Roulette Sniff Scam!

That's right, you won't believe this highly intelligent casino cheat scam but here is what happened during the month of August in London's chic Casino at the Empire. Two casino cheats happened upon a roulette game where they noticed that every three spins or so, the dealer sniffed as if he were trying to clear his stuffed nose just before spinning the ball. They then cleverly decided to use this dealer's habit in a roulette cheat scam. Being gifted in overall conning and scamming, they hung out in the casino bar looking to bait some heavy-packing punters (gamblers)for the fleece. They came across a wealthy Egyptian and told him that they had an inside scam working with that particular sniffing roulette dealer. They told him that the guy was able to control the roulette ball with a fair amount of accuracy and could hit a section of six numbers on the wheel about a third of the time. They told him that the dealer would sniff the signal when he was about to launch a controlled spin. Of course the dealer had no clue who the hustlers were, nor was his sniffing indicative of anything more than a cold or stuffed nose.

The cheats brought the Egyptian into the casino where he bought in for 500-pound chips at the roulette table. The deal was that the Egyptian and the cheats would split the profits fifty-fifty. Well, the cheats got real lucky and the first ten times the roulette dealer sniffed, he hit the section of six numbers nine times! The Egyptian increased his bets and by the time the dealer finished his shift, he'd won 60,000 pounds! He gave the casino cheats 30,000 and promptly left the casino.

The pair of roulette cheats worked the scam several more nights as the dealer continued to sniff intermittently. They won with a few marks and lost with a few others. The scam came apart when one of the marks, who'd happened to win, overheard the sniffing dealer tell a pit supervisor that he was having an allergic reaction to something in the casino, presumably the carpeting. The mark, in spite of having won, decided to complain to the supervisor about the hustling cheats. They were immediately tossed out of the casino and barred from entering it in the future.

Well, in any case, I think it was quite a creative little gig, and the least I can say for the two casino scam artists is that they sure knew how to think on their feet!

Tran Organization Biggest Casino Cheat Dealer Charged by Feds For Ripping Off Baccarat Game For a Cool $1 Million!

Not only are the Tran Organization baccarat cheat busts continuing to keep pace with the plea deals and sentencings in the huge international casino cheat case, they're getting bigger! As more than 30 cheating dealers, supervisors and players have already been charged, with many of their cases already adjudicated, now the scam's biggest victim, the Resorts East Chicago Casino in Indiana, is getting the satisfaction of seeing its Numero-Uno cheat dealer, Michael Waseleski, charged by federal prosecutors with several gaming crimes. Waseleski is charged with helping a clan of Tran Org. baccarat and blackjack cheats win more than $1 million by rigging games. The conspiracy charges against Michael Waseleski allege that while he was a dealer at Resorts East Chicago Casino, he was trained by the gamblers in how to perform a false shuffle of card decks. Those players won the money there in the summer of 2005.

Authorities say 31 people have pleaded guilty to charges in the rigged games, which were also carried out in Canada and six other states. The scheme involved bribes to casino supervisors and dealers during blackjack and mini baccarat and use of unshuffled cards.

When will these Tran busts stop! PLEASE!!!

Men the Master Sites Budda in His Poker cheating Denials!

We've all heard the poker cheating allegations against 6-time WSOP bracelet-winner Men "the Master" Nguyen, especially those concerning his running a Vietnamese poker cheat collusion ring. Currently playing in the World Series of Poker Europe Championships, the accused master poker cheat had this to say:

"I see a lot of things they say on the Internet," he said. "If they say that in any magazine I'll sue them for slander, but I've never seen it. They slander me on the Internet, but I talked to my lawyer and he said they can say anything they want on the Internet. If I cheated do you think I would be able to go all over the world and play poker? "They are probably jealous. I earned what I won. I came to the United States empty-handed. I got what I won, I got my name out there and people just talk about me now. Show me. Catch me. Until they can prove it they should not talk about it. It's just gossip."

Nguyen fled communist Vietnam in 1978 and settled in Los Angeles, California. He started playing poker in 1984 and won his first WSOP bracelet in 1992. A devout Buddhist, Nguyen reiterated that he would never cheat and never has. "I'm a Buddhist so I am afraid to cheat," he explained. "If I cheat on anything it will come back to me. If I do something like that God will punish me. If I cheated do you think I would be able to go all over the world and play poker? They would kick me out of every tournament."

