Dealer Tells

#1
I play mostly at a 2 deck pitch game where the dealer peeks for BJ withone of those tiny mirrors.

I have picked up on some dealers having tells based upon the speed and manner with how they react to the card when checking for a blackjack. I was wondering if there are some other tells I can look for beyond this. This method hasn't proven 100% accurate, but I am generally able to tell if he has a made hand or not based upon reaction.
 

ExhibitCAA

Well-Known Member
#3
"This method hasn't proven 100% accurate, but I am generally able to tell if he has a made hand or not based upon reaction."

This is a great example of why poker is a great gambling game (for the sharps).

I'm generally able to tell how a coin flip is going to turn out--I flipped 100 today, and I correctly predicted 52.

To clarify what Nightstalker is telling you: There is no tell; you have been "exploiting" random noise. Once you understand how the peekers work, you will realize that the dealer has no extra information that could be conveyed to you, even if she wanted to do so.
 
#4
ExhibitCAA said:
...To clarify what Nightstalker is telling you: There is no tell; you have been "exploiting" random noise. Once you understand how the peekers work, you will realize that the dealer has no extra information that could be conveyed to you, even if she wanted to do so.
Depends on the peeker.
 

Sharky

Well-Known Member
#5
yeah, but just maybe the dealer, too, "got a feeling, tonight's gonna be a good, good night. Fill my cup, mazel tov"

everytime I hear a store blaring this tune, and they do often, it just motivates me more to kick their f@#$#ing asses!!!

this has got to be the ultimate ploppy/slots player theme song:

"I got my money
Let's spend it up

Go out and smash it
Like Oh My God
Jump off that sofa
Let's get get OFF

I know that we'll have a ball
If we get down
And go out
And just lose it all

I feel stressed out
I wanna let it go

Tonight's gonna be a good, good night"

totally geared to the hopeless ploppy/slots player.

Yes, tonight will be a good, good night...FOR ME!!!! :laugh::laugh::laugh:
 

ExhibitCAA

Well-Known Member
#7
AM: "Depends on the peeker."

He specified the type of peeker, and it's the most prevalent peeker in the US. And while a 90-degree misrotation of the cards would provide some information (the dealer might inadvertently flip over AA or TT), obviously the poster isn't talking about such misuse of the device.
 

ExhibitCAA

Well-Known Member
#8
Sucker's post reminds me of a stats lecture where the professor was trying to illustrate something that I can't remember, using the analogy of "winning almost a million dollars" vs. "almost winning a million dollars." If someone can think of what he was trying to illustrate, I'd be grateful. It might have had something to do with convergence a.s.
 

65D

Active Member
#9
we have all read in various literature about the 4,7 & 2 being visually more difficult to recognize. Which is true.

Also, with let's say a "PICTURE" card, they have the uniquiness of having a face in the corner. The 10 has the uniqueness of being the only card w/ a 2 digit number. So the 10 is never a double peek.

I have first hand been privledge to a dealer who squinted alot (like every 10 seconds just for no reason), and yes when he squinted ALOT (it was a 4,7,2) when he didn't near as much, it was a 10.
- it wasn't really a priveledge, b/c It was only 2 shoe's and never saw the kid again.

But anyhow, along those same lines.
Does anyone else have any literature or a good source in regards to this?
- as in the "rated" most difficult to see cards perhaps.
This will be helpfull on the A up as well as the 10 up dealer hands

where I play (Korea), most of the dealers are kids (20 yrs old it looks). There are dealer tells. But I do not have enough experience, time testing them and confidence to begin to incorporate them into an adjunt to the overall AP picture. anyone else?

thank you in advance
 

Sucker

Well-Known Member
#11
ExhibitCAA said:
Sucker's post reminds me of a stats lecture where the professor was trying to illustrate something that I can't remember, using the analogy of "winning almost a million dollars" vs. "almost winning a million dollars." If someone can think of what he was trying to illustrate, I'd be grateful. It might have had something to do with convergence a.s.
It's pretty easy to understand the difference between "winning almost a million dollars" and "almost winning a million dollars".
If you win almost a million dollars, you can say that you "won almost a million dollars", and you can ALSO say that you "almost won a million dollars".
It's possible to ALMOST win a million dollars and ACTUALLY win ZERO, in which case you would not have the right to say that you won "almost a million dollars".

I'm not sure if THIS is what you didn't understand, or if it was MY point that you were talking about; so I can also explain MY point in simple terms:

If the dealer has no clue as to what his hole card is; although I myself may know what it is, I certainly didn't figure it out by observing his mannerisms. If someone here thinks that this is possible, perhaps they can enlighten ME.
 

