Card Cheaters (CardCheaters.com) was a news source about gambling cheating and scams which was run by Gambling Incorporated (GamblingIncorporated.com) from January 2005 through February 2017. Although it continued to offer a newswire through December 2022, none of that was archived. Their archives are now available here.
High-Tech Poker Cheating
“Is High-Tech Poker Cheating Real?” asks Richard Marcus in his December 2007 Bluff Magazine column. Marcus gives a number of examples of how high-tech cheating can occur in live games. He concludes with a prediction, “Within a few years we will see, or at least suffer unknowingly, the effects of tiny laser pens that card-markers will use to shoot beams onto the backs of their hole cards, which will result in tiny discolorations that can only be seen with special lenses and from certain angles.” To purchase a digital copy of the issue click: HERE.(12/07)
The Ultimate Work
Tony Giorgio who is a recognized expert in the methods employed by card and dice cheaters has just released a 2-disc set of DVDs which reveal the authentic sleight of hand methods employed by “hold-out men.” Mr. Giorgio has spent more than 20 years meeting and playing with hundreds of handmuckers, machine men, bust-out men, steers, front-men, spot finders, two-dealers, cellar-dealers, spreaders, cold-deckers, run-up men, check coppers, paper-players, painters, scratch players, slick sleeve and bean shooter players. During his travels and play, he learned from the top hold-out men in the world and invented and used many of his own moves which he now reveals. For more information click: HERE.(11/07)
Card Marking At Mohegan Sun
A man was recently arrested and charged with felony charges of cheating, first-degree larceny and criminal trespass when he got caught at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. He is accused of marking cards while playing Texas Hold’em. A New York Post article reported, “He obviously was defacing the cards in a way that obviously would not be detected,” Sgt. William Griffin told The Norwich Bulletin. “He was good at it.” To read the Nov. 17 article by Lukas I. Alpert titled “Casino ‘Shark’ Shock” click: HERE.(11/07)
A CardCheaters.com Exclusive:
Johnny Hughes’ Texas Poker Wisdom
October 19 marked the release of Johnny Hughes’ new novel titled “Texas Poker Wisdom.” Mr. Hughes has graciously allowed us to excerpt a portion of the book that discusses cheating at poker. The novel is about Matthew “Slick” O’Malley, a Texas road gambler of fifty years who wants to teach his nephew, Dylan, everything about poker: its strategy, culture, language, history, pitfalls, songs, movies, books, gambling joints, and web sites. Along the way you too will learn everything about poker while improving your game with the insights throughout the book. To read the exclusive excerpt click: HERE.(11/07)
Casino Surveillance Exposed On TV
A Fox News 23 report talked to Brandon Hill at the Cherokee casino about anti-cheating security. Hill demonstrated several cheating techniques and talked about what they look for. One of the techniques Hill explained was card switching, “That’s when two players exchange cards to get a better hand. It starts with a sign that tells his buddy to get ready. He had a queen and a ten. Brandon had a queen and a 2. After the two exchange cards, his buddy has a pair.” To read and see the, Nov. 8, segment by Jace Verhoeven titled “Casino cheats exposed” click: HERE.(11/07)
Cheating: A natural Part Of Poker?
