Cheating at poker

Attention, the editorial staff declines all responsibility if you are caught cheating in poker! This article tells you about the most famous cheating methods in land-based casinos. We haven't tried them. As for the software that offers you to see your opponents' cards when you play online, get a good anti-virus, because most of the time it is malicious software. We also doubt the effectiveness of the calculators, if it worked, the number of players instantly rich thanks to poker would arouse the suspicions of the operators. In short, whatever the method, we advise you to play by the rules, because we believe a lot in karma. Who sows the wind reaps the storm, as they say!

The so-called accomplice method

If you find a friend who would like to help you win in exchange for a percentage of your winnings, there are two types. The internal accomplice, at your own table. As in the Kem's game (yes, this game that we play and we agree on a sign to make when we have the right hand so that the other screams "KEMS!"), the cheaters agree on a silent code to give the information on their cards. It can pass for tells seen from the outside. Indeed, frowning, scratching your nose or ear, all means are good to grab the money of the other players both in order to share it at the end. We refer to the epic part in the movie "The Players" when the two friends are unconscious enough to play poker with policemen. We don't tell you the end so that you can go see it!

The external accomplice, on the other hand, is a little more difficult to spot, but not infallible! We want as proof of this the example of a German player who followed the victories, the trophies and the best places in the rankings of the tournaments in which he participated. Ali Tekintamgak thus reached the last table of the Partouche Poker Tour (PPT) in 2010. Only journalists being allowed to work as close as possible to the players, his accomplice pretended to be one of the two to take a seat behind his opponent. They had both established a code in advance, and the fake journalist indicated the cards to his friend by more or less discreet signs. The videos of the final hand of the Barcelona WPT circulating on the web capture very well this moment when the impostor, camera in hand, squints at the two cards of Ali's opponent and brings his hand close to his chin to reveal to Ali two very close cards (an 8 and a 9). His cheating method seems to have remained the same throughout his tournaments and Ali Tekintamgak was unmasked and disqualified from the PPT the same year.

The magic technique

This method is playable only in games between friends at home, unless you have exactly the same game as that of the casino. It is also necessary to be very skillful and try not to be fooled. It is enough to know how to distribute and choose the cards that suit you. Pay attention to the players who mix the cards with dexterity and win the game (a little too often), we can reasonably think that these players are cheats. Don't put them all in the same basket, there are very good players who know how to mix cards!

Among the cheating systems, we also note the existence of infrared lenses and invisible ink with which corrupt and unscrupulous casino employees wrote the information for the cheating player. Stefano Ampollini is the most famous cheater who invested in these lenses for the modest sum of €2,000 and won in total more than €91,000!