2008 News Archives |
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A
New Revelation
The long awaited edition of Erdnase's Expert At The
Card Table with Dai Vernon's annotations and
original photographs was released earlier this year.
This new, over-size book was triggered by the
discovery of more than 160 long-lost photographs of
Dai Vernon’s hands that were taken in 1961
specifically to illustrate this manuscript. Also
includes 100 pages of additional material and card
and cheating techniques. For more information or to
purchase from Gambling Incorporated click:
HERE.(12/08) |
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Expert
At The Card Table DVD Set
The classic 1902 Expert At The Card Table book by
S.W. Erdnase comes alive on this beautifully
packaged DVD set starring Las Vegas card expert
Allen Ackerman with narration by Ernest Borgnine.
The eleven-volume set of DVDs teaches all of the
cheating concepts and techniques from the seminal
book plus many interviews and pdf articles relating
to the possible identity of the famed Erdnase. Also
includes a pdf of the original book. For more
information or to purchase from Gambling
Incorporated click:
HERE.(11/08) |
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Borgata
Room Game Arraignments
The Borgata Room Game that was broken up prior
anyone being cheated went to court on Oct. 27 with
three of the men pleading not guilty at their
arraignment. According to the Press of Atlantic City
one of the lawyers stated that "The state has a
complete misperception about what occurred here...
At the conclusion of the case, it is my strong
belief that all four defendants will be exonerated."
The article also described the original arrest,
"...But shortly before the victim was to arrive,
State Police searched the two hotel rooms, arrested
the four men and seized the equipment." To read the
Oct. 28 article by Regina Schaffer titled "3 plead
not guilty in alleged Borgata gambling scheme"
click:
HERE.(10/08) |
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Borgata
Room Game Indictments
Indictments were announced regarding the arrests
made at the Borgata last year. Most of the press
reports at the time alleged that the team was
targeting the WPT or players attending the
tournament in a high-tech Poker scam. It turns out
according to a Press of Atlantic City article that
nobody was ever cheated and the games that were
supposed to be used were Chinese poker, backgammon
and chess. The article also reported that the four
men are charged with "second-degree attempted theft
by deception." To read the Oct. 3 article by Regina
Schaffer titled "Jury indicts 4 in alleged poker
scam at Borgata" click:
HERE.(10/08) |
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How
Gamblers Win
The very scarce 1865 card cheating book subtitled
"The Secrets Of Advantage Playing Exposed"
attributed to Gerritt M. Evans has been reprinted in
a beautiful hard cover edition. The book was
originally described as "A complete and scientific
expose of the manner of playing all the various
advantages in the games of Poker, All-Fours, Euchre, Vingt-Un, Whist, Cribbage, etc. As practiced by
professional gamblers upon the uninitiated. Together
with a brief analysis of legitimate play." The new
edition features an introduction by David Ben and a
foreword by Steve Forte. For more information or to
purchase from Gambling Incorporated click:
HERE.(9/08) |
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Mohegan's
Continue To Be Cheated
Six more people were arrested for cheating at
Blackjack at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.
According to a Norwich Bulletin article, “State
police said Mohegan surveillance personnel reported
to detectives that dealer RS, 28, of 435 Plainfield
Pike, Plainfield, conspired with patrons SP, 21, of
40 Harrison St., New York, and JH, 21, of 4016 Pine
St., Philadelphia, to cheat the casino out of more
than $16,000.” The were also charged with,
“...conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny,
first-degree larceny and cheating while gambling.”
To read the Sep. 21 article titled “Casinos: Police
say 6 cheated Mohegan tables” click:
HERE.(9/08) |
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Bamboozlers
For Fun & Profit
Just released is a pocket size booklet by Diamond
Jim Tyler which is subtitled “The Book of Bankable
Bar Betchas, Brain Bogglers, Belly Busters &
Bewitchery.” It is full of amazing and funny things
that can be done with common objects. It is a
collection of bar bets, brain teasers, jokes,
puzzles and magic tricks. Some of which are short
cons which are of interest. Includes a foreword by
Martin Gardner. For more information or to purchase
from Gambling Incorporated click:
HERE.(9/08) |
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Connecticut
Craps Crimes
Craps scam caught at the Foxwoods Resort Casino and
the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. An article in The
Day reported that “State police this week arrested
the alleged ringleader of a scam in which dealers
paid players for late bets and later collected
payment for the favors. ...They now say the scheme
has widened to include 13 people and that the
region's two casinos lost $69,965. ...Taylor
instructed the dealers that the cheating players
would use the code words 'strawberry daiquiri' or
'hot chocolate' when they approached the table.
