THE GAFFED SHOE

Any gambling game that uses multiple decks of cards that are too bulky to comfortably be held in the hand reauires the use of a dealing box commonly referred to as a "shoe' , or sabot, as it is called in France. The shape of the device resembled a person's shoe, hence the nickname. The earliest shoes manufactured for use in a card game were made of wood and metal. Presently most American made shoes are manufactured from plexiglas.

The earliest gimmicked shoe was discovered in France, that was used in the game of baccarat and chemin de fer. Certain cards drawn by the player side prevent the banker from drawing additional cards. An ingenious method was devised to allow the wooden shoe to "hold out", that is, keep out of play, certain cards in a secret compartment that kept the cards until the secret lever was deployed that would release the card and put it into play.

The chemin de fer shoe had a gimmicked handle that when turned, would release from a bottom compartment under the faceplate of the shoe the desired cards that would prevent further action bythe bank side. The cards in the shoe were selected according to which side the cheater would wager upon. For instance, in baccarat if the banker and the player side both had a two card total of 5 on the firts initial two cards each, if an additional card such as a 9 were drawn, the bank would win, and there would be no further action by the player side. The bank would beat the player with a total of 5 over 4.

The person that would operate the device does not have to be the heavy player, but rather a shill or other player betting in the game. Not much suspicion or attention is given to someone that is betting the minimum bet. Getting the card out from the secret compartment was not that difficult, since, the spring loaded gimmick shot the card out from the bottom into the hand as though it were actually dealt from the window of the shoe.

The person dealing only had to synchronize the timed actions together to make it appear as if a card was being dealt in a normal fashion. The wooden handle was turned just enough to allow the card to be released. This device has been used for over 50 years that we know of, and has never been actually detected in a
live chemin de fer or baccarat game. This device is similar in every respect to a normal shoe, excepting that the bottom compartment is hollow and connected to the handle release mechanism.

One not be concerned, you will never find a hold out shoe in a Nevada game, since all of the shoes being used in the state have a clear, see-through bottom that exposes the entire shoe for inspection.

There are other types of gaffed shoes that are used in baccarat and chemin de fer that are very similar in many respects to gaffed blackjack shoes. In fact the reason that all of the shoes used in blackjack and baccarat are clear, exposing the entire bottom, is the fact of a conspiracy that was perpetrated on a major casino many years ago.

Some zealous cheat went through the trouble of devising a blackjack 'shoe that had the capability of signaling the top card in the window to a player at the game. In other words, the playersitting at the table would know what the next card would be. He could then hit or stand pat accordingly. With this type of edge going for a thief, he would be playing the game with a 10 to 15% or more advantage against the house.

The shoe was designed to contain a receiver, batteries, and an elaborate fiber optical system that flashed just for a brief second, just long enough for the player to get the information. The player had to know exactly where to look on the shoe. Other players and the dealer would not see the information because of the angle of the shoe and faceplate. Another person in the scam might be 10 to 20 feet away from the blackjack table wearing the device to activate the shoe. This person may b~ playing slots or just standing near the table observing the action. Nobody would have reason to suspect him or connect him to the scam. The player at the table would not activate the system for fear of exposure in the event of detainment and search by law enforcement agencies.

The scam was discovered accidentally by an unsuspecting blackjack supervisor that was closing down the games for the evening. Upon picking up two shoes, carrying one in each hand, he noticed the difference in respective weights. The gaffed shoe was much heavier than the normal one. In every other detail, there was absolutely NO DIFFERENCE between the two shoes. The casino manager inspected the device and could not detect the gaff, until Gaming Control agents were called in to take the device apart to discover the elaborate system.

Someone or persons clearly stayed up many evenings. figuring out this unbelievable scam. It was as good as a movie script. How long was the device in the casino? How was the device put into the game? Who was responsible? How much money was taken from the house? These questions still are unanswered.

Another gaffed blackjack shoe makes use of a reflecting prism that signals to the dealer the top card. Simply by holding this card back with the fingers and then dealing the second card is easier than dealing seconds from a hand held deck. This type of shoe can be used against the player or against the house. The prism device is nothing more than a reflecting prism inserted near the face of the shoe. This can be removable or permanently implanted in the shoe. The house can use this against the players by having the dealer hold back cards for use in hitting his own hand, and for the( player with the dealer and the player in cahoots, signaling the
value of the top card to the player. The player can then make
more hands without breaking as often, thus giving him terrific
edge.

One version of this type of shoe has a small plunger to hold back the top card so the dealer can deal seconds. This method is more susceptible to being exposed, therefore it is not used as frequently as the non moving prism.

Still another version has the prism built into the lid of the shoe. Some smart crossroader working on the inside convinced management that lids should be placed on the shoes to protect the cards from being altered or touched in any fashion. Little did the manager realize that the very idea of protecting the cards from cheaters was the device to burn the casino out of a lot of money.

It might be noted that many suggestions and methods of operations have been purposely designed to cheat the house under the guise of a protective measure.
On additional gaffed shoe has a mirror built in the faceplate of
the shoe that gives the dealer the value of the top card of the
deck. The device is phony looking, but will get the money.
The price range for any of these shoes will vary according to
the blackmarket price, and how hungry the maker is, but generally
speaking a gaffed shoe will retail for $750 to $5000, depending on
the type and availability.

Currently, new technology is opening the door for cheats.
Through the advances of NASA's space program, and the advent of
the computer age, new ways of getting into the pockets of the
casinos are being developed. Rumor has it that a scanning optical
device is being worked out that would signal the order of the
cards from the top of the deck down to the bottom. This method is
very similar to the optical reader that is used in supermarkets to
decode the price of an item to the auto cash totaling device.

Another method rumored to be in the research phase is the use of
a radioactive material impregnated into the playirig cards that
will signal the value and position to each card in a deck or
mUltiple deck.