cheats

Five Common Strategies for Casino Fraud people use

Five Common Strategies for Casino Fraud people use Image by pikisuperstar on Freepik

There is no doubt how big a business gaming is. Casinos in the United States made $62.8 billion in revenue in 2011, according to Spectrum Gaming Group, an entity that conducts research and offers professional services.

The bad news for the gaming industry is that cheating can be very profitable for those who can figure out how to trick the house. With the development of technology, it becomes increasingly challenging to accomplish. Every table in a casino has a camera directed at it, and the personnel is always alert for anything out of the ordinary.

High-tech tools and conventional sleight-of-hand techniques can also be used to pull off the scams. In either scenario, they are against the law, and anyone found will likely go to jail. However, there are variations in penalties between states. For instance, in Nevada, a person found guilty of cheating faces a $10,000 fine, one to six years in prison, or both.

  1. Misleading Shuffle

This casino hack requires the card dealer’s participation to work. The dealer performs what seems to be a conventional shuffle but leaves certain cards in place. This enables the conspirators to keep track of the cards and determine when the unshuffled cards are dealt with.

The Tran Organization successfully used it.

The crew broke into casinos all around the country and won up to $7 million playing fake shuffle mini-baccarat and blackjack games. Over 40 people, including the company’s founders Phuong Quoc Trong and Van Thu Tran, pleaded guilty to offenses connected to the cheating fraud once the gang was ultimately brought down.

  1. Past Postings for Roulette

One of the oldest tricks in the book, past posting in roulette is still an issue in the business, claims Joseph. In addition, the cheats can easily place their chips on the winning number after the roulette ball has fallen. The usual strategy is for one player to divert the dealer’s attention while the other places his chips on the winning number and his accomplice’s other colored chips underneath.

  1. Baccarat Scam With Hidden Camera

The usage of a covert camera concealed up the cheater’s sleeve is required for this maneuver. After cutting the deck of cards, the player gently separates the cards by dragging the sliced card across the top of the deck. A second person, hidden from view by the camera, monitors the cards and relays information to the player through an earpiece.

5. Counting of Cards

Card counters are referred to as “advantage players,” or people who use an advantage they have to win, as opposed to being cheaters. They are allowed to calculate the proportion of high cards to low cards still in the deck by keeping a running total of the values of the cards they have seen. Joseph claims that the behavior turns into cheating when a device, such as a card-counting machine, is employed. 

Top 7 Strategies To Avoid Being Duped By Marked Cards

Top 7 Strategies To Avoid Being Duped By Marked Cards Image by Rochak Shukla on Freepik

Wild West is gone. A local cardroom or casino usually offers a safe poker atmosphere.

Card cheats excel at inventing new ways to cheat. Marking cards are one of the oldest poker cheats. Casinos can now catch cheaters, but new ways to mark cards make it a constant game of cat and mouse. Licensed casinos rarely allow poker.

Underground and home games are popular and often the only alternative for poker players in countries where gambling is illegal. Thus, you must guard against marked card fraud. If you play private games often, these tips should help protect you and your money.

  1. Avoid interacting with shady characters

Poker players should seek “spots.”

You want to play poker with poor players with heaps of money.

However, if you are approved for a new private game, choose your lineup carefully.

Marking cards or other tricks are more likely in a game with dishonest people (see: the Tip Scam or fake transactions).

Naturally, this isn’t always clear-cut, and you could be tricked without knowing. Not always.

Stay away from dodgy games.

Because you can “read” people, use these skills to choose where to play poker.

If someone who doesn’t know you well promises a game full of affluent fish, you should question why you were chosen for this amazing “opportunity.”

  1. Pay Attention To The Players’ Card-Handling Techniques

Today, there are several ways to mark cards, but most cheaters are not clever.

Fingernail marks along card borders are the most common way to mark them quickly.

Shuffle and lift cards without penalty. Online and offline casinos do it often.

However, squeezing their cards oddly or spending too much attention on them may indicate wrongdoing.

Avoid criticizing too quickly.

Since accusing someone of poker cheating is a severe charge and an insult to most honest players, you must play it cautiously.

Observe privately for now.

  1. Keep an eye out for odd physical markings on the cards.

Check the backs of the cards for any odd markings if you have reason to suspect a player is marking them.

Have the edges been slightly twisted or are there any tiny, hardly perceptible cuts?

The most effective way to achieve this is to focus on large cards like aces and kings.

When using these on-the-spot card-marking strategies, cheaters typically don’t have enough time to plan out a comprehensive method to mark the entire deck.