An emotional player at the tables, Nguyen has also been accused of being abusive to dealers and floor staff. Again, Nguyen denies any wrongdoing. "The problem is that sometimes dealers make mistakes and I just try to correct them," he said. "If you play with me at the table you will see how good I am and how nice I am. I will always be nice.

"People talk and they don't think. People say 'Oh Men, you did this or that,' but they don't know. The dealer comes in and maybe they don't change the deck, so I ask why they don't change the deck, because it's a rule. I'm just correcting mistakes."

What do I think? Well, I think Men the Master cares as much about Buddha as he does about his cheat victims!

Signed to UltimateBet, Top Poker Pro Joe Sebok Should Help UB Shed Online Cheat Image

Top Poker Pro Joe Sebok has signed with giant and tainted online poker room Ultimate Bet, and he will serve as well in a consulting capacity to help the scandal-ridden online poker site prevent the cheat scams that have plagued it. Long considered to be one of the top poker professionals without a major sponsorship deal, it was announced late Monday evening that Joe Sebok will be joining UltimateBet’s roster of poker pros. Sebok will also take a prominent position inside of the Ultimate Bet organization.

Because of his abilities in the world of internet radio and podcasting, Sebok will accept a position as the site’s Media and Operations Consultant. In this capacity, Sebok will help bridge the gap between the Ultimate Bet brand and poker players. His in-depth knowledge of the online poker world will likely raise the bar and make Ultimate Bet the only place players will want to visit. Sebok had previously gained the industry’s respect for his founding of PokerRoad.com, an online media outlet that provides poker fans with fresh, innovative, and often irreverent content from an insider’s perspective. Online poker fans around the world continue to look to Sebok and PokerRoad.com, where he serves as the company’s CEO, for a unique perspective on everything related to land-based and online poker.

“We are ecstatic to bring Joe onto Team UB,” said Paul Leggett, the COO of Tokwiro Enterprises. “He will not only serve as a pro player representing the brand, but more importantly will be instrumental in helping us create a poker site for and by poker players. His commitment to the brand was invaluable, as he worked closely with me to help begin to bring closure on the details surrounding the cheating investigation from last year. I’ll continue to work with him to ensure that we always do everything possible to satisfy the poker community’s concerns and will continue to work together to make Ultimate Bet the premier poker site. I couldn’t be happier to welcome Joe to the team today.”

“UB and I first started talking about a possible relationship almost four months ago and I made it very clear that I couldn’t commit until that point in time when the names associated with the scandal began to be released,” Sebok stated during the announcement. “Paul Leggett has been instrumental in this process and I now feel comfortable and excited about joining the team as we are heading in such a positive direction. While this process isn’t entirely complete, I consider this to be one of my new responsibilities moving forward and intend to continue working very closely with Paul to ensure it happens. I am very happy to be joining Ultimate Bet today and look forward to our future.”

Tokwiro COO Leggett Says Russ Hamilton is Guilty but Doubts He'll be Prosecuted for Masterminding UltimateBet Scam

In a thorough comment on the Kahnawake Gaming Commission's 11-page report on the huge online poker cheat scam, Tokwiro boss Paul Leggett expressed enthusiasm that his company, Tokwiro, was not found liable for any of the cheating that transpired, with the bulk of the blame going to Ultimate Bet’s previous owners. “It is very important to us that everyone understands that our company had nothing to do with the cheating on UltimateBet,” Leggett wrote in his Tuesday blog entry. In an effort to clear up any confusion regarding other information released in the KGC report, Leggett dedicated the rest of his post to discussing his own thoughts on the findings.

He began by trying to put the scope of both UB’s internal investigation and the one conducted by the KGC into context. Leggett claimed most avenues the investigation explored resulted in dead ends, in part, because the KGC lacked resources of a law enforcement agency since it is simply a regulatory body.

“This limited the Tokiwro and KGC investigations because the only evidence available was data,” Leggett explained, before he moved on to address the data itself. The COO claimed he did not know definitively who the other 31 people listed in the report are, but he said he could “make a very educated guess as to which names were included.”

