Poker, mafia and technology: this is how the scam that stole millions in underground games worked – CodigoPoker

What seemed like a private high stakes poker game could have been completely decided before the players even received their cards.

An investigation by the United States Department of Justice uncovered a spectacular scheme of underground poker games linked to members and associates of the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno mafia families, in which the organizers used specially designed technology to know the players’ cards and transmit that information to the cheaters sitting at the table.

The case, now in court, involves 31 defendants. Among them are former NBA player and coach Chauncey Billups, former player Damon Jones and Shane Hennen, a gambler also involved in investigations for basketball game-fixing and insider betting.

According to prosecutors, the games operated since at least 2019 and took place in various locations in New York, the Hamptons, and Las Vegas. The players who entered as victims were, in many cases, wealthy individuals attracted by private games with very high limits.

A shuffling machine that knew the cards

The most incredible part of the investigation lies in the method used to cheat. Investigators claim the group used modified shuffling machines capable of reading the entire deck’s cards while shuffling.

Since the cards were dealt in a predetermined order, the device could determine which player would receive each hand and, therefore, who would have the winning combination.

The information was sent to a person located outside the gaming venue. From there, another member of the organization transmitted it by phone to a player sitting at the table.

That player was known as the “quarterback” or “driver” and had the mission of communicating to their teammates what cards their opponents held. The signal could be something as simple as touching certain chips or objects on the table.

In this way, a group of players could know what cards their adversaries had while the victims continued playing without suspecting they were participating in a completely rigged game.

But the organization was not limited to shuffling machines. According to the indictment, they also used an analyzer hidden inside a chip tray, equipped with cameras capable of reading the cards.

In other cases, investigators found references to a table with X-ray technology capable of detecting face-down cards and even special lenses and glasses able to identify previously marked cards.

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The system had different levels of participants. Some organized the games, others provided the technology, and others sat at the table as part of the teams responsible for fleecing unsuspecting players.

The prosecution estimates that the victims lost at least US$7 million as a result of the rigged games.

The mafia and the “face cards”

To get players willing to put up huge amounts of money, the organization needed more than technology. It also needed credibility. This is where the so-called “Face Cards” came in: known figures whose presence helped make the games seem legitimate and attractive to big bettors.

Among them were the mentioned former NBA players, according to the federal indictment. Billups, Hall of Fame member and then Portland Trail Blazers coach, denied the accusations and maintains his innocence.

Chauncey Billups, Accused.

The case also has an even broader connection to the world of sports betting.

One of the main names in the investigation is Shane Sugar Hennen, identified by prosecutors as a provider of part of the technology used for the fraudulent games.

Hennen is also linked to investigations into bets related to college basketball and the NBA, including the case involving former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter.

Already 19 defendants have pleaded guilty

The case continues to progress and several of the accused have already chosen to negotiate with the Justice system. In July, Hennen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Other members of the organization also accepted charges or agreed to do so.

According to court records cited by Gambling Insider, 19 of the original 31 defendants have already pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty.

The case exposed a scenario that seems straight out of a movie: private games worth millions of dollars, members of mafia families, former NBA stars, and a technological system capable of knowing the players’ cards before they even saw them.

At those tables, apparently, the problem was not having a bad hand. The problem was that someone on the other side of the table already knew exactly what your cards were…

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