Casino Cheating Expert Reviews Card Counting and Casino Scams From Movies | Vanity Fair 

You have to bring this guy back in at least once every few months

I used to be a craps/blackjack dealer at a Riverboat Casino in Indiana. Sal was our Head of Gaming security. The things this man could do were incredible. True photographic memory, and one of the kindest people you will ever meet. Sal, if you read this, I was excited to see you and glad you are healthy and well, also... I still have no idea all these years later how you levitated in the High Limit pit that night... haha

I literally know 0 card games except Uno, never want to set foot in a casino but watching an expert explain a trade is always fascinating

Not only the guy instantly notice the cheating technique, but he reproduce it and break it down for us. Such a great man and a great video

Can we just acknowledge how awesome Edward Norton is for learning all those cheating techniques and shuffles for a movie when most people aren't going to even notice they're happening in the scene. I've seen Rounders like 5 times and never knew he was using actual cheating techniques.

The fact that even he and his wife had worked out the cheats together!!! Mind blowing this guy could go into any casino and win everything if he wanted 😂😂😂

When he talks about the scene in 21, he's 100% right in that the movie was trying to keep things simple for the viewer. The book that 21 was based on, which was based on a true story, goes into all of the details about True Counts vs. Running Counts. Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich. Read it in high school and it's still one of my favorite books. The splitting 8s scene is a HUGE scene in the book, so I'm glad that it made it to the movie.

I am 100% convinced this dude is a wizard. Even seeing his "cheats" in slow motion, I am amazed that he can do it. Palming the dice and switching them out? Crazy! Shuffling the deck and being able to stack it in that split-second view?! Mindblowing.

An expert that still seems like they are having fun with their profession and enjoy teaching a thing or two about the business. Class act, please bring this man back for a second round of information as long as it's not to revealing, he is great to listen to. :D

Imagine how dangerous it would be to play cards with this guy. If he wanted to rob you blind he could with ease. Great video! 👍

I like that he tried to relate best he could to the movies, instead of just dismissing them as being Hollywood or whatever. Most expert videos tend to do that, this is much more entertaining.

He looks EXACTLY like what a person who calls themselves a casino cheating expert would look like.

Love everything about this guy’s demeanor, knowledge, explanations, etc. Pleasure to watch.

Duuude even after seeing him cheat I’m still blown away. He makes it look so natural! Such a charismatic guy and the explanations were great!

What I found more impressive than his obvious skill is that he is plainly spoken. He did not try to bury the audience in "babble". In a 2013 trip to DC, we visited the National Cathedral. The tour guide was an exceptional vault of knowledge that could boggle my mind with her vast knowledge about intricate details that never required deception. After her impressive presentation in the free tour, of course I "donated" $20, but also learned she was a retired elementary school teacher.

I stopped playing cards the first time I played with a card shark, he said never play cards with someone you don’t know, he then showed me why. It was incredible to see, he was so fast you couldn’t see even when he told what to look for.

Casino surveillance for 10 years. I will definitely use this as an example in table training. Love this ❤️

This guy brought so much to the table. All the examples, all the knowledge, even an accomplice. What a great speaker and educator.

Despite him explaining exactly what he is doing he is good enough for it to still not be visible. It's crazy how good you'd have to be to notice those tricks mid game

Sal has come to Casinos Niagara in several times and his teachings are mind blowing, seeing do card tricks alive is like watching a magician!

I took one of his classes on game protection. This guy is as legit as they come.

Excellent summary of cheating techniques. The best I’ve ever seen. Very well explained, totally accurate, but easily to understand without “dumbing down” the material. Excellent job. A casino would be lucky to have this man working for them. Obviously hugely talented, a total class act. I’m so impressed by this man. Watching this video was a privilege! Thank you Sal!!

He and his wife are amazing with their secret communication techniques. Please stay awesome you bring warmth to my heart.

Usually these “experts” are kind of showy hacks. But this guy was solid gold. And he was very entertaining to watch. Bring him back, please.

It's nice to hear someone say that remembering what cards have been played isn't cheating. Perhaps the next step is reminding students they're allowed to remember what they've read?

That was extremely interesting. We hear about many different ways that people cheat but to see it and have it explained is awesome. You should do a follow up to this video.

Honestly just wow… the knowledge and the way he tells how everything is done it’s just mind blowing. I didn’t believe someone like that exist. Blessings to you bud. Hope we can see more content like this soon.

You got my respect Sal , I know zero about cards & casinos but like everything in life when a master teaches his craft all you can do is sit back & enjoy the knowledge being shared and admire the dedication that was put in to get at that level

This was a brilliant breakdown of a lot of films really quickly and concisely. Well done.