Many who have read the report chided the KGC for releasing only Hamilton’s name and suggested he is being made to be the scapegoat for the actions of many. Leggett agrees with the KGC’s assertion that Hamilton is the person who masterminded the operation:

“In my opinion, the KGC released his name because there was an overwhelming amount of evidence that showed he was the person using the software and accounts to cheat, that his close associates helped facilitate the changing of usernames and the movement of monies, and that he was the main beneficiary of the proceeds from the cheating,” wrote Leggett.

As for any potential legal action that may be taken towards Hamilton and others in the future, Leggett remains skeptical and blames the lack of regulation of online poker in the U.S. for the difficulty inherent against pressing charges and opening up a legal investigation. He explained, “The current legal environment in the United States, relating to online poker, makes it very complicated for the proper authorities to work with us and for us to bring a claim against individuals in the United States.” He then went on to make his own case for pushing for online gambling regulation in the coming months.

Leggett concluded his thoughts by expressing his own personal frustration and sadness dealing with the investigation over the past several months. He even acknowledged his de facto role as bad guy to several members of the online poker community, but concluded by suggesting the worst is behind Ultimate Bet and the $22 million reimbursement and $15 million settlement with UB’s previous owners are two big steps towards proving that the site is a safe and fun place for people to play poker online.

Eight New Indictments in Tran Organization False Shuffle Baccarat Cheat Scam

Can't say this is a surprise as it seems the whole Western Peninsula was involved in this cheat scam!

A federal grand jury in San Diego has indicted an additional eight defendants for conspiracy to cheat a total of 11 casinos across the country, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Karen P. Hewitt announced today.

A one-count indictment, handed up in the Southern District of California on Sept. 1, 2009, and unsealed on Sept. 15, 2009, charges seven defendants each with one count of conspiracy to commit several offenses against the United States, including conspiracy to steal money and other property from Indian tribal casinos, and conspiracy to travel in interstate and foreign commerce in aid of racketeering. Defendants charged in this indictment include Jason Cavin, Connie Marie Holmes, Brandon Pete Landry, Nedra Fay Landry, Geraldo Montaz, Jesus Rodriguez and Mike Waseleski.

For the total lowdown on this scam, search "False Shuffle Baccarat Scam" on this blog.

Nevada Slot Cheat Case Headed For Trial!

In what appears to be a serious slot-cheating case, three alleged slot cheaps are one step closer to going to trial. William Cushing, Michael McNeive and Susan Lewanda are accused of possessing a cheating device, conspiracy to cheat at gambling and use of a cheating device in a slot machine. The trio allegedly used the scam at several Las Vegas casinos, including Boulder Station and Fiesta Rancho, in 2006.

At a Thursday morning, District Court Judge Douglas Herndon said a trial date will be scheduled after the next status check and evidentiary hearing, which is set for Sept. 29. 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.

Cushing and McNeive are in Nevada's List of Excluded Persons, otherwise known as the Black Book, and are barred from the state's casinos. According to Gaming Control Board records, Cushing, 57, was first arrested in 1984 and has been arrested numerous times for gaming crimes in Nevada and other states. McNeive, 68, was first arrested by the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 1996 and has been arrested for gaming-related crimes, including cheating slot machines, numerous times.

Casino and Poker Cheats Lab 101

Developing That Great Casino Cheat and Poker Cheat Move in the Lab!

What are the components of an effective poker or casino cheating move? There are four basic elements that determine the feasibility and effectiveness of all brick and mortar casino and poker cheat moves. The first is the mechanics of the move, mainly whether it can be physically done and with a relative amount of ease. Since poker and casino cheating moves have really little to do with sleight of hand, the physical mechanics of cheat moves comes down to the skill and dexterity of normally capable people. An example of a difficult move would be picking up the dolly on a roulette game and slipping chips underneath it after the dealer has placed it on the winning number. Although distractions might be used to take the dealer’s eyes off the layout, it is important to distinguish the difference between these diversionary tactics and sleight of hand, which this is not. An example of an easier physical move would be the blackjack pastpost described here.

The second important factor in designing a poker cheat or casino cheat move is the exposure it takes. As in any physical crime, the longer you are committing it, the worse it is. Most casino cheat scams get busted because their perpetrators are on the tables doing it for too long a time. All the cheat moves during my cheating career were done in a split-second. I never took much exposure, giving the casino little or no time to set me up. When you hear about card-marking scams and digital camera scams in casinos getting busted, surveillance was on to them and therefore had the chance to film them and set the cheats up for the bust. So the best poker and casino cheat scams are the ones that happen quickly and limit the cheats’ time in the casino.

