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2008 News Archives |
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 11th
Tran Team Member Pleads Guilty
Another man pleads guilty in the multimillion-dollar
scheme to cheat casinos and specifically the Emerald
Queen Casino. A Technology News Daily article
reported that he "…admitted that on numerous
occasions between approximately March 2003 and July
2006, he participated in gambling cheats together
with other alleged members of the Tran Organization
at casinos." The article also reported that he "…is
the eleventh defendant to plead guilty in the San
Diego indictment." To read the July 3 Technology
News Daily article titled "High Tech Casino Cheats
Plead Guilty" click:
HERE.(7/08) |
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 A
Modern Con Man
In April Todd Robbins who is a sideshow artist and
an expert on cons and scams released an entertaining
book that features many short cons and bar bets that
can be used to fleece your friends. It is also full
of humorous facts and stories about the history of
swindles, a glossary of con terms and much more. For
more information or to purchase from Gambling
Incorporated click:
HERE.(7/08) |
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 Evans
Roulette Wheel Found
A gaffed Evans DeLuxe Roulette Wheel that was built
in Chicago or Detroit in the late 1920s was recently
uncovered by collectors Boyd and Sharon Cox who
purchased it in 2000. An Associated Press article
reported that it is "a one-of-a-kind piece of
gambling history that has been talked about and
written about but never actually seen by modern-day
gaming regulators and insiders." The discovered the
gaff when they were renovating it and found hollowed
legs with large batteries. To read the June 18
Associated Press article titled "Couple luck out
with roulette table" click:
HERE.(6/08) |
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 Absolute
Ultimate Cheating Online
Jay Lakin is interviewed in MajorWager about the
recent poker cheating scandals at Absolute Poker and
Ultimate Bet and the "superuser" accounts that were
used. "Asked what could be done to ensure incidents
like that never occur again or that collusion
doesn't occur in Poker, Lakin said it was
impossible. 'If people are determined to cheat they
will find a way. People can create virtual accounts,
they can make up IP addresses, use Proxy servers,
etc. The companies try to stop the cheating, but if
someone is savvy enough they can get around it.'" To
read the June 11 article by Hartley Henderson titled
"An Interview with Jay Lakin on Current Poker
Issues" click:
HERE.(6/08) |
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 Beau
Rivage Surveillance
The Beau Rivage Casino security and surveillance
systems are profiled in a Sun Herald article that
also discusses how they foiled the recent Tran
casino-cheating ring, "'Nobody could figure out what
they were doing,' the agent said, but after
reviewing hours of the Beau Rivage tapes, he noticed
how the dealers were manipulating the deck with
identical reverse sequencing. Tran members using
cell phones near the blackjack and mini-baccarat
tables were signaling the deals. 'I can't believe he
just did that,' the investigators said when the MGC
agent showed them the tapes he'd put together with
the Beau Rivage surveillance team showing dealers
helping the cheaters." To read the May 4 article by
Mary Perez titled "Casinos beat the cheats" click:
HERE.(5/08) |
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 Past
Posting Caught On Tape
A craps dealer who allegedly cheated Foxwoods Resort
Casino out of $50,000 by paying off past posting
bettors goes to court. An article in The Day
reported that, "The director of surveillance told
police, 'These are not random mistakes of a new
inexperienced dealer, but are deliberate and
intentional acts of a person who knows the outcome
of the game after the dice are stopped, and then
places late bets on the table which negates the
random outcome or final results.'" To read the April
30 article by Karen Florin titled "Craps Dealer
Accused Of Paying On Late Bets" click:
HERE.(5/08) |
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 Cheating
Ways
Vegas casino cheaters and their methods are the
subject of a Las Vegas Review-Journal article that
talks to the Gaming Control Board's agents. The
focus is on senior agent Jim Edwards who was
conducting a "one-week academy on casino games to a
group of gaming representatives from across the
country." Chief agent Jerry Markling pointed out
that "Cheating and theft account for about 30
arrests a month in Nevada… About a third of arrests
are employees." The article explains many of the
popular cheating techniques used. To read the April
1 article by Sonya Padgett titled "Some Will Try It:
Cheatin' Ways" click:
HERE.(4/08) |
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 Anti-Cheating
Lab Opens In Iowa
A Gambling Lab opened in Des Moines, Iowa to train
casino security agents. Lab Director Gene Meyer is
quoted in a Radio Iowa story where he explained,
"There's no question that professional cheats travel
across the country and try to cheat casinos. That's
what we're always on the lookout for." The story
also pointed out that "In the last three years, DCI
agents have resolved more than two dozen cheating
cases in Iowa." A related Omaha World-Herald article
reported, "The vast majority of cheaters take an
unsophisticated low-tech approach to beating the
system, agents said. The most common offense is
'capping' or 'pinching' bets - putting extra chips
on the table or pulling them off after a dealer has
shown his cards."