Instead, they’ll work to make important cards stand out, which, if successful, will provide them a big edge.

  1. Keep An Eye Out For Odd Play Patterns

Unfortunately, advanced card marking methods are now available.

No matter how hard you try, you can’t see invisible print without special glasses or lighting.

Poker players should always be alert for strange scenarios.

In rare cases, someone may call a large bluff with the queen high.

Too many odd hands in a short time may indicate a problem.

Casino and licensed poker room floors will usually investigate your complaints.

Private games are harder.

You must be sure of cheating and suspicious of others.

If the game’s director knows about your complaints, they’ll be ignored.

  1. Request a new deck.

If you suspect marked cards are being used to cheat, ask for a replacement deck.

If you’re in a private game and don’t want to explain your request, don’t.

If your request is received with hostility, blow it off and joke that the deck isn’t friendly.

Even if they know, the person in charge will usually ignore the cheating to avoid upsetting other prospective targets.

At least you’ll know your situation.

  1. Take Courage And Leave

You cannot win rigged games or alter the world.

Despite your skill or luck, they will catch you.

Why waste time if you think the deck is tampered with?

If you’re uncomfortable, rise, cash your chips, and leave.

You can always think up a cause to leave.

Don’t feel bad if you’re afraid to speak up in a foreign place where you only know a few people.

After the game, you could discuss your worries with the person who invited you if you’re sure they’re not involved.

If you’re unsure, don’t return. That’s the best and easiest self-defense!

  1. Don’t be overly suspicious

It’s vital to be cautious, but don’t become paranoid about marked cards and other cheating methods.

Your gaming experience will suffer, and you’ll assume all good games are fixed, making it impossible to find them.

I’ve seen and played many weird hands and terrible beats in my poker career.

Avoid making snap conclusions based on isolated instances.

If these things happen too often, the game host won’t switch decks, etc., it’s okay to go on to a new game.

Avoiding unlabeled private games is the best advice.

Due to the possibility of modern cheating technologies, I would never play shady games.

Playing in authorized poker rooms where you can seek help is optimal.

Request a different deck, inspect it, and rectify any issues.

Safety trumps regret.

The Top 7 Slot Machine cheats that have plagued casinos

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Modern slot machines can only be manipulated virtually, making it challenging to trick them. Though they are much more vulnerable in their physical form, some cunning people have tried to con their way to great success. While some have been successful, others have either been incarcerated or are no longer allowed to attend casinos. The top seven casino cheats or methods of cheating throughout history are listed below.

1. A con man

A con artist’s mind is always coming up with new dishonest schemes. If humans are too much of a risk, then a machine should be a far easier target. Louis Colavecchio was a con man who fooled casinos for a long time by using counterfeit coins to play slot machines. In reality, the expert forger was known simply as “The Coin.” After conducting an investigation, the police discovered cutting-edge counterfeiting tools during a subsequent search. In 1998, he was finally apprehended and thrown into prison. He was released but immediately returned to prison for cheating at casinos.

2. Internal Job

Due to the high level of sophistication of modern slot machines, the only person who could even attempt to deceive these digital devices would be an insider who has a considerable understanding of computer programming and the inner workings of slots. In his capacity as an employee of the Nevada Gaming Commission, Ronald Dale Harris was responsible for monitoring the proper functioning of the slot machines found in various casinos. He gave in to temptation and abused the privilege of having such information. Harris was able to produce spins as a result of his comprehension of the codes that were required. Following his victory in 1998 of $100,000, he received an excessive amount of attention, which led to the conclusion of the game.

3. Attached Strings

To trigger a payout from an older slot machine, all that was required was to insert an item that was out of the usual into the appropriate slot. Gamblers often used the tactic of tying a coin to a piece of string and then removing it from the machine after the game had already begun. This allowed them to get an advantage over other players. This guaranteed that the guests would have a nice time and the property would make money.

4. An Exact Shave

New methods of cheating the system appeared once light sensors were included in slot machines to keep track of players’ payments. Some of them made use of nearly any technology and demanded that coins be shaved off to fool light and optic sensors into thinking that gamblers are entitled to free slot play.

5. Tommy Glen Carmichael

One of the most well-known casino con artists ever is Carmichael. His methods for tricking slot machine sensors were named and rose to legendary status. His invention, the Light Wand, was largely responsible for his impressive victories. As a result, wins would be greatly inflated. This would make slot machine sensors go blind and prevent them from registering the initial stake.

