that the ball jumps around the wheel when it hits a pocket, but not too slow as to catch the floor supervisor’s attention. One of the ways to prevent this is for the floor supervisor to double check and make sure the dealer is not watching the wheel when they spin the ball. Also, make sure the wheel moves at a reasonable speed, which should be varied. The spin of the ball should be varied as well.