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Indictments announced Thursday related to a poker fraud ring nba Emphasis was placed on statistics and their alleged high-tech fraudulent methods supported by the Mafia. But the cheating strategy he describes is as old as poker, familiar from heist movies and James Bond films.
The suspicious shuffling occurred not from sharp-eyed card sharks, but from clever machines. Instead of people peering over shoulders at mirrors or in the corner, there were X-ray tables and high-tech contact lenses. Low-tech signals and old-fashioned beatings for debtors were also reportedly used between players.
Here’s a look at how the alleged cheaters rigged the games, according to a sealed indictment and announcement from federal officials.
poker
The underground games were illegal throughout their existence and were run by mafia families. So the prosecution emphasizes that these additions were illegal – in contrast to “straight up” illegal games where at least poker is legal. Texas Hold’Em was the poker they played like most games these days. It contains very few cards – only five face-down public cards and two for each player. This potentially simplifies the scam.
Victims and ‘face cards’
Rich targets known as “fish” were brought in by the allure of playing for high stakes in posh secret venues manhattan With names like “The Lexington Avenue Game,” the indictment said. They were also attracted by the prospect of playing with professional athletes and coaches portland trail blazers Coach and Hall-of-Fame NBA player Chauncey Billups, who is expected to make an initial appearance in court later Thursday. Operators called these “face cards”.
Billups was accused of participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games associated with the La Cosa Nostra organized crime families, which defrauded unsuspecting gamblers out of at least $7 million. Former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones was also charged.
Authorities gave no indication of the victims’ identities other than to say that they were generally wealthy people who lost tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars to fraudsters.
The “face cards” and everyone else at the table, who were not the targets, were involved in the scam.
Cheating Strategy
The shuffling machine did most of the work. It is common to use machines, but advanced technology on these can determine the exact order of the cards after shuffling, and who has what once dealt. That information was transmitted wirelessly to someone off-site, who would send the identity of the player with the winning hand to the phone of the player at the table, called the “quarterback.”
Then it became low-tech. The “quarterback” would use classic subtle signals such as touching some chips to give information to fellow cheaters. They will all place bets accordingly.
Other methods of fraud
Shuffleing the machines was apparently the main strategy, but the conspirators reportedly tried other gadgetry, some of which was similar to technology used to identify players’ hands on poker telecasts. Officials did not elaborate on them, but they include:
-An X-ray table that can identify face-down cards used in Texas.
-Hidden cameras built into trays containing players’ chips that can identify cards.
– Customized contact lenses and glasses that can detect special marks on the card.
postgame
Fraudulent winners will share a percentage of their winnings with game operators. Victims were often told to send the money to fake companies that launder it. And organizers sometimes used robbery, extortion, and assault to get debtors to pay. Authorities said two game operators used their fists to extort payments from a fraudulent player.
Also charged was former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones, who is accused of participating in a separate scheme to exploit private information about players to win bets on NBA games.
Billups made an initial court appearance Thursday and his attorney declined to comment outside. A message was left at the phone number and email address listed in Jones’ public records.