Online Card Play is Far More Secure

As opposed to playing with someone in a face-to-face card game, when playing cards online at GameColony.com, there's no need to worry about various possible card tricks that your opponent may be up to. At GameColony.com the cards are generated randomly with each shuffle and are kept securely within a heavily firewalled server. Card-related information is only transmitted as needed in an encrypted secure fashion to the single correct player only. The site's military-grade heavily firewalled Sun Microsystems servers employ a 24-hour continuous monitoring.

How to Recognize and Beat Cheating in Face-to-Face Gin Rummy

The discussion on Gin Rummy cheating in face-to-face play below does not pertain to playing in live Gin tournaments held by Gin Rummy Association where experienced tournaments hosts provide a structured, secure and a safe place to play gin rummy.

Since Gin Rummy is a game of skill, an average cheat will not be able to beat the best Gin player in the country. So if you want to play winning Gin, you must first learn to protect yourself from the sharks

Bottom Stack Trick

Watch out for the bottom stack. When a cheater deals, he scoops up the cards and leaves an entire meld, usually four of a kind, on the bottom of the pack. Then he gives the pack a casual shuffle without disturbing the bottom four cards. He cuts about one-third of the pack off the top and puts it on the bottom. Then he offers his opponent to cut the pack and, since most players cut at about the center, the wanted meld ends up near the top and each player in the deal receives two of these four of a kinds. The cheat knows two of the cards in your hand, while you have no idea that he has two of the same value. As the game proceeds, you might discard one of those cards, giving the cheat his meld. Or he will throw you one, proceeding to underknock you by laying off that fourth card on your meld. This is one of the most common cheating. Even an honest player might shuffle and cut the cards the same way quite unintentionally. You can protect yourself against the bottom stack by shuffling the cards before the dealer shuffles.

51-Card Deck Trick

This may seem amateurish, but it is one of the most common and least hazardous cheating devices. When detected it can be made to look like an honest error. When the cheat removes the new deck from the box, he leaves one card behind. He knows what card that is. The advantage is trivial only on the surface. For example if the card left unnoticed in the box is 7 of hearts, the cheat will know not to make a meld of sevens. Second, he knows that the chance of getting a meld in a sequence involving the seven of hearts is zero. There are three such melds : the five-six- seven, the six-seven-eight, and the seven-eight-nine . This makes six dead melds out of a total of 96 melds in the game. This is a terrific advantage.

There is also a psychological throw-off. If during the play the missing card is discovered in the box, the cheat can promptly blame you. You can always protect yourself against this ruse by counting the cards before you start to play or better yet look in the box.

No Cut Trick

Some cheats keep a group of cards at the top of the pack, shuffle some cards over them and then deal without offering the deck for the cut. The effect on the game is the same as in the bottom stack. Never take your eye off your game.

Dealing from Half the Deck Trick

When the cheat knows what the top cards are, he shuffles, you cut, and instead of completing the cut he picks up the lower portion of the deck and deals from it. Then he completes the cut by putting the remaining cards of the lower pile on the top. It looks like a casual informality, but the cheat now knows precisely what cards are going to appear. Don't let anyone to deal from half the pack. Insist on the completion of the cut before the deal begins.

Signaling Trick

He may look like an authentic kibitzer. But when you're playing for money, watch your opponent. Make sure that no one with access to your hand is signaling.

Signaling is often done by amateurs and experts alike. It is easy and very effective in Gin Rummy because your opponent only needs to find out whether you have a high or low count in unmatched cards. A covert signal system is hard to detect. If you suspect that signals are being passed, play your next few hands while keeping your cards too close to your chest for anyone to see.

Peeking at Two Cards Trick

This is one of the most flagrant violations in the game. Reaching for his draw from the stack, the cheat pretends to fumble and lifts two cards instead of one. At a critical stage of the play, that glance at your next card is all he needs to know. To protect players against this violation, you may want to spread the stack fanwise. And if the violation does occur, the rules of Gin Rummy provide that the player who has committed it must show his opponent the card he just picked. By thus canceling his advantage, this will temporarily make an honest man of the cheat.

Marked Cards Trick

Some amateur cheats will bend the corner of certain cards so as to be able to spot them in play. Don't play with an old or defaced pack of playing cards.

Trick of Cheating on the Count

The practitioners of this crude larceny will keep a fair score sheet until the count gets too close for comfort. Then, knowing that one point is often the difference between winning and losing a game with its big-money bonuses, they will miscall their points in unmatched cards and, holding them in their hands, fan them casually before you. They will then toss them back onto the deck. To prevent this, insist on the rule that unmatched cards be placed face up on the table, separate from the melds and count them yourself. Also, check the addition of points, not only at the end of the game but also when each hand's score is entered.

The Counterfeit Meld Trick

Examine your opponent's meld closely to make sure that there is no queen of clubs between the king, jack and ten of spades.

Protection Against a Crooked Gin Deal

Whenever you play Gin Rummy make it a habit to reshuffle the deck when it is offered to you for a cut. Remember though that the dealer is entitled to the last shuffle if he so desires.

How to Beat a Gin Rummy Hustler

The Gin hustler is a player who only plays with opponents who know less about the game than he does. He wins because he possesses a superior knowledge of Gin and knows it. There are two ways to beat a Gin hustler: stop playing with him or improve your gin skills.