Need to bring this guy back for more! He's clearly an expert and super fascinating

This was REALLY awesome and VERY educational as well!! It's amazing the things people have come up with! While, I do NOT like people who cheat (loaded dice, computers, working in teams, etc...), I find some of these skills to be pretty amazing!

Well, this was a heck of a lot of fun, super interesting, and informative. I had no idea how many ways to cheat there were. Wish this guy had a book out.

Wow! I learned so much in so little time. I always thought it was silly that counting cards was considered "cheating." Thank you for making that clear.

I don’t even know how to play solitary and hardly understood anything, but I could listen to this guy for hours. Fascinating! So much knowledge and skills. Bring him back! :)

This was one of the best and most entertaining scene analyzing videos I've watched. Thank you Sal

this guy was flawless, not only is he obviously an expert, but he’s also an amazing communicator

Every time I rewatch this video I like it more and more! Nice one ! 👍

I've never played a card game in my life, nor do I have much interest in it. However, Sal is a wonderful speaker and educator and I could listen to him all day! He is very engaging.

This guy was fantastic! I hope we see more of him.

Rounders is one of my top movies of all time. I never knew Norton did actual cheating techniques. I’m amazed that Norton took the time to actually learn and perform them. Wow 🤩

We need more of this man

This guy has to be the world's greatest uncle.

Can you please just make a series I don't want to cheat or any of that You just make it so interesting

These are probably all old tricks that most people are familar with and were safe to reveal. Can't imagine the hundreds more that this guy knows.

I don’t go to casinos often (I could count the amount of times I’ve gone on one hand since I hate the ever-present smell of cigarettes) but this was still cool. The one time I actually gambled I did get lucky enough on the slots to make a profit, but not much.

Of all of the "experts weigh in" videos by vanity fair, GQ, Insider, etc. THIS ONE IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVES. Gotta be top 5. So well done!

I tried the card trick at the start with my dad but he already knew what i was trying to do because he worked in casino security and catching cheats 😭

I like how much overlap there is between cheating games and magicians tricks.

This guy has no ego. Just the skills and the facts. He's truly amazing!

Thanks for doing this breakdown! I've been developing my cheating tactics and this video was really helpful!

This is one of the best one of these types of videos I've seen. He's very knowledgeable, and never missed an opportunity teach something.

It takes years of practise to manipulate cards to the skill level of this dude. I am NEVER going to play any card game with you sir. Great demonstration....really enjoyed watching that.

Sal worked for a casino I worked at. We were all experienced pit bosses and dealers and he'd cheat right in front of us. He came in several times a year just to show us new cheats and advantage moves. Plus he is a really good guy to spend time with.

Cool video; thanks for posting. Did you see the movie Maverick with James Garner and Mel Gibson? What was your opinion of the deck switch for the final hand? I've always thought it was both lame and funny when in a room full of professional gamblers, the dealer executed one of the most obvious and pathetic deck switches ever shown on camera. He might as well have just pointed to the ceiling and yelled "Look, a distraction," and then switched decks.

This should be shown to anyone looking to get into the field of education or video making in general. This video was 23 minutes and I was captivated the entire time it felt like 3 seconds. I would watch this dude any day.

Sal's that crazy cool uncle who teaches you all the tricks to wow your friends at a party or in the pub. I approve.

Really excellent video! I was looking for some kind of overview of casino cheating and I'm glad I found this one. I just applied for a job as a surveillance trainee at one of the big NV casinos and I think this was a great introduction. Hopefully I'll be the guy in the monitor room sometime soon. Thanks! 🎲🎲🃏♦️♥️♣️♠️💰💰💰

This is mostly sleight of hands. So basically you have to be a pro at manipulating cards with your hands in such a way that you could hide, switch, or even discard cards whilst trying your best not to make others notice it thus executing it brilliantly and winning the hand. One has to do years of training and handling cards in order to master this trick and pull it off everytime easily with confidence 🤗🤗

I don’t know a single thing about casino games/poker/etc, and yet I’m interested enough to watch a 23 minute video of a professional talking about it

I don't even know how to play poker, I've never played blackjack, and I've never been in a casino, but this was fascinating and educational (though I'll never use this info). Love this guy and his lovely wife.

I'm amazed that in crowded casinos....even with all the surveillance.... talented guys like this one can ever be caught.

I'll almost always find the Austin Powers clip hilarious! 😄

Yeah, as far as the video title is concerned, card counting isn’t “cheating.” It’s playing the game well. Screw the casinos. Great background on all these films, thanks. 👍

Can we get this man and his incredible wife playing cards more?! Love their signals 🥰

I was in casino surveillance for 11 years, our casino hired Sal to teach us gaming protection, best course ever and one on one experience was amazing.