The third important factor is being able to conceal the move as much as possible. This does not mean physically hiding it. That part is covered in the mechanics of the move. Here I am talking about concealing the move after it has been successfully done in the poker room or casino. After you do the move and get paid, you still don’t want the casino to figure out what happened, mainly because you want to keep doing the same successful move at other tables in the casino and at other casinos. Good moves will have psychology built into them, such as setting the casino up for the kill and making them forget about it after they’re dead. This way when the cheat makes his claim to get paid on a move, the casino already believes he is a high roller and pays off. Part of this facet is to also play at the table after the move went down, further camouflaging the move and reducing the casino’s chances of catching on to you.

The last important factor is the longevity of a cheat move. Good ones will last for a while. For instance, my blackjack pastpost move produced big money in the world’s casinos for thirty years, and is still going strong. Unless your move makes huge money in a one-shot deal, it won’t be worth developing it if it doesn’t last.
With all this in mind, I would say my Savannah casino roulette cheat move would be as close to the perfect move as possible. It was physically easy to do, took only a split-second, actually concealed and camouflaged itself, and lasted as long as I wanted it to. To this day, casinos cannot stop it.

Oh!... One thing I forgot to mention that is necessary to all successful casino and poker cheat moves...You need the balls to do them! THEY are not developed in the casino cheating lab!

Poker Cheat Bots Hit Pitbull Poker and Others!

Pitbull Poker, which has already seen a significant traffic decline due to an alleged superuser account scandal that its operators don't seem to be responding to, is again in the online poker cheating news with fresh allegations of widespread bot play on the site. According to information I'm receiving, bot play seems to go undetected for much longer periods of time than on most other online poker sites. This also has been noted BEFORE the super user account cheating scam broke at Pitbull Poker. As for the quality and effectiveness of the bots being used in Pitbull Poker games, I cannot say much, but overall, I figure that the majority of these bots are not that effective, and they alone should not be a reason to avoid the site.

Overall cheating bot play is on the rise throughout online poker, but again, I must stress that the high quality artificial intelligence bots are not out there in alarming numbers. However, if you do come up against them, you might be paying them off as they are good enough to beat most online players.

New Connecticut Inside Dealer Casino Cheat Scam! This Time it's Pai Gow Cheating at the Mohegan Sun!

This is just unbelievable!...One inside dealer casino cheating scam after another in Connecticut's two big casinos. Soon on the dealer job applications, one of the questions is going to be: How much cheating experience do you have? Or maybe: Are you capable of false-shuffling a deck of cards? Why are these two casinos constantly being cheated by their dealers?

Ever wonder what goes on in a pai gow game with all those funny looking tiles and the dice cup? Ever say to yourself that a Chinese dealer would have an easy time cheating his or her pai gow game when supervisors in the pit don't really understand the nature of the Chinese gambling game? Well, evidently, one Chinese dealer and her Chinese cohort figured as much. Only trouble is they got caught.

Police arrested a Norwich woman who works as a table games dealer at Mohegan Sun on Saturday after surveillance picked up what appeared to be a cheating scam. Peggy Lin, 40, was charged with cheating while lawfully gambling, third-degree larceny and third-degree conspiracy to commit larceny. Police said surveillance at the Earth Casino saw Lin manipulate a deal of a pai gow tile game so that another player could win the hand. The person who won, Bi De Zhen, 43, was also charged with cheating while lawfully gambling, third-degree larceny and third-degree conspiracy to commit larceny. Both were arrested without incident and released. They are scheduled to appear Oct. 1 in Norwich Superior Court.

The arrest comes one month after a former Mohegan Sun craps dealer pleaded guilty to charges he took an $800 payoff for accepting late bets at his table from a convicted cheater. Johnnie Baker, 38, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree larceny and received a fully suspended sentence. Police said Baker accepted money from Richard “Mr. Casino” Taylor in exchange for paying Taylor $11,500 for four late bets in 2008. Baker was one of a dozen former casino employees, the only one from Mohegan Sun, charged in connection with Taylor’s craps cheating scam.