top-hatting

n. in roulette and casino gambling, the surreptitious placing of a bet after the outcome has been decided; past-posting. Subjects: English, Gambling

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Citations: 1990 Oliver Gillie Independent (U.K.) (July 9) “ Self-delusion keeps the chips going down” p. 4: The most common form of cheating is top-hatting. One of a team creates a diversion during the pay-off in roulette while another member of the team slips a late bet on the winning number. [1992 Mark Honigsbaum Guardian (U.K.) (Jan. 4) “Lingua Franca Poker-Faced Diplomats”: The sages at Binion’s say the fastest way to make a buck is by top-hatting, or marking the back of the cards with your fingernails.] 2000 Tefo Mothibeli Business Day (South Africa) (Apr. 27) “Stopping Illegal Gambling May Net Gauteng Millions”: The long-term goal of the unit is to be involved in the handling of crimes peculiar to the gambling industry as a whole. Examples of these would be late betting, top hatting, theft of credit cards from slot machines and theft of jackpot cups. 2005 Justin Davenport Scotsman (Glasgow) (Aug. 9) “Gang guilty of swindling casinos with ‘top hatting’ deception”: The film, which played a part in all three men pleading guilty, showed “top hatting”—dropping chips on to a gaming table a split second after the roulette ball has dropped—in slow motion. The deception relies on the dealer, casino inspector, security staff and other players all being distracted at the vital point when the ball drops.

Posted 10 Aug 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend