Card Cheaters 2009 News Archive:

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.

Don’t Need Casino Security?
The Gala Casino in London has decided to cut its anti-cheating security efforts. The Times reported that, “One veteran casino executive said: ‘Gala has obviously decided that the cost savings from having fewer inspectors will more than outweigh any additional losses from cheating. In practice, there is very little cheating, so it’s probably a good call.'” The article also mentions a number of the classic cheating techniques employed. To read the December 18 article by Dominic Walsh titled “Gala Coral fancies the odds as it cuts inspectors at its casinos” click: HERE.(12/09)

27 Banned For Cheating
Australia’s Star City casino has seen a huge increase in the amount of cheating in 2009. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that “Twenty-seven people were caught cheating at the casino’s table games in the past year and banned from the gambling area.” To read the December 14 article by Vanda Carson titled “Steep rise in theft and fraud at Star City” click: HERE.(12/09)

Legalizing Card Counting
The Indiana Supreme Court has been asked to make it illegal to count cards in the state’s casinos. A recently enacted law states that card counting is legal in the state’s 12 casinos. The casino’s point of view is that they are a “private businesses and should have the right to turn away anyone they choose to keep order.” To read the December 13 Associated Press article titled “Casinos want state high court to ban card counters” click: HERE.(12/09)

Waterloo Craps Cheat
A man pleaded guilty of cheating at the Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo. A WCF Courier reported that “Authorities said House cheated by moving chips during a craps game at the Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo on June 14 after he was twice warned that doing so was breaking the rules.” To read the December 13 article by Jeff Reinitz titled “Man pleads guilty to cheating at casino” click: HERE.(12/09)

L.A. Shell Game Gang
A Los Angeles Times article focuses on the Shell Game gangs in Los Angeles who are working the holiday season. The article reported that, “Los Angeles Police Department officers arrested eight people between the ages of 27 and 67 over the weekend downtown on suspicion of conspiracy to commit gaming in connection with a shell-game operation. The suspects set up shop in the 500 block of Los Angeles Street, said Lt. Paul Vernon.” The article also explained that “Shell games and three-card monte, a similar scam that uses cards instead of shells, have long been a problem on Broadway, which draws thousands of shoppers each day.” To read the December 10 article by Andrew Blankstein titled “8 arrested in downtown L.A. shell-game operation” click: HERE.(12/09)

FBI Warns About Online Poker
A Bloomberg article reported that the FBI has warned that there are many ways to cheat at online Poker. Shawn Henry, assistant director for the FBI’s cyber division is quoted, “Technology exists to manipulate online poker games in that it would only take two or three players working in unison to defeat the other players who are not part of the team… The online poker vendors could detect this activity and put in place safeguards to discourage cheating, although it is unclear what the incentive would be for the vendor.” To read the December 3 article by Lorraine Woellert titled “Online Poker Can Be Subject to Manipulation, FBI Says” click: HERE.(12/09)

Scam Psychology Report
The University of Cambridge issued a report in August written by Frank Stajano and Paul Wilson which tries to identify what makes scams and con games successful. The report which is titled “Understanding scam victims: seven principles for systems security” is described as, “We examine a variety of scams and ‘short cons’ that were investigated, documented and recreated for the BBC TV programme The Real Hustle and we extract from them some general principles about the recurring behavioural patterns of victims that hustlers have learnt to exploit.” To read the Abstract of the report and to download the 22-page pdf version of it click: HERE.(11/09)

Biggest Gambling/Cheating Auction
The largest auction of gambling and especially cheating equipment ever assembled will take place on October 9-11 in Las Vegas. Produced by Sidlow & McGuire’s Victorian Casino Antiques it features many one of a kind cheating paraphernalia produced by the major manufacturers of the past and some custom pieces used by hustlers in the 1800s and early 1900s. The two-day auction will offer one-thousand lots and will attract all of the major card, dice, chip and gambling collectors. For more information and to bid click: HERE.(10/2009)

Gambling Collectibles At Auction
If you collect old gambling equipment and cheating equipment October is your month. Some very rarely seen items are up for auction. The first auction takes place on October 2-4 in Ann Arbor, Michigan and online. It is the complete Ron Wallace Collection who was the former president of UPS and amassed an unbelievable array of gambling artifacts. Also included in the auction are games, toys and much more.(9/2009)
>>>To visit the auction site click: HERE.
>>>To view and bid click: HERE.