The ongoing series by James McManus about the history of Poker in CardPlayer Magazine focused on W. Joseph Johnston who in 1906 was caught using a shiner. McManus pointed to Johnston’s defense, “Having bolstered his credibility by admitting he used the mirror and other devices to his advantage, Johnston maintains, in effect, that such tactics are a natural part of poker, things his accusers have themselves deployed while ‘looking for the best of it’ – they just failed to do it as artfully. And when everyone knows poker is a cheating game, it’s unmanly to ‘squeal’ if someone gets the better of you.” The rest of the article is about Theodore Hardison who in 1914 published “Poker, A Work Exposing the Various Methods of Shuffling Up Hands…” To read the Oct. 30 article titled “The Mirror, the Riffle, the Shift, and the Shark” click: HERE.(10/07)
Absolute Admission
AbsolutePoker’s admission to the cheating that went on at their website is the subject of an MSNBC article. The article reported, “The cheater, whose illegitimate winnings were estimated at between $400,000 and $700,000 by one victim, was an employee of AbsolutePoker.com who hacked the system to show that it could be done, said a spokesman for the company, who spoke with msnbc.com on condition of anonymity.” The article also quoted an AbsolutePoker spokesman, “We acknowledge a significant internal security breach whereby a resource who was infinitely knowledgeable about the system was able to get into the accounts in question. He played on those accounts and he saw hole cards.” To read the Oct. 19 article by Mike Brunker titled “Online poker cheating blamed on employee” click: HERE.(10/07)
Collusionspeak
Richard Marcus exposes methods of collusion using chip placement in the October 2007 issue of Bluff Magazine. In a column titled “Collusionspeak: The Official Language Of Live-Poker Collusion” Marcus explained, “A common misconception is that sophisticated collusion teams use hand signals to communicate what they’ve got in the hole. Not so. The best and most undetectable method for this covert means of divulging their hole cards is using the hole cards themselves in conjunction with chips. What more natural way to do it than by using the two things most intrinsic to any poker game: cards and chips?” To purchase a digital copy of the issue click: HERE.(10/07)
Absolutely Cheating
New York Times blogger Steven D. Levitt discusses the online poker cheaters who were able to see their opponents’ cards and conquer the game. “If you were a total idiot, you would do exactly what some cheaters on the Web site Absolute Poker appear to have done recently. Playing at the very highest stakes games, they allegedly played every hand as if they knew every card that the other players had. They folded hands at the end that no normal player would fold, and they raised with hands that were winners but would seem like losers if you didn’t know the opponents’ cards. They won money at a rate that was about 100 times faster than a good player could reasonably expect to win.” To read the September 20 blog by Steven D. Levitt titled “How Not to Cheat” click: HERE.(9/07)
Oklahoma Johnny Hale Talks About The Red Games
Oklahoma Johnny Hale explained what is a card mechanic and what to do when you encounter one in the Sep. 17 issue of Poker Player. Hale explained, “What do I mean when I say that dealer is a mechanic? …In this usage, it is a crooked card dealer who can manipulate the cards, stack the deck, deal seconds, or palm cards. He can control who the winner of certain poker pots will be! …There have been a few times I heard a whistle go off. That’s the sound a card makes when it is not coming off the top of the deck. It makes a whistle sound as the card is pulled through two or more cards.” You should also check out his other Red Game articles as they also relate to cheating. To read the September 17 article by Oklahoma Johnny Hale titled “The Red Games of Poker, Part 4” click: HERE.(9/07)
Steve Forte Talks About Dice Cheats
Part three of the CappersMall series that quotes Steve Forte about cheating focuses on Dice. Forte explained, “There’s been a whole evolution in craps scams… In the old days you had subs, hidden pockets in the dealer’s clothing. Craps is a game that has so much action that the dice would go one way and the money would go the other, into the sub. Then they went to techniques like hand-off moves, where the boxman would make change, giving extra money to the accomplice. And, off course, there were gaffed dice.” To read the June 23 article by Luken Karel titled “Sportsbook And Casino Games Cheats; Part 3: Dice Swindles” click: HERE.(7/07)
Five Arrested For Cheating Osceola Casino
A Des Moines Register article reported that “The arrests came after D.C.I. gaming agents suspected a casino dealer at Terrible’s Lakeside Casino in Osceola was working with patrons to cheat the game of Mini Baccarat. …Agents determined 22-year-old Larry Shephard had misplayed hands by switching cards, exposing cards and paying losing hands, paying out more than $12,000 in casino money after reviewing surveillance video.” To read the July 13 article by Tom Barton titled “Dealer, patrons arrested for theft and cheating at Osceola casino” click: HERE.
