Cold deck
Encyclopedia
A stacked deck is a deck of playing card
s arranged in a preset order, designed to give a specific outcome when the cards are dealt.
A cold deck is a stacked deck which is typically switched with the deck actually being used in the game in question, to the benefit of the player and/or dealer making the switch. Although a cold deck is most commonly associated with gambling
cheats
, as in poker
or blackjack
, a cold deck might be introduced in any game using playing cards.
The term itself refers to the fact that the new deck is often physically colder than the deck that has been in use; constant handling of playing cards warms them enough that a difference is often noticeable.
In the broader sense, the term can refer to the preset deck itself or to the practice of using one, as in, "I tried a cold deck on him but he spotted it in a second." As a verb, it can refer to cheating or being cheated by use of a cold deck, as in, "I think I may have been cold-decked when I lost that $800 pot
."
More recently, the term has come to refer to a hand that plays out as if a cold deck has been in use. For example, in most forms of poker, four of a kind
(four cards of identical rank, e.g., four Kings) is made rarely and a straight flush
(five consecutive cards of the same suit, e.g., the six, seven, eight, nine and ten of spades) is made extremely rarely. If one player is dealt four-of-a-kind and another is dealt a straight flush, both players would usually be justified in making large bets and raises. When the player with the straight flush wins the pot, the player with four-of-a-kind might complain of being cold-decked without meaning to accuse anybody of cheating. The hand itself is called a cooler.
, Paul Newman
's character goads Robert Shaw
's fictional gangster boss into cheating, which he does with a cold deck ("Stack me a cooler Floyd!").
Playing card
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...
s arranged in a preset order, designed to give a specific outcome when the cards are dealt.
A cold deck is a stacked deck which is typically switched with the deck actually being used in the game in question, to the benefit of the player and/or dealer making the switch. Although a cold deck is most commonly associated with gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
cheats
Cheating (casino)
Cheating in casinos refers to actions by the house or the player which are prohibited by regional gambling control authorities. This may involve using suspect apparatus, interfering with apparatus, chip fraud or misrepresenting games. The formally prescribed sanctions for cheating depend on the...
, as in poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
or blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
, a cold deck might be introduced in any game using playing cards.
The term itself refers to the fact that the new deck is often physically colder than the deck that has been in use; constant handling of playing cards warms them enough that a difference is often noticeable.
In the broader sense, the term can refer to the preset deck itself or to the practice of using one, as in, "I tried a cold deck on him but he spotted it in a second." As a verb, it can refer to cheating or being cheated by use of a cold deck, as in, "I think I may have been cold-decked when I lost that $800 pot
Pot (poker)
The pot in poker refers to the sum of money that players wager during a single hand or game, according to the betting rules of the variant being played...
."
More recently, the term has come to refer to a hand that plays out as if a cold deck has been in use. For example, in most forms of poker, four of a kind
Four of a Kind
Four of a Kind is the debut feature film for director Fiona Cochrane. It was completed in 2008 and released in 2009.It is based on the stage play Disclosure by Helen Collins as presented at La Mama Theatre during the 2006 Melbourne Fringe Festival. It was shot on location in Melbourne,...
(four cards of identical rank, e.g., four Kings) is made rarely and a straight flush
Straight Flush
Straight Flush was the name of a B-29 Superfortress participating in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945....
(five consecutive cards of the same suit, e.g., the six, seven, eight, nine and ten of spades) is made extremely rarely. If one player is dealt four-of-a-kind and another is dealt a straight flush, both players would usually be justified in making large bets and raises. When the player with the straight flush wins the pot, the player with four-of-a-kind might complain of being cold-decked without meaning to accuse anybody of cheating. The hand itself is called a cooler.
In fiction
In the movie The StingThe Sting
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
, Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
's character goads Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw (actor)
Robert Archibald Shaw was an English actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting , From Russia with Love , A Man for All Seasons , the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , Black Sunday , The Deep and Jaws , where he played the shark hunter Quint.-Early life...
's fictional gangster boss into cheating, which he does with a cold deck ("Stack me a cooler Floyd!").