Slot Scammers Plead Guilty
Three people who scammed slot machines in Las Vegas Casinos in 2006 pleaded guilty. A Las Vegas Sun article reported that “Police reports indicate surveillance videos show Cushing and Lewanda would stand watch at slot machines while McNeive inserted $1 bills and forged them as $100 bills using the cheating device.” To read the September 29 article by Tiffany Gibson titled “Casino scammers in Black Book plead guilty to cheating slots” click: HERE.(9/2009)

Black Book Ban
A 36th person has been added to Nevada’s Black Book of people who are not allowed to enter into casinos. A Las Vegas Sun article reported that, “Deputy Attorney General John Michela said McNeive used a light optic device in his cheating scheme and was able to trick the slot’s bill acceptor into giving a player 100 $1 credits when inserting a $1 bill.” To read the Aug. 28 article by Richard N. Velotta titled “Commission adds slot cheat to Black Book” click: HERE.(8/2009)

Flash To Finish
Blackjack dealer was arrested for cheating at the Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center in West Virginia. A Charleston Daily Mail article reported that “[Trooper] Walton noted that in the video footage Maple briefly flashed the cards and the accomplices would wager accordingly…” To read the August 25 article titled “Blackjack dealer at Tri-State accused of cheating” click: HERE.(8/2009)

Gambling At Internet Cafés?
George Joseph speaks to the 10News I-Team about the recent trend of Internet Cafes offering both online and offline gambling. The report mentioned that “Recently, the San Diego Police raided five Internet cafes and seized 31 video slot machines and $13,000.” Joseph concluded that “…the gambling at Internet cafes will ultimately be legal, and added that it is too tough to crack down on the growing industry.” To read the August 12 report titled “Gaming Expert Speaks On Internet Cafe Gambling Trend” click: HERE.(8/2009)

Cheated Indian Casino In India
A casino in India was cheated by a team which includes employees and local police officers. A Times Of India article reported that “Police sources said that the two policemen, in connivance with casino staff, would purchase chips at the casino and play roulette. Instead of placing the chips in advance, however, they would place them once the roulette was set in motion. This illegal move would be pointed out by the operator who would then pretend to remove all the chips. However, the operator would retain those chips placed on the highest denominators, ensuring that the constables would win.” To read the August 9 article titled “2 cops held for cheating casino” click: HERE.(8/2009)

Delaware’s Upcoming Table Games
The subject of regulating the cash that is used in the casino industry is the subject of a News Journal article that looks at the process that Delaware will need. The article also stated that the state is not prepared to deal with the expected, “…card counters. Roving teams of blackjack and poker cheats. Dealers on the take and crooked pit bosses. Cash skimmers and loan sharks.” The article also describes some of the recent scams that have been uncovered in Atlantic City. To read the August 2 article by Cris Barrish titled “Del. not set to regulate table games” click: HERE.(8/2009)

How To Cheat Casinos
Cheating casinos is the subject of a Norwich Bulletin article that discussed many of the current and most popular methods employed. The article also quotes George Joseph and Richard Marcus. Among the many scams discussed is the following: “Cheaters in the 21st century employ high-tech methods to fleece casinos. Hidden cameras, for example, pick up the hold card in table games, or players mark cards with infrared dyes when touched during play. The card is then transmitted to someone away from the game who reads the dye.” To read the July 22 article by William Sokolic titled “They gamble, they cheat, and casinos fight back” click: HERE.(8/2009)

Tran Organization’s Demise
The FBI’s case against the Tran Organization was finalized in San Diego and the indictment was unsealed. “According to the two indictments, the defendants and others executed a ‘false shuffle’ cheating scheme at casinos in the United States and Canada during blackjack and mini-baccarat games. The indictments allege that members of the criminal organization bribed casino card dealers and supervisors to perform false shuffles during card games, thereby creating ‘slugs’ or groups of unshuffled cards. The indictments also allege that after tracking the order of cards dealt in a card game, a member of the organization would signal to the card dealer to perform a ‘false shuffle,’ and members of the group would then bet on the known order of cards when the slug appeared on the table.” To read the July 17 FBI report click: HERE.(7/2009)