6. Trick using Piano Wire

It wasn’t an easy scam to pull off, but gamblers did jam the wheel rotation clock by inserting a 20-inch piano wire into the slots, which might have affected the spins.

7. Magnetism

In the end, the tried-and-true method for winning at ancient slots was also the most straightforward. To influence the outcomes of slot machine spins, strong magnets were used.

5 Cheating Scandals In Casinos And Poker That Shocked The World

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Large sums of money are exchanged in poker rooms and casinos, and wherever there is money, there is always someone looking to take it.

Casinos all over the world devote a lot of time, resources, and security effort and, generally speaking, are successful in keeping things safe and secure. However, occasionally, events occur that neither the casino security staff nor anybody else could have foreseen.

1. False chips at the Winter Open at Borgata

Lusardi allegedly used fraudulent chips to boost his stack in the festival’s opening event, which had a $372,000 prize pool.

He led the tournament’s second day in chips, as expected.

Lusardi’s deception was short-lived. The tournament administrators investigated a chip surplus during the event.

Lusardi panicked and flushed the fakes. Naturally, Lusardi’s room clogged the pipes.

Investigators found $2.7 million in chips in pipes.

The event ended due to fraudulent 5,000-denomination chips.

Lusardi then acknowledged using $800,000 in fake chips in the game at another nearby hotel.

Lusardi was accused of a different crime and sentenced to five years in prison, making it unlikely that he will be tried for the Borgata incident.

2. A Bellagio Inside scam That Cost It Over $1 Million

Bellagio attracts low- and high-rollers.

In 2016, a sophisticated fraud hit the venue despite these safeguards and some of the best security in the market.

Craps dealer Marc William Branco and two associates committed an inside job.

Scammers were obvious. Branco’s pals would announce high-value (hop) wagers on roll combinations at his table.

They did so in a way that obscured their wager. They would mumble hop bets.

If they publicly wagered, Branco would pay them after the roll.

For over two years.

The casino caught on after the couple scammed it out of over a million dollars by properly estimating 76 times. 452 billion to one odds triggered warning alarms.

The three were subsequently sentenced to four years in prison and made to pay the casino hundreds of thousands of dollars in reparations.

They might have escaped if they had known how to leave beforehand.

3. Casinos Lost hundreds of thousands due to a video poker bug.

Most security vulnerabilities aren’t site-specific. Electronic games are sometimes their identity.

US Game King video poker machines had a catastrophic malfunction.

John Kane and his friend Andre Nestor studied this problem in 2009. Over $500,000.

Kane accidentally found the bug.

Kane lost money playing video poker for hours.

He found a game-changer.

Kane knew he could alter the game’s credit denomination and win in that denomination after a great win.

After a good win, he may play a $1 royal flush before moving to $10 or $20.

Even though it sounded simple, switching game kinds required turning on the system’s double-up capability.

Everything was solved and enhanced.

Casinos learned.

Kane was arrested at the Silverton Casino in Las Vegas and Nestor at home in Pennsylvania.

The inquiry revealed their activities, but the prosecution’s case was weak.

They didn’t use machines or tools. They said they pressed video poker buttons.

The defendants were acquitted. These two got away with it since most casinos’ damages were unrecoverable.

Since most Game King cabinets have this security problem, we can assume some gamblers took advantage of it.

4. Poker cheating scandal involving Mike Postle

In 2018 and 2019, the Stones Gambling Hall experienced one of the worst security crises to rock the poker world, raising concerns about the use of RFID cards and live streaming.

The main perpetrator of this fraud was Mike Postle, who kept winning game after game, amassing big pots, and making amazing plays that baffled other players and observers.

Games from Stones Gambling Hall were broadcast live on YouTube and other media platforms, allowing viewers to see the action as it transpired.

To recognize players’ hole cards and show them to the viewers, the organizers employed RFID-enabled cards throughout the live broadcast of the games.

With varying results, as is customary in poker, the Stones Gambling Hall housed a large number of players over time, some of whom were regulars and others who were guests.

5. Expert Casino Security Code for Cheated Slot Machines

Casinos, game developers, and other regulating authorities take extraordinary measures to guarantee that all games on casino floors are secure and impenetrable to cheating.

But what occurs if one of the individuals in charge of maintaining security turns rogue?

This might provide a major headache for casinos, as you might think.

Ronald Dale Harris was a member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which oversees gambling in the state.

He worked as a computer expert developing anti-cheating software for slot machines in the early 1990s.

Harris appears to be a skilled programmer because he was able to change the slot machines’ source codes covertly.