Poker Cheats: The Mechanics Grip

Many players have learned how to successfully cheat at the gameof poker. One such cheating method is mastering the art ofstacking the deck. To master this skill one has to be good withsleight of hand. This is done by a special way of holding thedeck of cards that allows the deck to be manipulated, orstacked, one of these special ways is called the Mechanic's Grip.

To help you better understand this cheat, pick up a deck ofcards as if you were getting ready to deal. You will probably beholding the deck in the palm of your hand, with your thumb ontop of the cards, and your other four fingers on the side of thedeck. When dealing cards, you use your thumb to push one cardonto the tips of your other four fingers. The thumb is then usedto hold this card in place, until your thumb and pointer fingerof the opposite hand grabs it and deals the card out. Many pokerplayers deal this way, even though they probably have notnoticed it or put much thought into it.

To form the Mechanic's Grip, move your pointer finger and middlefingers to the short side of the deck, farthest away fromyourself. With this grip, more of the deck is covered by yourhand, making it harder for the other players to see what you aredoing. This grip is the basis for many cheats, such as peeking(the dealer will either push one corner, or side of the topcard, away from the rest of the deck so that he can see the topcard), bottom dealing (dealing the from the bottom of the deckinstead of the top), and second dealing (dealing the second cardin the deck instead of the top card, usually when the dealerwants the top card for his own hand). By using the peek, thedealer will be able to keep track of what cards each playergets, he can also setup his own hand by combining the peek withsecond dealing. Knowing what cards the other player has in hishand gives the dealer an advantage when playing his own hand,because he will know what cards he needs to beat the hands ofthe other players.

In another version of the Mechanic's Grip, the deck is held withthe thumb on the top, the pointer finger around the front edge,the pinky around the back edge, and the two middle fingers underthe bottom of the deck.

Using this cheat can be very effective for the dealer, as it candefinitely help him stack the cards in his favor.