Australian Casino Safety Measures
Casino supervising inspector Penelope Jane Hennessey is featured in a Straits Times article that reported “Cheating commonly happens in the card game of baccarat. With just three options to bet on, it is easy to flick a bet from one option to the other when the dealer is distracted, she explained. …She has also seen people sneaking in late bets when the dealer is not looking. ‘But don’t forget, there are people looking up above,’ she said in a reference to the bank of surveillance cameras every modern casino has.” To read the July 3 article by Carolyn Quek titled “Keeping watch on casino cheats” click: HERE.(7/2009)

Colorado Cheating Under Control
Colorado gambling regulators say that cheating in their casinos is almost non-existent. The Denver Post reported that, “The cheaters have refined and jettisoned their tricks over the years. And casinos, in turn, have honed their methods for detecting them.” The article also describes a variety of recent cheating scams. To read the June 28 article by Miles Moffeit titled “As stakes go up, casinos brace for cheats” click: HERE.(6/2009)

60 Minutes To Online Cheating
If you missed the 60 Minutes/Washington Post investigation, about the scandals of Internet poker cheating, the video, transcript and report are now online. Read about the Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet poker scandals and how the perpetrators got away with it. To read the June 28 transcript titled “How Online Gamblers Unmasked Cheaters” click: HERE.(6/2009)

The Life Of A Crossroader
Just released is a three disc DVD set featuring Doc Jon discussing his life as a dealer, mechanic, crossroader, and card and dice cheat for crime mobs in Las Vegas and Hawaii, as well as for the Yakuza in Japan. I addition to his many adventures he also teaches some advanced handlings and nuances on some classic gambling techniques with cards and some chip stealing moves. You will also learn his work on marking and resealing a deck for Blackjack. It is a rare glimpse into the life of a real cheater and the obsticals in the profession. For more information or to purchase click: HERE.(6/2009)

Card Cheaters Caught On Camera
London’s West End’s Empire Casino is cheated by card mechanics. An Independent article reported that “Security staff had watched the pair swap their cards over a two-day period and had built up such a wealth of evidence using high-definition CCTV cameras that the two men had to plead guilty. Last month, they became the first to be convicted under the new Gambling Act, which makes cheating in casinos a criminal offence.” The article also mentions that “The most technologically complex plot he encountered was a four-man poker team, one of whom had a camera hidden up his sleeve. The group would look for a croupier who tended to deal the cards at an angle the camera could pick up. The pictures were relayed to a man in a van outside, who told the other members of the team through hidden earpieces what each player’s hand was.” To read the June 20 article by Jerome Taylor titled “Circling the card sharks: The dark world of casino fraud” click: HERE.(6/2009)

Connecticut Craps Verdict: Guilty
The Memphis man known as “Mr. Casino” and “Mr. C” was convicted of first-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, cheating and other charges. He could be facing more than 40 years in Jail and will be sentenced on July 10. The Day article reported that “Casino and Mashantucket tribal officials who watched the trial shook hands with the prosecutor before making phone calls to gaming control officials in Las Vegas and Atlantic City who had been watching the trial with interest. Taylor has been barred from casinos throughout the country but has never been successfully prosecuted, they said.”(5/2009)
>>>To read the May 27 The Day article by Karen Florin titled “Guilty verdict in casino cheating conspiracy trial” click: HERE.(5/2009)
>>>To read the May 27 Norwich Bulletin article by Greg Smith titled “‘Mr. Casino’ found guilty of Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun craps scam” click: HERE.(5/2009)

