Spooking is an illegal form of
cheating used in
Blackjack. It is the act of standing behind the
dealer to peak at the
hole card and then secretly convey the information to a partner player sitting at the table.
An example of this can be seen in the film "
Casino", starring
Robert de Niro.
This is a play where the player has an
agent — a "
spook" positioned behind the
dealer, most often seated at another
blackjack table on the other side of the pit, which enables the agent to view the dealer's
hole card when the dealer checks for a
blackjack. The "
spook" then signals the player at the table with the hole card information, so that the player may play his hand accordingly. Another type of spooking employs an
agent in front of the dealer, but far enough away from the table so that his angle of viewing allows him to see the dealer's hole card as per typical
front-loading - except that this type of play requires yet another
agent to signal the
player or players at the table of the
hole card value.