--To read or hear the Apr. 11 Radio Iowa
story by Pat Curtis titled "DCI creates lab to help
catch casino cheaters" click:
HERE.(4/08)
--To read the April 11 Omaha World-Herald
article by Tim Elfrink titled "Agents learning to
catch cheaters in Iowa casinos" click:
HERE.(4/08) |
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 Backgammon
Cheats Beware
The fifth and final of the George Joseph Cheating At
DVD series has just been released by Gambling
Incorporated. Previous DVDs included Poker,
Blackjack, Craps and Gin. This DVD deals with
Cheating At Backgammon. Techniques and strategies
explained include Dump Shots, peeks, killed die,
Hold Out Dump Shot, Slick Shot, tops, Juice Joint,
gaffing fair cups, Butterfly Cup, dice switching,
palming, Doubling Cube Hustle and more. For more
information or to purchase the DVD click:
HERE.(3/08) |
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 Video
Game Offers Advantage Play Practice
Midway’s upcoming video game "This Is Vegas"
(available for PC, Xbox and Playstation) simulates
an adventure in Las Vegas that features casino games
with advanced artificial intelligence and
opportunities to cheat. A GameInformer article
reported that "The game puts its own spin on
gambling, though, with the introduction of a system
the team calls Advantage Play. Basically, it gives
players a competitive edge over the house. For
example, players can use a device to rig slot
machines or can mark cards while playing poker." To
read the March 6 article by Jeff Cork titled "Bet On
Red: This Is Vegas Preview And Interview" click:
HERE.(3/08)
--To purchase the game click:
HERE. |
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 Past
Posting Player Picked Up
Police arrest a man for cheating Sam's Town Casino
at the Craps table. The Shreveport Times reported,
"Quinn was captured on the casino's video
surveillance "past posting" or betting after the
outcome on numerous wagers while playing craps
between May 26 and 27, 2006, said Doug Pierrelee,
Troop G public information officer. In that two-day
period, Quinn allegedly past-posted on 32 hands of
craps, illegally winning $61,400." To read the March
8 report titled "Blotter: Man accused of cheating
casino" click:
HERE.(3/08) |
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A CardCheaters.com Exclusive:
 George
Joseph's Poker Cheating
George Joseph's latest book demystifies the world of
Hold'em Poker and Cheating at Poker by answering the
101 Most Asked Questions About Texas Hold'em and
Poker Cheating. It is a fun read with a lot of
valuable information about the game of Hold'em Poker
and the many methods used to gain an advantage in
the game. There are quite a few cheating methods
revealed in the book that are not commonly known. To read the exclusive excerpt
about false shuffles click:
HERE.(3/08) |
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 A
Deck Full Of Cheating
"52 Ways to Cheat at Poker: How to Spot Them, Foil
Them, and Defend Yourself Against Them" is the title
of a new book by magician Allan Kronzek which will
be released on March 25 by Plum. The book is
described as a "…fascinating look at the card
sharper's art -- from its origins in Renaissance
Italy to the high-tech methods of today -- sleight-of
hand expert, Allan Kronzek reveals 52 of the most
diabolical scams ever invented." For more
information and to purchase the book click:
HERE.(2/08) |
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 Video
Poker Cheating
A Chippewa Herald article reported about two men,
who have been hitting bars with illegal Video Poker
machines and cheating them out of payouts. The
article reported, "Horn’s alleged partner, Gibson,
was located in the hotel and the two were found to
be in possession of a roll of double-sided tape,
laminate paper, scissors, a roll of 4-pound fishing
line, and a cut $20 bill -- all allegedly items used
to make a "pull bill" to cheat the machines. To read
the February 11 story by Mark Gunderman titled
"Video game sting nets two Kentucky men" click"
HERE.(2/08) |
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 The
Real Hustle
The Real Hustle is a new reality television series
about a team who scams and cons innocent bystanders.
The stars of the show include expert pickpocket and
magician Apollo Robbins, magician Ryan Oakes, and
actress Dani Marco. It is based on the original
British series that is now in its sixth season. The
show airs weekly on TruTV (formerly CourtTV). For
more information click:
HERE.(01/08) |
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 Dice
Tapping
An article appeared in the Detroit Free Press about
different types of gaffed dice. The article
explained "Most casinos today use transparent,
numbered dice with their logo on them to reduce the
chances of crooked ones being introduced on the
game. An alert bowman on a crap game will
periodically hold the die loosely between his thumb
and forefinger at diagonally opposite corners and
gently spin it. A fair cube will spin smoothly, and
its revolution will stop in a natural way. A loaded
die, because of the eccentric weight, will pivot
back in a distinctive manner at the end of its
rotation." To read the January 24 article by Mark
Pilarski titled "Tapping into dirty dice tricks"
click:
HERE.(01/08) |
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 RF
Surveillance
An interesting article in Casino Player about new
casino security stated that "The technology also
thwarts one of the more common cheating practices:
players sneaking extra chips on top of their
original bet after they've been dealt a strong hand.
Antennas hidden under each player's spot on the
table allow the dealer to push a button before the
hand, and take a quick inventory of who is betting
what. It can also detect card counters. Game
activity can be measured against statistical models.
Management will be alerted to any suspicious betting
patterns or winning streaks." The article by Rob
Wiser titled "Cutting Cards On The Cutting Edge"
appears in the January 2008 issue of Casino
Player.(01/08) |
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