[lastsamurai]

I used to work as a corporation banker in the california card clubs on the paigow tables... basically our jobs is to pay out winning hands, catch dealer mistakes and make sure the dealers go through all the procedures...

There is a procedure the dealers have to do when they are shuffling the cards.
1. Is the scramble... make sure the dealer is doing a through scramble.... This is really important because a really good SHADY dealer could mark the joker this way.
2. The shuffle...box cut shuffle.
3. The most important is the CUT. even when you play @ home games make sure the guy cutting the card cuts at least 7 cards.

Usually when a scam like this goes on...one of the players is in with the dealer. 1 Player got caught marking the tip of the card with her fingernail.... When the dealer sat on the table he was good enough to feel the card when he cut the card making the cut card the first card dealt.

Whenever you see any marks on the cards or if the dealer isnt doing the proper procedure immediately call the floor man and ask for a deck change or ask about the procedures.

After working this job... It really gave me a different prospective in the poker room.

Oh yeah...watch out for invisible ink! Believe it or not...its out there.