Steve Forte Talks About Blackjack Cheats
Part two of the CappersMall series that quotes Steve Forte about cheating focuses on Blackjack. Forte explained, “I would say that there’s almost nothing that I could share with you, for shoe games, the wheel and craps, nothing in my experience – 30 years of collecting hustlers’ moves, forays, scams, you name it – that would have any real threat to the casino bottom line that doesn’t involve somebody on the inside.” The article also describes many cheating techniques. To read the June 21 article by Luken Karel titled “Sportsbook And Casino Games Cheats; Part 2: Blackjack Thieves” click: HERE.(7/07)
Major Gambling/Cheating Collection Sold
“The Great Gambling Auction” which took place in Las Vegas on June 16 created a gathering of many of the leading Gambling collectors with some known hustlers and a few magicians. Some of the notable pieces sold include: Card Holdout For Table (US $7,000), Diana Game Layout (US $9,500), H.C. Evans’ Round Table Roulette ($7,750), and various hold-outs which garnered heavy bidding. Among the 385 lots offered for sale there were also many bargains to be had in the various books, marked cards, loaded dice and ephemera that sold near the low estimates. The auction which lasted seven hours turned out to be very educational due to the expert commentary by gambling authorities Sid Radner and Geno Munari.(6/07)
Steve Forte Talks About Slot Cheats
Steve Forte who is described as, “arguably the leading expert on casino games cheaters and scam artists,” is quoted in a CappersMall article about known methods of cheating slot machines. Forte explained the minilight device, “The thieves went in through the coin payout shoot with a device the size of a fork with an LED light at one end and a magnet to hold it in place at the other end… They built up credits and when they hit the payout button, they turned on the light, which confused the optic sensor and caused the machine to overpay.” To read the June 17 article by Luken Karel titled “Sportsbook And Casino Games Cheats; Part 1: Slot Machine Crooks” click: HERE.(6/07)
Marcus Investigated By AGCO
According to a Niagara Falls Review article the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is investigating Richard Marcus who boasted that he has cheated two of Niagara’s casinos out of more than $100,000 in the 1990s. The article quotes AGCO spokesman Ab Campion, “He did quite a bit of bragging about all the cheating he has done over the years and never got caught… If we get substantial evidence we can still charge him under the Criminal Code for cheat at play. There is no statute of limitations.” To read the June 12 article by Alison Langley titled “Casino cheat claims he hit Niagara venues for $100,000” click: HERE.(6/07)
Piacente Training Canadian Casino Staff
Sal Piacente is profiled in the Niagara Falls Review where he explained one of the scams he trains dealers to spot, “Cards are manipulated in the shuffle in such a way they come off the top of the deck in a prescribed order. Clumps of unshuffled cards are called ‘slugs.’ An accomplice stands near the table, writing down the order in which the cards appear. When the cards from the slugs begin to be dealt, members of the group bet on the known order of cards.” To read the May 29 article by Alison Langley titled “Gaming pro teaches casino staff to watch for cheaters” click: HERE.(6/07)
Canada’s Casino Rama Scammed For Two Million Dollars
A Packet & Times article quotes Sgt. Bob Paterson “There is no electronic gadgetry. It’s sleight of hand, shuffling, that sort of thing… Not much different from the trick of pulling a coin out of someone’s ear – it’s all an illusion with fast hand work… Gaining that inside co-operation to fix games – a trick employed by criminals in casinos in the past – is what gave the cheat team an edge.” The alleged team of cheaters targeted the game of Mini Baccarat. To read the May 26 article by Teviah Moro and Tracy McLaughlin titled “Suspects in casino scam appear in court” click: HERE.(6/07)
Big Gambling Auction In Las Vegas