Foxwoods Trial Defense
The Foxwoods Resort Casino Craps scam goes to trial with some very interesting revelations. The mastermind of the “cheating conspiracy’s” lawyer contends that the accused was not cheating but had a winning system and the casino had him arrested because he was a winning player, “If you bet everything that Mr. Taylor bets, you would have left with your pockets full… Mr. Taylor doesn’t have to cheat. He has a winning system.” Explaining his system to the jury he explained “Nobody knows the exact number that will come up… But if you know the parameters of the numbers that will come up, you can win.” The jury also had to be taught how to play Craps.(5/2009)
>>>To read the May 18 Norwich Bulletin article by Greg Bulletin titled “Dealer details cheating scam” click: HERE.(5/2009)
>>>To read the May 20 The Day article by Karen Florin titled “Accused Cheater’s Trial Includes Lesson In Craps” click: HERE.(5/2009)
>>>To read the May 21 The Day article by Karen Florin titled “Jury to begin deliberations in cheating conspiracy case” click: HERE.(5/2009)

Casino Cheating Mastermind On Trial
Jury selection begins for the Foxwoods cheating case where teams of players and dealers conspired to rip off the casino. A Norwich Bulletin reported that “Police say a group of more than a dozen people, including employees at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, worked with Taylor to cheat the casinos out of thousands of dollars.” The article also reported that “Dealers admitted to taking part in the scam, some claiming it has been going on for years…” To read the May 2 article by Greg Smith titled “Casino cheating trial starts Monday” click: HERE.(5/2009)

Three Year Slot Cheat Operation
A casino slot technician is charged with the largest theft ever at the Grand Casino in Helsinki. A Helsingin Sanomat article reported that “The thief is suspected of pocketing money from slot machines in the period from 2005 to 2008.” It further reported that “the person is suspected of making use of ‘technical expertise and certain knowledge pertaining to the operation of slot machines’ to commit crimes.” No specifics were given by prosecutors. To read the April 23 article titled “Largest theft on record revealed at Grand Casino Helsinki” click: HERE.(4/2009)

Gambling Protection Series
Steve Forte is by far the best sleight-of-hand artist you are likely to ever see and he is regarded as a leading authority on both fair and crooked gambling. His highly regarded video series from the 1980s has just been released on DVD. In addition to the four video tapes the DVD box set includes a television special about casino cheating, a tour of his massive gambling collection, a demonstration of 52 new techniques and much more. You must get this set if you have any interest in the art of card or dice cheating or want to be able to spot it when it is being used against you. For more information or to purchase click: HERE.(4/2009)

WSOP Cheating Definitions
The World Series Of Poker released its rules for the 2009 series and it defined what it considers to be cheating. A Poker News Daily article reported that “These include, but are not limited to, collusion, stealing chips, taking chips from one WSOP tournament and then using them in another, marking cards, switching out cards, ‘or the use of any kind of cheating device.’ Examples of collusion include chip dumping, soft play, players overtly or covertly telling each other what cards they have, and ‘sending or receiving signals from or to another player.'” To read the March 13 article by Tom Jenkins titled “Harrah’s Releases 2009 WSOP Player Conduct Rules” click: HERE.(3/2009)

Online Anti-Cheating Software
A software company announced that it is releasing a program that could detect online poker cheating. A Poker News Daily article reported that “The software, called PitBoss, has the ability to prevent cheating from online bots, online advisors, software cheats, software hacking, insider information and even collusion.” To read the March 12 article by Earl Burton titled “CogniSafe Develops Anti-Online Cheating Software” click: HERE.(3/2009)
>>>To read the official press release click: HERE.(3/2009)

2007 Borgata Case Update
The ongoing case of the four men who were arrested at The Borgata in Atlantic City in 2007 is one step closer to being tried. Two of the men pleaded guilty and exonerated a third while the Judge insisted on trying the remaining two men. A Press Of Atlantic City article reported that the two defendants are “…due back for status conferences May 4.” To read the March 10 article by Linda Cohen titled “Two admit scheme to cheat high-stakes gambler” click: HERE.(3/2009)
>>>For results of the Apr. 2 motions click: HERE.(3/2009)

