The Bottom Deal is when the cheater places the desired card at the bottom of the deck during the shuffle and the deals it into their own hand. Used in conjunction with the mechanics grip, this is a very powerful maneuver.
How is Bottom Dealing / Base Dealing Performed
While the desired cards are at the bottom of the deck, the cheat deals normally to opponents and when the deal comes to them, deal themselves the bottom card using the mechanics grip to conceal their actions. Expert bottom dealers can perform this maneuver so well that they can even trick seasoned players that are looking directly at the bottom of the deck of cards.
How do you Catch a Bottom Dealer Cheating at Poker?
The best way to catch an expert bottom dealer is to wait for them to foul up. A common mistake that is made when bottom dealing is when the bottom card is accidentally dealt with too much force, bringin other bottom cards out a bit. This is known as a “hanger”(see image) and can be easily noticed by a savvy poker player. In addition to the hangar, you can listen to the sound of the cards as they are dealt out and realize that there is a difference in the sound of a top card and the sound of a bottom card being dealt.