65D

Active Member
#12
My desire to be enlightened is on the visual difficulty level rating on each card with simulating deeler peeking...to RANK in order which cards are the most difficult to see.

now this may be counter-productive, as all the dealer REALLY is looking for, is if he has a 10 (w/ ace up) or (ACE (w/ 10 up). Maybe, or maybe even likely MOST dealers may have no clue if that was a 4 or a 7, they just saw....they just know it was NOT a 10 or Ace, so no need it looking any longer.

Ex: a 4 looks similar to an ace, (blackjack for blood, pg178).

How many of you have actually (lets say w/ a high count, that a hard 14 for dealer has a high chance to burst)....actually USED this information as a small adjunt to add a unit or 2, or double lets say a 10 vs 10, or even a 9 vs 10?
ie HAD SUCESS WITH IT.

I imagine at the MOST, its a very minor toolbox adjunt that is only applicable to perhaps 5% of the dealers we encounter.

but, (to me) its these kind of small tiny tools that if accumulated enough, will build the set
 

WABJ11

Well-Known Member
#13
65D said:
My desire to be enlightened is on the visual difficulty level rating on each card with simulating deeler peeking...to RANK in order which cards are the most difficult to see.

now this may be counter-productive, as all the dealer REALLY is looking for, is if he has a 10 (w/ ace up) or (ACE (w/ 10 up). Maybe, or maybe even likely MOST dealers may have no clue if that was a 4 or a 7, they just saw....they just know it was NOT a 10 or Ace, so no need it looking any longer.

Ex: a 4 looks similar to an ace, (blackjack for blood, pg178).

How many of you have actually (lets say w/ a high count, that a hard 14 for dealer has a high chance to burst)....actually USED this information as a small adjunt to add a unit or 2, or double lets say a 10 vs 10, or even a 9 vs 10?
ie HAD SUCESS WITH IT.

I imagine at the MOST, its a very minor toolbox adjunt that is only applicable to perhaps 5% of the dealers we encounter.

but, (to me) its these kind of small tiny tools that if accumulated enough, will build the set
The dealers don't see anything with the mirror device, they can offer no tells. Next time your in the casino ask the dealer if he can see the under card in that mirror. Once you understand how this mechanism works you will understand what I'm talking about.
 

Preston

Well-Known Member
#16
Actually I am able to something similar to this and it does work for me.

The dealers I deal with at a 2D pitch game check their cards with a standard mirror mechanism. I have observed different reactions when they have a 10 in the hole vs other cards. That lets me know if I am playing against a pat 20 or not. Useful info, especially if the game offers surrender (a rarity.)

It may not give me a set amount of info regarding exactly what to do, but knowing when the dealer truly does have a 10 in the hole is helpful.

so this is a worthwhile idea, but I wouldn't solely rely on it.

Counting and shuffle tracking are much more useful.
 

aslan

Well-Known Member
#17
Preston said:
Actually I am able to something similar to this and it does work for me.

The dealers I deal with at a 2D pitch game check their cards with a standard mirror mechanism. I have observed different reactions when they have a 10 in the hole vs other cards. That lets me know if I am playing against a pat 20 or not. Useful info, especially if the game offers surrender (a rarity.)

It may not give me a set amount of info regarding exactly what to do, but knowing when the dealer truly does have a 10 in the hole is helpful.

so this is a worthwhile idea, but I wouldn't solely rely on it.

Counting and shuffle tracking are much more useful.
Read this:

Mikebar said:
Most visual peeking devices used today work because of the location of the card rank in the corners of the cards.

The Face cards (10 - King) are designated with a value that is printed high in the corner on two corners (top left and bottom right and nothing on the other two corners). Aces are marked with the "A" in all four corners but only the top right and bottom left are high in the corner. All other cards are designated with their values printed lower.


The peeking device only "sees" the top part of the corner. Have you noticed that when they check under an exposed Ace that they turn the cards 90 degrees to the direction they check under a Face for an Ace? If the card they are looking for "isn't home" then they see nothing but white card. If it is "home" then they see the value. Because of this, if they look under a Face and the down card is not an Ace, then they see nothing to give away the value of the down card. Same thing when they look under an Ace...nothing there unless it's a Ten.
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=2794

The other kind of peek just gives a green light for no BJ and a red light for BJ. The dealer never sees a card value.
 
#19
NightStalker said:
They only see a blackspot or white spot in the mirror.
Black means blackjack, white means play on :)
UNLESS the house is not using the correct cards?
Like for instance the oversize character easier-t0-read cards? zg
 

aslan

Well-Known Member
#20
ExhibitCAA said:
I'm generally able to tell how a coin flip is going to turn out--I flipped 100 today, and I correctly predicted 52.
I have a friend who claims upwards of 95% accuracy in telling how a coin flip is going to turn out when he flips in a typical, expected manner. ;)
 
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