iPhone Card Counting App
The new Blackjack “Card Counter” for the iPhone is discussed in a Las Vegas Sun article which also touches on the laws of card counting and cheating, “More than a decade after the seminal blackjack strategy book ‘Beat the Dealer’ brought the shadowy art of card counting to the masses, opportunistic blackjack players in the 1970s and 1980s began wearing miniature computers that tracked the value of cards through slight movements of fingers and toes…. Unlike the expensive homemade computers of years past, Blackjack Card Counter is an online application of the Apple iPhone or iPod touch and available for download at the company’s iTunes store for $2.99.” To read the February 28 article by Liz Benston titled “iPhone’s blackjack card-counting app no hit with casinos” click: HERE.(2/2009)
>>>To read the Feb. 20 Las Vegas Review-Journal article by Howard Stutz titled “High-Tech Trouble” click: HERE.(2/2009)
>>>To read the Feb. 17 The Tech Herald article by Stevie Smith titled “Contentious iPhone app bolsters casino cheating” click: HERE.(2/2009)

Caro’s Cheating Quips
Mike Caro, “The Mad Genius Of Poker,” has long been an anti-cheating crusader in the Poker world and the February 16th issue of Poker Player recounted some highlights and thoughts of his crusade, “In 1984 Mike founded his Cheater Monitoring Service, with an office at the Bicycle Casino near Los Angeles. He told me that players started slipping out of the woodwork, confessing, confidentially, that they had been guilty of cheating, but were mending their ways, hoping to be allowed to play in the casino. Because of these experiences, and many others, Mike has acquired insight into the cheating world ….Mike is still working behind the scenes and is considering joining a group of programmers to make collusion monitoring a fact of life in the online poker community.” To read the February 16 column by Diane McHaffie titled “Mike’s Opinion on Cheating” click: HERE.(2/2009)

Tribal Casinos Cheated
Four men are suspected of cheating three Tribal casinos at roulette. A Seattle Post-Intelligencer article reported that, “The complaint describes a scheme in which the men bought chips without denominations on them at the roulette table for $1 apiece and instead of turning them in before leaving the table, they secretly transferred them to a confederate who later redeemed them for $25 per chip.” To read the Feb. 3 article by Paul Shukovsky titlted “4 men charged with cheating tribal casinos” click: HERE.(2/2009)

Tran Cheating Team Pleads Guilty
The casino cheating team arrested in 2007 pleads guilty. A San Diego Union Tribune article reported that, “The indictment said they bribed casino dealers to perform false shuffles, in which a group of cards that have been played are not properly shuffled. A ring member would be at a table tracking cards as they were dealt. Using a transmitter and cell phone, the order of cards was relayed to another member who would enter them into a computer.” To read the Jan. 23 article by Greg Moran titled “Man who helped cheat casinos admits guilt for role in scheme” click: HERE.(1/2009)

Kronzek’s Poker Cheating Book In Vegas Sun
Allan Zola Kronzek and his book are profiled in a Las Vegas Sun article that reported, “Since its release, ’52 Ways to Cheat at Poker’ has been well received by the magic community yet largely ignored by poker publications — perhaps, Kronzek suspects, because poker’s de facto cheerleaders have no interest in spotlighting the seedier side of the game.” The article concludes with some advice, “Always cut the cards. Change decks a lot. Use caution. Be vigilant. If you still suspect chicanery, Kronzek advises, ‘Do the math and get out of the game.'” To read the Jan. 13 article by Jeff Haney titled “Like magic, toward illicit ends” click: HERE.(1/2009)
>>>To buy the book from Gambling Incorporated click: HERE.

Yonkers Joe
A new movie about card and dice cheaters is reviewed in the New York Times where they begin, “Yonkers Joe offers more information than you probably ever wanted to know about crooked small-time gamblers and the sophisticated surveillance techniques employed by casinos to detect them.” To read the Jan. 9 review by Stephen Holden titled “Playing at Life With Dad’s Loaded Dice, at Home and in Las Vegas” click: HERE.(1/2009)

Texas Cheat ‘Em
A new Poker video game to hit the market where the point of the game is to cheat your way into victory. An IGN article reported that “Cheating is encouraged in this eight-player online multiplayer card game. Though traditional Hold ‘Em rules serve as the base, expect party games and minigames to be peppered throughout the experience. It’s through these games that you can earn special cheats including X-ray vision, precognition, chip stealing and card swapping.” To read the Jan. 8 article titled “Don’t Hold ‘Em, Cheat ‘Em” click: HERE.(1/2009)