If you play poker, then you know how dangerous it can be to have a marked poker deck. Marked cards are used by poker players to cheat the other players at a table.
However, there are ways to protect yourself from this. These techniques will help you avoid being cheated in private games and save a lot of money in the process.
Invisible ink
During World War II, chemists worked to develop invisible inks that could not be exposed to heat, iodine or ultraviolet light. These inks were crucial to espionage, and the Allies and Axis powers waged a secret war over these chemicals.
The best invisible inks are chemically inert, odorless and can be developed by as few reagents as possible. They can also be developed by as little heat as possible.
Spies and clandestine lovers have used invisible ink for centuries to convey secret messages. However, these methods have become less popular in recent years.
Invisible ink can be made from lemon juice, milk, wine or vinegar. These are organic inks that burn at a lower temperature and change the fibers of paper. If you want to make a message with invisible ink, dip a cotton swab into any of these liquids and write on a piece of paper.
Detectable markings
Detectable markings are used on marked poker decks to protect the cards from fraudsters. They are invisible to the naked eye, but they can be easily detected by special gadgets.
There are many ways to mark a deck of cards, but the most common way is called daubing. This method involves applying a paste-like material on the back of cards and marking them on the fly while playing a game.
Another technique is juice-marking, which involves tinting a solution onto the back of the cards. It can only be detected by people who are trained to read the marks.
There are also luminous markings, which can only be detected by sunglasses or lenses designed to locate them. Video-luminous markings are also used, but they require specialized gadgets to be detected.
Easy to read
The Mint poker deck features an innovative multi-directional marking system that can be easily read regardless of the direction the cards are facing. This makes it the ideal marked deck for both in-the-hands work and tabled work.
One of the most popular ways to mark poker decks is by pricking or daubing the back design with dyes. The process is fairly low-tech and involves using a finger nail or thumb tack to create a mark that can be easily detected by the human eye.
Another popular way to mark a poker deck is by using block-out methods. This requires several days of testing and adjustments to find the perfect shade that matches the card design.
Often these marks are difficult to detect without special glasses or contact lenses, but some cheaters use them with great success. If you are suspicious of a marked deck, the gamblers’ riffle test is a good way to test it out.
Safe to use
Marked poker decks are safe to use as long as you follow the proper techniques and manage your audience. In fact, using marked decks is not much different to using any other gimmick or sleight of hand in magic, as long as you do it in the right way.
The decks should be designed in such a way that the markings go unnoticed by spectators. This is often done by incorporating the markings into the card back design, so that they blend in with the artwork and are hard to see.
This is why most magicians prefer to buy a factory-produced marked deck with an easy-to-use reader system. Moreover, it can be difficult to make your own marks on a deck that is too small for you to read easily, so this option can help save time and effort.