Card Marking

Card marking is the process of altering playing cards in a method only apparent to marker or conspirator. This allows different methods for card sharps to cheat or may be used for magic tricks. To be effective, the distinguishing mark or marks must be done on the obverse side, which are normally uniform. Card marking can sometimes also be called as card bending; it is considered to be the easiest way to mark probably. A cheater marks a card by crimping here. Card marking is often used to cheat when gambling or for card tricks, though many casinos, particularly those in Las Vegas, punch holes through the middle of cards they sell to tourists to prevent cheaters from returning to the game tables after buying the cards and then slipping the favorable cards into their hands when playing.

Marked cards can be used regardless of who shuffles and deals the cards. However, some more sophisticated marked-cards scams involve additional manipulative skills to steer the cards into the correct positions once the desired cards have been identified.