The largest auction of cheating equipment, gambling instruments and books will be offered for sale on June 16 at 10am in Las Vegas by Munari Auctions. The items up for auction are described as “Crooked gambling apparatus, roulette wheels, marked cards, loaded dice, gaffed keno equipment, gaffed faro dealing equipment, holdouts, slot machines, punch boards, horse racing, gambling supply catalogs and much more! Hundreds of books on gambling! Ancillary gambling collectibles! One of the legendary gambling collections of all time.” Many of the items are from the Sidney H. Radner Collection and the original Audley Walsh Collection. The printed catalog is destined to become a collector’s resource and collectible itself. For more information, item photographs and descriptions click: HERE.(5/07)
Big Roundup Of Casino Card Cheaters
Federal prosecutors charged two-dozen people with cheating 18 casinos across the United States and Canada by using bribery and technology to beat Blackjack and Mini-Baccarat. It is estimated that the San Diego based team earned more than three million dollars in the past five years. A Seattle Times article explained that, “The group… perfected the sleight-of-hand technique that allowed dealers to pretend to shuffle cards that had already been played on the table and recorded by another co-conspirator.” An Associated Press article also reported that, “Thirteen other people also were arrested in the same sweep in Ontario and were expected to face charges there.” To read the May 25 Associated Press article by Allison Hoffman titled “2 dozen charged with cheating casinos” click: HERE.
–To read the May 25 Seattle Times article by Christine Clarridge and Jennifer Sullivan titled “Casinos here among 18 scammed for millions” click: HERE.(5/07)
Titanic Thompson’s Son A Card Cheater
Johnny Hughes recounts his encounter with Titanic Thompson’s son in his article “Titanic Thompson and Son” in the May, 2007 issue of Bluff. Hughes relays, “His son was as skilled as his father in all card-cheating moves. In 1975, I caught his son cheating. This was in a huge poker game in Lubbock, Texas.” He then goes on to describe how he cheated and tells some Titanic Thompson stories. To purchase a digital copy of the issue click: HERE.(5/07)
How Casinos Bust Cheaters
A FOX23 news story aired on April 30 about a recent capture of card cheaters at the Cherokee Casino in Oklahoma. The story quotes surveillance expert Brandon Hill, “The technology we use is out of this world outstanding… Those cameras can actually read the serial number off this one dollar bill and the cameras aren’t close. They are actually about 25-feet away and there are several other cameras throughout the casino watching my every move.” The story mentions some of the techniques used by cheaters and also includes a “Casino Cheater” forum. To read the story and watch the video click: HERE.(5/07)
A History Of Card Cheating
CardPlayer Magazine’s ongoing series about the History Of Poker written by James McManus presents a three part serial about card cheaters. The three articles, The Cheating Game – Part I (Volume 20, Number 6), Styles and Technologies of Cheating (Volume 20, Number 7) and Reformed and Unreformed Sharps: Jonathan Green, George Devol (Volume 20, Number 8), cover gimmicks, techniques and famed cheaters. All the articles are archived on the web and can be accessed by clicking: HERE.(4/07)
Expert At The Card Table–Bible Edition!
S.W. Erdnase’s Expert At the Card Table has been called the “Cardman’s Bible.” It has been studied, analyzed and mastered by card cheaters for more than 100 years. Taking the “Cardman’s Bible” moniker to heart the Conjuring Arts Research Center has just released a Bible-like edition of the book with numbered lines so you can reference sleights via the Bible verse method. It is printed with gilt edges, has a ribbon placeholder and in is bound in soft leatherette. The size is also tiny and can fit in your shirt or pants pocket. For more information click: HERE.(3/07)
Casino Cheats Moving To The Midwest?
