Infamous Poker Cheats: A Look into the Dark Side of the Game

Poker, a game of skill and strategy, has seen its fair share of cheating scandals over the years. Here are some of the most infamous poker cheats and their methods:

Notable Cheaters and Their Techniques

Richard Marcus, a professional poker player, was known for his sleight-of-hand techniques. He often used a 'chip cup' scam, placing a high-value chip under a stack of lower-value chips and claiming victory. Eventually, he was caught and banned from many casinos.

Russ Hamilton, one of the founders of the Ultimate Bet online poker site, was involved in a significant cheating scandal. He and others used a 'superuser' account to see opponents' hole cards, cheating them out of millions of dollars.

Archie Karas, a famous gambler, was caught marking cards in a California casino, leading to his ban from many casinos. Phil Ivey, a well-known professional poker player, used a technique called 'edge sorting' to win millions playing baccarat at a London casino. The casino refused to pay him his winnings, claiming he had cheated.

Scotty Nguyen was involved in a cheating scandal where he used marked cards to cheat opponents out of thousands of dollars in a California casino.

Ron 'The Master' Harris, a computer programmer for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, created a software program to predict video poker outcomes, cheating casinos out of hundreds of thousands of dollars before being caught and sentenced to prison.

The Greek, an anonymous poker cheat from the 1970s, was famous for marking cards without detection using a small knife. Mumbles, known for 'bottom dealing,' held the deck in a way that allowed him to deal the bottom card to himself while appearing fair.

Mark 'The Shark' was notorious for various cheating techniques, including card marking and chip stealing, and was eventually banned from many casinos. John 'Johnny World' Hennigan was accused of marking cards during a game of Seven-Card Stud, though he denied the accusations.