Bottom dealers are a breed of poker cheats who specialize in “bottom dealing.”

Bottom dealing is a method of illegally influencing the outcome of a poker game by way of dealing from the bottom, rather than the top, of the card deck. Generally, a bottom dealer will sneak a peek at the bottom card of the deck just after or during the cut. With the knowledge of that card in mind, he can deal the card to himself or a confederate to help his or his buddy’s hand, or deal it to someone else if he knows the card will not help the opponent (thereby preventing the opponent from improving his hand).

If you ever happen to catch a bottom dealer in action, your best bet is to walk away and alert the authorities. Confronting the cheat directly is a dangerous play, as he will not likely go down without a fight, and may be armed just in case anyone decides to question his integrity.

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.