According to a USA Today article “Casinos sprouting across the Midwest are attracting sophisticated cheaters from Las Vegas, Atlantic City and overseas who believe they can scam new, unseasoned staff, gambling officials say.” George Joseph is quoted in the article and mentions some of the things staffs should look out for: Marks on playing cards, cellphones used to photograph and convey poker players’ hands, and ringlike devices that retract bills from slots after the machines validate them. To read the Mar. 7 article by Judy Keen titled “Casino cheats bet on Midwest marks” click: HERE.(3/07)
From The World Game Protection Conference
Richard Marcus who spoke at the World Game Protection Conference in February is the subject of a Las Vegas Review-Journal article that reported, “As Marcus demonstrated his signature moves at roulette and blackjack tables set up in a ballroom, members of the crowd could only shake their heads.” Marcus also said that, “Even as technology progresses, my thing was still to beat the people on the floor so they didn’t bring the cameras into play.” The article also reported that his next book, “World’s Greatest Gambling Scams” is scheduled for release later this year. To read the Feb. 26 article by Arnold M. Knightly titled “Casino business: Blink and you’ll miss him” click: HERE.(3/07)
2007 WSOP Champion Confesses
Jamie Gold, the 2007 World Series of Poker champion, admits to collusion during the main event in a New York Times article. Gold is quoted, “…I basically told a friend of mine what I had because I didn’t want him to bust out and that was also really inappropriate. And I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen again.” A spokesman for the World Series of Poker, commented that “Technically it can be construed as collusion and is clearly a violation of the rules.” To read the Feb. 24 article by Steve Friess titled “Tournament Winner Says He Was Wrong” click: HERE.(2/07)
Steve Forte’s Poker Protection
January 10, 2007 was the release date of the most anticipated book about the subject of cheating at Poker. Written by Steve Forte, the leading authority on the subject, it is titled “Poker Protection: Cheating… and the World of Poker.” Based on decades of extensive research it objectively looks at the dangers posed by professional and amateur cheaters in all forms of poker. Along the way it illustrates and discusses most of the known methods of cheating. For more information about the book click: HERE.(1/07)
How to Cheat At Everything
Simon Lovell’s 2003 best-selling book “Billion Dollar Bunco” has just been released in paperback under the new title “How to Cheat at Everything: A Con Man Reveals the Secrets of the Esoteric Trade of Cheating, Scams and Hustles.” The 400+ page book released on Dec. 11, 2006 covers a wide variety of subjects like: bar bets, street hustles, carnivals, Internet fraud, big and small cons, card and dice games and more. To purchase “How to Cheat at Everything” click: HERE.(1/07)
High-Tech Casino Cheats Convicted
A team of two men and a woman were convicted in England for using high tech equipment to cheat around six London casinos out of half a million dollars. A Reuters story reported that “Using a tiny camera, hidden up the sleeve of one of the players, cards would be filmed as the croupier dealt them… This footage was beamed live to the van via a transmitter where it was then viewed in slow motion, showing what the cards had been. The two poker players were then told via earpieces how to bet.” To read the Jan. 16 Reuters article titled “High-tech poker scam bilks casinos of $500K” click: HERE.(1/07)
Father & Son Card Counters Banned
A Netherlands Antilles Daily Herald article reported that “A father and son team [from Texas] suspected of counting cards in a blackjack game at Hollywood Casino [in St. Maarten] wants the casino to hand over the US $18,000 they said they won on Thursday, January 11. The casino is refusing to pay out the sum as it sticks to its claim that they were card-counting.” To read the Jan. 15 article titled “Players claim that casino refuses to pay winnings” click: HERE.(1/07)
Seven Feathers’ Surveillance Department
The surveillance department at the Seven Feathers Casino in Oregon is featured in a News-Review article that discusses the many duties of the department and how they do their work. The article discusses some of the actions players take that make them look suspicious and that “suspicious players are followed until they show themselves to be innocent or guilty. It can reveal itself in a matter of minutes, sometimes days, sometimes months.” Regarding cheating the article reported that “To beat a cheater, surveillance personnel have to learn to become cheaters.” On how to spot card counters surveillance supervisor Alicia Barney said, “You count right along with them… To be able to detect one, you have to be one.” To read the Dec. 31 article by Paul Craig titled “The casino’s watchful eyes” click: HERE.(1/07)