To some players, knowing that the house has an edge in games like roulette can get very frustrating. This frustration can eventually tempt them to find ways of getting around this advantage and still find a way to win.
Hopeful players will try out a new betting system, while resourceful players might try to figure out a way to exploit a biased wheel. And some players may even take this idea a bit further and try to find ways to cheat the casino out of their money.
One of the most common cheating methods attempted by players in brick-and-mortar casinos is past posting. This method is likely as old as the game itself and, while modern standards and technology have made it more difficult to pull off, that won’t stop countless players from attempting this scam.
What is Past Posting?
Simply put, past posting is an attempt by the player to make bets after the results of the spin are already known (or when the ball is about to fall into a pocket, in which case the results won’t be known, but the player would have a huge edge). By doing this, the player can be paid for winning bets which they did not actually make before the spin.
In order to attempt past posting you’ll likely want to scout your targets first. You’ll want to find a roulette croupier who looks like they do not pay attention to their table layout when checking the result of a spin and you won’t want many other casino personnel (like pit bosses or other floor workers) hanging out near the table. It’s even best if you’re playing with friends or with players who don’t pay much attention, as many players will even call out your cheating if it is obvious and/or blatant.
When it comes time to play, you’ll need to be quick and discrete if you want any hope of your scheme actually working. One of the most likely post posted bets that might go unnoticed is adding extra money to a winning bet after you’ve already won. A dealer that isn’t paying much attention might not realize that you’ve added additional chips after the fact, though moving a large number of chips would probably be detected. Alternately, you could try using slight-of-hand to move chips from a losing spot on the layout to a nearby winning spot, or add chips to winning bets after having spread plenty of bets on the table to begin with.
There are also a couple of obvious mistakes that you should avoid if you’re attempting to place late bets. When past posting, don’t completely avoid making bets and then only add your bets after you know the result. This is a transparent attempt at cheating. A croupier is going to remember that you haven’t made a single bet and be very suspicious when your chips suddenly appear on the winning number. Similarly, you shouldn’t try to past post on every spin – there’s no way you’ll go undetected for long.
Issues with Past Posting
In the above explanation, we may have made it sound as though past posting had a reasonable chance of success. However, the truth is that if you attempt this technique in almost any casino today you’re likely to get caught – and it’ll usually happen the first time you try it (or not long after).
We mentioned that one of the important aspects to making past posting work is the presence of an inattentive staff. However, modern casinos are very diligent about making their staff conform to strict procedures and routines for just this reason. Everyone is paying attention constantly and croupiers are taught to control the roulette table in ways that prevent past posting and other simple scams.
But even if that weren’t true, it wouldn’t improve your chances of success very much. In almost every casino cameras are constantly monitoring everything that goes on at every table, making cheating a dubious prospect.
Even if someone isn’t constantly watching your particular table, you can be sure they’ll occasionally be taking a look in, and that means that you’re likely to be spotting doing something suspicious at some point. Also, if your winning streak starts to look even the slightest bit unusual or suspicious, you can be sure the tapes will be reviewed – and the casino won’t like it when they see chips suddenly appearing on the winning numbers.
Consequences of Past Posting
If you get caught past posting, there will be consequences. Don’t expect the casino to have a laugh about your small time attempt at cheating. You can instead expect to be kicked out and banned from the casino after answering a lot of questions about what you were trying to do. Legal action is also a possibility, though unless you have been winning a lot or been cheating for a long period of time, the casino may not feel it is worth their time to prosecute you.
The bottom line is we strongly recommend against past posting in any casino. If you do choose to try, you do so at your own risk.