Two men were charged Tuesday with conspiracy after they allegedly rigged poker games at two casinos in Southern California, reportedly taking more than $30,000 in winnings, prosecutors said.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the county District Attorney’s Office, the two men — along with a third, unidentified person — entered Pala Casino and Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center two years ago and “marked” cards to give them a better advantage in poker games.
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“This method of cheating at cards goes back hundreds of years, but with modern technology, the practice can be detected, and those who would scam local casinos can be brought to justice,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement.
The pair was arraigned on Tuesday, and both pleaded not guilty.
The defense attorney for the men could not be reached for comment. Neither casino could be reached for comment.
According to the complaint, the men arrived at Pala Casino on Aug. 24, 2023, with the unknown co-conspirator — who was wearing a fedora — and exchanged their money for chips. They then sat down at a Mississippi Stud Poker gaming table.
The men and the co-conspirator at different times then bent the “high-value playing cards,” such as 10s, face cards and aces, the complaint says.
“To accomplish this, they would use their fingers to bend the card’s corner and would also often rotate the card to bend a second or third corner of the card,” according to the complaint. They could then see if the dealer had a high-value card and decide whether to play or place a bet.
The two men and the co-conspirator then left the casino when the table closed, without exchanging their chips, according to the complaint. A few hours later, they allegedly returned together to exchange their chips — but this time in different clothing.
They exchanged their chips for cash, each going to the cashier at different times, and profited about $19,250 total, according to the complaint. They then ran a similar scheme at Harrah’s on Sept. 2, 2023, exchanging their chips for about $13,400 in cash, prosecutors said.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, casinos use a variety of technology and training to detect cheating, including cameras, deck changes and plastic-coated cards to detect tampering or card-bending.
“Casinos rely on randomness and fair play,” prosecutors said. “Any physical alteration to the cards is a breach of those rules, and in most jurisdictions, it’s also a criminal offense.”
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15.
