Marked playing cards are used by magicians and poker players alike to cheat in card games, providing an easy way for them to do so. There are various forms available such as magic trick marked cards, contact lens marked cards and barcode scanner marked cards.
Some marking systems can be read easily by experienced eyes while remaining invisible to casual observers; others are much subtler but still detectable by trained eyes.
The Basics
Card marking has long been used by cheats and magicians as an effective method to mark playing cards for use during tricks or magic shows, although different approaches exist. Cheaters and magicians commonly employ three main categories of marked cards: magic trick marked decks, contact lens marked cards and barcode scanner marked cards – each type having its own reading system.
Bends and crimps, tiny pinprick bumps that resemble Braille script, were among the earliest methods used by cheats to alter designs on card backs, adding or subtracting lines or patterns from designs on backs of cards. Cheaters then began altering back designs by altering designs – including adding or subtracting patterns – on cards by altering designs using inks or pigments to lighten or darken the card backs, lightening or darkening their colors, using block out work (using similar colored ink as card back) or cut out work (using razor scraping off colored areas of card back designs, such as adding white birds) on back designs of cards backs of cards used as proof.
Marks that are hard for spectators to detect are ideal. One such mark, called Luminous Marking System, makes magic reading easy while remaining unseen for their audience – such as Daniel Schneider’s Black, Edelrot or Lavender Roses Playing Cards which use this system of marking. Another more subtle method involves subtly tinting parts of an image such as its head for an Ace card or left wing for Kings; this method was employed in Drummond Money-Coutts’ White Lions Playing Cards as well as Franco Pascali Cartelago Playing Cards by Franco Pascali while Phil Smith’s DMC Elites use an optical marking system visible over distance!
Detecting Marked Cards
As a card player, there are a variety of strategies you can employ to protect yourself against cheaters. If you suspect your opponent has marked cards, inspecting them for signs of tampering such as smudges, scratches and notches on their edges can help detect cheating; magnifying glasses are useful tools in this regard.
Though some cheaters make their markings noticeable, others try to conceal them more discretely. Markers used bends and crimps in the past to make their marks visible; with technological advancement, cheaters started altering card back designs using inks and pigments which allow hustlers to add or remove lines from designs on card backs using block-out work, cut-out work, scroll work and shade work techniques.
If you suspect a deck of marked cards, shine a bright light over them to assess whether their backs are darkened or shiny – darkened cards often indicate tampering, while shiny cards could indicate juice markings. Also look out for any signs of smudges or scratches which could potentially conceal marked cards.
There are two different kinds of marked cards, invisible ink marked cards and barcode side marked cards. The former requires an infrared camera for proper reading while barcode side marked cards can be printed into regular decks and read by most standard scanner cameras – both types can be used in most poker gambling games and with some practice you will soon know how best to utilize these devices.
Detecting Luminous Marks
Marked playing cards that feature luminescent marks are invisible to the naked eye and are used in casinos and private games for card tricks. Used properly, this technology gives magicians an edge against opponents in card tricks. Sometimes these marks can even defy detection using traditional measures like gambling’s riffle test; only trained experts are capable of seeing these subtleties. To detect such marks using UV lighting on backside of cards and checking for signs of tampering such as scratches or white ink stains on cards will suffice.
Another method for marking cards involves the use of special juice or powder. While difficult to master, these methods are very effective at performing different card tricks. A special filter must be present to secretly read these marks – both front and back can be marked using this technique! This technique can even be applied to regular poker cards like Copag, KEM, Aviator and Bicycle!
Luminous and Juice marks on cards are popularly employed in gambling environments or by professional magicians, and can be seen by spectators if they understand the marking process. Unfortunately, however, these marks can only be recognized by those trained to recognize them – if you wish to prevent detection by other players then the Gambler’s Riffle test or UV/black light might help as well as encasing your cards in a sealed pouch for added security.
Detecting Juice Marks
Locating juice marked cards may be tricky for those unfamiliar with their process, particularly those unfamiliar with magic tricks and other sleight-of-hand card work. Juice marks tend to be very light and use shading technology rather than patterns or colors to identify cards; therefore, only an experienced spectator could detect these marks by looking closely and at specific angles. These marks typically aren’t used for cheating purposes but more for magic tricks or other forms of card manipulation work.
Juice markings, also known as the riffle test markings, are generally two shades lighter than the back of a card and can easily be read from 2-8 feet away. They’re most frequently found in casinos and poker games to help identify what hand a partner holds. In addition, juice marked cards offer additional functionality as they allow magicians and card flourishers to easily spot what hand they have been dealt.
There are multiple methods for creating juice marked cards, including invisible ink pens and other methods. While not as sophisticated as the Luminous Marking System, these techniques provide an affordable option for those unable to invest in an invisible ink marking kit.
Markings with juice may also include daubing or paste techniques that leave less precise markings and can leave some spots behind, yet still work in certain instances. Contact lenses with ultraviolet light pens – widely available at supermarkets for less than $5 – make this easier to detect than using traditional pen methods alone. NU-CONCEPT advises using Juice Dust or N-Dust products when marking 100% plastic playing cards as these will not damage or dull the finish and won’t harm their finish finish either.
Detecting Paste Marks
Card marking is an increasingly common tactic used by gamblers and con artists to gain an advantage against their opponents. Marks made can include suit or rank details that may be visible or invisible depending on the technique chosen by the marker; some methods range from easy detection to sophisticated techniques; examples of subtle marks include scratches or nicks that indicate certain values as well as colored patterns on the back; other techniques may include special marking integrated into artwork or series of smudges/stains that represent various suits/ranks of cards.
Most card marking is done manually; however, more sophisticated techniques require contact lenses or sunglasses with advanced features to detect. These so-called shade or tinted cards use tint solutions to color areas of a card that correspond with its back design.
Marking a deck of cards using special paste is another popular approach to card marking, enabling cheats to use this tactic without anyone knowing and without taking away from its protective wrappings. This allows a cheat to mark their deck quickly without anyone knowing!
NU-CONCEPT suggests that most beginners and intermediate customers use an N-Dust product (luminous daub or dust product that closely matched to the back colors of their cards) that offers greater concealment – although these solutions/inks and daubs will dull card finishes somewhat over other paste or dust products.