HOW TO STOP CASINO CHEATS.

Why don't we stop pretending that you can teach trainee casino personnel to spot cheating. Most cheating is discovered on revue by surveillance the next day, after the money has left the house, in the Chinese "Cutters Scam" they went for months without being detected, what I heard on the video recording is "the group's unlawful activity went on for several days". This after months of top security and surveillance personnel were stumped as to what they were doing. Only after they had won millions around the world were they caught after "several days" in the establishment in question. Someone estimated "between fifty to a hundred million $ USD". "Several days", I have heard this more than once.

In Salzburg, Austria recently the same scam over three days, they were only caught when they returned the following weekend, after winning (taking) more than €300,000. This cutting card manipulation scam is now more prevelent than ever.

Let's stop fooling ourselves that we can catch them cheating in real time. In one second they were able to read nearly the whole baccarat shoe. Who would have thought in one second in real time? When they are stupid, greedy and they make mistakes we can catch them.

The Edge sorting scam of Phil Ivey and Kelly Sun went on at the Borgata after more than a few weekend trips. Only at the Ritz their three day con was caught on revue after a long weekend, on revue. They are cheating with micro mini cameras hidden so hard the police in Switzerland after a strip search only discovered the camera hours later. Sewn into his jean jacket.

Using video luminous paint, naked to the human eye, some casinos don't know they are being cheated. "Well we couldn't see any marks on the cards" is the cry from the PIT. This has been going on for more than twenty years. One surveillance director said to me "I know poker and no one can win so consistently" because he couldn't see the marks on the cards, they were allowed (the cheats) to play for best part of a month.

The best casinos in the world fall prey to the simplest scams. The Pakistani/Bangladeshis from the U.K. who turned over Monte Carlo for more than 2 (two) million Euros while exchanging low value colour chips for a much higher value because they were VIPs, big players, playing with thousands and courtesy of the house. This simple trick is the first thing we teach roulette dealers when training and someone recently suggested we teach surveillance personnel at the same time together with the table dealers, go back to school.

The Dominicans who live mostly in the Bronx, get away with the same simple scam, especially at newly built, new opening casinos. When nobody is familiar with the local players or the foreign visitors. They are well organized and use distracting techniques, just as the Italian roulette past-poster teams do. Not only are they mechanics but they are conmen too. Even the best trained staff are taken in by them.

Same with the Turkish card swapping teams, conning the dealer at the first box while at the end of the table cards are swapped under the table, while a fourth team member blocks the view from behind.

How many top personnel are working the busy shifts while directors of surveillance have weekends off, take holidays and are sometimes sick as we all are. Casinos are open 24/7 and are finding it hard to recruit staff to work these unholy hours. (Graveyard shifts). Then why not access an online watchlist and know who the cheats are even before they sit at the table. It is not only money that they take from us, they stretch our resources by opening tables for what we think are big players, yes their money is big, they want to cheat big. Ok you are unlucky if they visit your establishment first but most cheats, especially serial cheats are known to those in the know.

I have made it my business to know because I am an honourary member of security groups around the world and I am thankful for that.

John Connolly, the author may be contacted on WhatsApp at +36705829388

It is much better to know who they are.

#Legerdemain

#Finger