...The dealers told the detective that Taylor, who
is also known as 'Mr. Casino,' 'Mr. C,' 'Shorty' and
'Shaft,' was a big tipper who would often place bets
'for the dealer' along with his own bets. They said
he bragged about cheating at casinos around the
country and said he and another man, known as 'Big
Al,' had 'pulled down $110,000' in Las Vegas.” To
read the September 6 article by Karen Florin titled
“Craps scandal deepens at area casinos” click:
HERE.(9/08)
>>>Read the September 10 follow up in the Norwich
Bulletin by clicking:
HERE.(9/08) |
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Hand
Held Card Counter
A Norwich Bulletin article reported that “Four New
York residents were arrested Saturday morning after
police said they used a cheating device at a
baccarat table at Mohegan Sun.” The article
continued, “State police casino unit detectives said
the gamblers were at a mini baccarat table using a
cheating device to determine the order of the cards
in the deck before they were dealt. Surveillance
spotted the group acting suspiciously after 5 a.m.”
To read the September 7 article titled “Mohegan: 4
charged with using device to cheat at baccarat”
click:
HERE.(9/08) |
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Automating
Blackjack Surveillance
A college student in Dublin is reported to have
created “...an automated surveillance system that
can spot if a player is 'counting'cards. Using
'smart' video cameras and statistical analysis,
[Wesley] Cooper’s system can build up a profile of
players and spot anomalies during a game.” A Sunday
Times article further reported that, “As part of his
research, Cooper worked as a croupier in Las Vegas.
'I learnt that one of the most important things in a
casino is to build up a profile of each serious
player, so they can identify the ‘profitable’
patrons and target them with complimentary drinks
and food to keep them at the table,' he said.” The
article also mentions various cheating techniques.
To read the August 24 article by Colin Coyle titled
“Student exposes casino cheats” click:
HERE.(9/08) |
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Sharps
& Sharks Lexicon
An interesting article appeared in the Times &
Transcript which looks at the meanings of "card
sharp" and "card shark" and their history. The
article reported that, “The first known print
version of "card shark" only gets us back to 1942,
whereas card sharp's first known citation occurred
in 1884, with a reference to "card sharper"
occurring in 1859. Drop the "card" part though and
check out "sharp" and "shark" to mean a cheater and
you find "sharper" goes back to at least 1681 and
"shark" to 1599. And remember, these are just known
printed references or use of the words with the
relevant meaning. Often such words will have been in
the language well before they reach print (and they
may have been in print well before too, and merely
lost to time). The evidence is inconclusive.” To
read the August 11 article by Norbert Cunningham
titled “Sharps and sharks will cheat you equally”
click:
HERE.(9/08) |
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PokerStars'
Admitted Cheat
The winner of the last PokerStars World Championship
of Online Poker who was disqualified for cheating
confessed to the acqusations. A Poker Strategy
article reported that “The Briton Natalie Teltscher
went to court against this decision. There she had
to admit though that she didn't play herself under
the account 'TheV0id'. A not further named "agent"
had used the account and supposedly used several
other accounts during the tournament. At first it
was assumed that Mark Teltscher is this agent, or at
least involved in the case as he is the brother of
the plaintiff and a poker pro himself. A
confirmation of this assumption failed to
materialise though.” To read the August 14 article
by Drakhor titled “'TheV0id' Admits WCOOP Cheating”
click:
HERE.(8/08) |
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Cherokee
Dealer Scams
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in Cherokee County, N.C.
was apparently taken for $286,000 at the Blackjack
table when one of the dealers started paying off
losing hands to his partners. The FOX Carolina
article reported that “A spokesman for the Cherokee
Indian Tribe Police Department said no arrests have
been made yet, because they are waiting to see if
the FBI will take over the case.” To read the August
7 article titled “Nearly $300K Stolen From NC
Casino, Police Believe Theft Was Inside Job” click:
HERE.(08/08)
>>>To read the Associated Press story titled
“Investigators uncover cheating ring at casino”
click:
HERE.(8/08) |
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Expert
At The Card Table
Guy Hollingworth who is a highly skilled magician is
presenting a one-man show this month at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival based on the famed book
Expert At The Card Table. The show is described as
“... Contains deception, betrayal and cheating at
cards. Renowned conjurer Guy Hollingworth performs
dazzling exhibitions of card chicanery and
incomparable legerdemain whilst unravelling the
mystery of its enigmatic author.” Directed by Neil
Patrick Harris. The show runs at the Assembly@George
Street Theater through August 25. For tickets and
information click:
HERE.(8/08) |
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Darwin
Ortiz On Card Cheating
Just released on DVD is the 1999 video by Darwin
Ortiz where he demonstrates and explains more than
50 techniques that can be used to cheat at virtually
any card game. The DVD includes 21 false shuffles
and cuts, 21 palms and switches, 8 false deals, 6
stacking techniques and more. Ortiz is an expert
sleight-of-hand artist who has lectured to many
casinos about how to spot and catch card cheaters
and is well known in the industry as one of the
handful of experts on the subject. For more
information or to purchase from Gambling
Incorporated click:
HERE.(7/08) |
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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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