This was a super interesting video, I’ve been learning cardistry and saw the mechanics grip would be a giveaway because it’s very useful. Even a cheeky flourish like a one handed cut you can peek at the bottom card.

You know you're due for a casino re-watch when Chief says it's the greatest gambling movie! :)

I love this guy! Everytime I watch him, even though he explains everything, whar he does - still feels like real magic! Bravo, Sal Picante!

Could watch this guy all day

This guy is superb. Doesn't take himself too seriously, but clearly knows what he's talking about.

"If you wanna leave the casino with a small fortune, bring a large one" smiles - pure gold!

This is a great video. I knew about some of these tricks, but not all, and it was an eye opener seeing how slick you are at all of the techniques.

I gamble once a year on the Grand National so I have no clue, but I'm amazed just how complex things can get with just a deck of 52 cards. We are a very devious and inventive species.

Its rare to see a True Expert ! Someone who doesnt just know How its done and How to spot it.....But Actually Can Perform the Cheats! Great Job !

This guy is so entertaining. I was't surprised his wife has the same interests for card games.

True skill this man has. Having to disguise your movement to look natural and not draw attention has more depth than any magician.

Gotta bring this guy back he’s clearly an expert and demonstrates so well.

I'd love to just listen to this guy talk about this stuff for hours. It's so interesting

This guy probably has a lot of fun stories. I wanna know how he met his wife. They've obviously been playing the accomplice game a loooong time. Also how he got into this! But mostly what I've learned is cheating requires a lot of slight of hand and math that I don't get lmao

I always thought its funny how you can bet literally every cent you have but as soon as you start winning you get backed off

This dude is such a professional ... knowledgeable and very entertaining

Thank you for sharing this. These videos are always entertaining to watch, but even in a 100 years I would never be slick enough to pull off any of those tricks. I live close enough to Laughlin that I am able to visit a few times a year. Sometimes I am able to win enough to cover the cost of my trip. But more often than not I lose enough to say it was a fun trip. People often say the casinos are the real crooks. I don't think so. They provide jobs for all those working there. The dealers, waitresses, janitors, and others pay their bills with my losses. That always makes me feel better at the end of my trip

I’m always glad to hear the pros say card counting isn’t cheating, casinos just don’t like it. All card counting is, is remembering what cards have been played, and understanding the odds of what cards are left.

This was by far the most educational video I've ever seen on TRvid and I've definitely learned a lot! 🔥💯

You left out the easiest and most simple of countermeasures for dice sliding. They simply put a thin dowel rod under the felt so that any dice sliding over it get shot up into the air and roll anyway.

This video was so interesting. Thanks. Board and especially card games are a big hobby of mine but i was never interested in going to casinos or gambling with real money. It is not bringing out the best in people. Years ago we were playing a trick taking game at the pub once a week. There was money involved but just a little. Most of the time the winner would simply buy a new round of drinks for everybody, and perhaps keep the change which wouldn't be enough to buy chewing gum. Even though you couldn't really "win money" we cought a player cheating. It took us some time to recognize it, because who would expect that. Since this day i never played with that guy again...or for money

That was a million times more interesting than I expected it to be. I know nothing about cards and gambling and that was fascinating.

Is he allowed to actually gamble at any casino? Jesus the talent

I've worked in casinos my entire life, and the way this gentleman just explained this stuff is absolutely spot on and in a very engaging way even for me. Really well done!

Really the level of nonverbal communication between Dee and Sal is more romantic than any romcom i've ever seen.

Here on TRvid, you always see these "Expert Reviews". And so often it's a person that knows a bit more than the basics, making the video boring or uninteresting. But this guy, he's truly an expert, and it was so cool and interesting to not only listen, but see the tricks he explains and performs right there!

The amount of ingenuity people put into scamming money is honestly scary.

Really intriguing to hear this guy explain this, but I'd be wary about ever playing a game of cards again after watching this.

Finally an expert that is actually an expert.

Don't like cheaters in any game/hobby, but I also can't help admiring the skill and ingenuity that a person has to have to come up with some of these tactics and tricks.

This guy knows his stuff man and even has the sleight of hand as well. No wonder Casinos want him on their side 😅

This was one of the coolest, most interesting videos I’ve seen. This guy needs his own show! Lol

This guy needs his own show. Almost to 10 million views now!!

Very educational and an eye opener! Thanks for sharing your experience.

I have never been to Las Vegas, I’ve never even actually bet or gambled on anything, but this was still incredibly entertaining to watch. P.S. I guess I had better not EVER play cards or gamble because even after watching this a SECOND time, I could not see Mr. Paciente’s “tricks”.