Casino Myths Busted: Dealers Adjust Games if You’re Winning Too Much Money

We’ve all seen it at the movies. The player is beating the casino, stacking chips sky high.

The floor manager gives the croupier a nod. The croupier secretly flips a switch, grabs a new deck of cards, or changes the dice.

Suddenly, the player’s luck runs out. Once again, the casino wins.

In the movie Casablanca, bar owner Rick helps a desperate couple escape the war. He tells them to bet 22 on the roulette wheel. They do. They win.

He tells them to let the bet stand. It hits 22 again. They collect their winnings and make their escape. Fixed for a good cause.

But do casinos really have the ability to fix a game? Is there a magic switch that can select a number on the roulette wheel?

Is there a way to slip a tampered deck of cards into a blackjack game? Can a casino really fix it when a player is on his or her way to breaking the bank?

Here are five reasons why this myth is well and truly one for the birds.

1. Reputation

“A good reputation is more valuable than money.” The words of Latin writer Publilius Syrus are as true today, as they were when he first wrote them 2,000 years ago.

Any casino, either land-based or online, with even the slightest hint of cheating and corruption is pretty much doomed.

If it was ever discovered that a casino was knowingly fixing a game, in order to decrease the player’s chance of winning, it would be an absolute scandal and – very probably – game over for the business.

Older online poker players will remember Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, two of the biggest online poker sites in the early 2000s.

AP got caught cheating players. The business owners had a secret backdoor in the code; it enabled them to see the hole cards of the other poker players.

They got caught. Within a few months, the business was finished.

From a strategic, business-orientated view, fixing games at a casino is both pointless and suicidal.

Remember; the games are already statistically weighted in favor of the casino. The house always wins. Why fix a fix?

2. Straight Up Cheating

Let’s assume the house is prepared to risk its reputation.

Everyone, from the croupier, to the pit boss, to the floor manager, to the security team, will have to be in on the fix.

The whole casino setup is engineered to catch cheats. Slipping in a bent deck or swapping dice has to be done in front of the players and other staff. It won’t be easy.

Online, there are more options. It could be possible to have a ‘fixed’ game in the portfolio. One that is unique to the particular casino.

Most real money online casinos use the same games, shared by everyone else. The game developer would have to be the one to fix the game.

But they are subject to extraordinary levels of scrutiny. If discovered, the business is finished.

Without integrity, an online casino software developer is unfit for purpose.

3. The Cooler

If you have never watched the fabulous William H. Macy movie, The Cooler, you are in for a treat.

It tells the story of Bernie – the unluckiest gambler in Las Vegas. The casino gets Bernie to sit in on a game, when the players are winning too much money. The idea being that he ‘cools’ the action at the table – and everyone loses.

Do casinos use coolers? Probably not.

They would certainly never advertise the position. Employing an individual, to affect the outcome of a game, would violate the casino license.

Switching blackjack dealers is often seen as a ‘cooling’ factor. Mainly because the deck is shuffled again.

Can someone’s aura influence a table? Is it a realistic tactic for a serious casino to use?

It’s more likely that a floor manager might cause a distraction, to throw a winning player off his or her game.

But, again, it’s not worth risking your reputation (see reason #1).

4. Comps & Cocktails

It might be unethical, stupid and too obvious to fix the games when a player is on a roll. It is, however, very easy to try and fix the player.

That free drink? Those complimentary cocktails? The dinner on the house? The comped luxury suite?

It’s not just the casino showing the kindness of its heart. It wants you to stay and play.

The cardinal rule of any casino is simple: keep them playing. They are literally designed to keep you playing for longer.

If that means a room, free drinks, dinner, and good times, the casino will do all it can to get the money back.

There’s no need for a fake fix, when three large cocktails and the house edge will do the job for you. All it takes is time.

5. The Audit

Getting a casino license is both costly and time consuming; both online and in the real world.

Adjusting game play to favor the casino in the middle of session violates any license terms and conditions.

If you’re gambling in the backroom of a dive bar, in the roughest block in town, you could be in trouble.

But — at any reputable, serious, online or offline casino — you can rest assured that they are more than happy to wait, play straight, and let statistical nature take its course.