Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6804075

Just got this from a magic forum online. This could be the beginning of a weird story. There are not many details here, but it sure makes one curious.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

"WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack said, "I can't reveal our specific security measures, otherwise they wouldn't be very secure. But needless to say, Harrah's has the ultimate commitment to both responsible gaming and security, and we have a state of the art surveillance system in place at all times here."

LOL. See my post in the Jack Effel thread to see why this is a joke. State of the art, but can't read a tabled hand with a camera directly above the table.

Tuco.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

I know some poker players at the WSOP had large amounts of money boosted from their Hotel room safes... the story states the scheme was to steal from the poker players AWAY from the table... this could be related, I'm no techie but couldn't the electronic equipment be picking up someone's safe code?

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]
"WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack said, "I can't reveal our specific security measures, otherwise they wouldn't be very secure. But needless to say, Harrah's has the ultimate commitment to both responsible gaming and security, and we have a state of the art surveillance system in place at all times here."

LOL. See my post in the Jack Effel thread to see why this is a joke. State of the art, but can't read a tabled hand with a camera directly above the table.

Tuco.

[/ QUOTE ]

Man Tuco I read the article before I read your reply and I had the same quote copied because I wanted to respond to it. I can't find the post about the guy who had his room robbed of like 30k out of his safe and they didn't have any cameras to catch the crook... man complete opposite.

The funny thing is, it's almost like these guys know they're going to get caught, I don't even know why they bother to try. I will admit though tapping into hole card cameras would be sicko

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]
It sounds like the plot of one of those flashy casino heist movies -- a team of thieves, armed with high tech equipment concocts a scheme to steal vast sums of money from big shot gamblers.

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Well-placed sources told the I-Team that New Jersey gaming agents staged a quiet raid on the Borgata and arrested four people. By one account, they stormed a hotel room and found it packed with electronic equipment.

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That fits with other information the I-Team has about how the scheme was intended to steal from the poker players when they were away from the tables. No one is saying how the plot was supposed to work. Even the arrest information is being kept confidential.

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[conspiracy theory]
Could this somehow involve stealing from high profile players when they play online instead of live as they're staying at the Borgata?
[/conspiracy theory]

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6804075

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from Forte in the interview...

Back in Las Vegas, Forte has told friends that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, intimating that he was in the room with the alleged cheaters because he wanted to observe their methods and was not part of the scheme.



this is a tough sell....real sketchy

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

Wow, interesting story. Steve Forte is extremely well known in casino security circles, and has released a few cheating / sleight of hand videos. I'll be following this story with interest.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

so.... from the article.... they were tieing into tournament
hold cards... but trying to steal from non-tournament playing
customers ???

Does that make sense ? Or is the casino spinning it somehow ?
Um... i would think that seeing hold cards from the tournament
would be ~real~ easy to relay that info to your boy at the
featured table. Also, couldn't you SELL this information to
the player at the table ? After all, it's worth serious
prize money etc...

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

The article itself doesn't make much sense. Some real story has to follow from this. What I find interesting is the high profile "security" name attached. Steve is well known in the magic world for his videos, as a lot of card workers have gambling-themed acts that focus on spotting cheats.

I was surprised to see this on the magic forum before I saw it on any poker sites. That's why I posted.

What gets me about Forte's excuse is this: if he was "undercover" then the story would have been written differently, hailing him as a hero who helped the bust. If they knew who he was but he was truly on the up-and-up, why would you invite along a high profile security person on a heist? If they didn't know who he was, how smart was this crew? I mean,the scam would require a knowledge of who's who in vegas, and that would be a big oversight.

something is truly rotten in denmark here.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

Uhm, why did he get bail and get back to Las Vegas ? .... unless he was a snitch ?

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

some poker players .... safes... plural / how many ?

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]
from Forte in the interview...

Back in Las Vegas, Forte has told friends that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, intimating that he was in the room with the alleged cheaters because he wanted to observe their methods and was not part of the scheme.



this is a tough sell....real sketchy


[/ QUOTE ]

I know this might be tough to believe, but Steve Forte is considered a pioneer in gambling (specifically poker) cheating methods. He has in the past sweated known cheaters to uncover thier methods. So while it might sound bogus this is his standard operating procedure.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

It will be interesting to see what comes out.

I don't see much difference between observing a crime with no intention of reporting it and being an active participant in the crime.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

Guilty.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]
It will be interesting to see what comes out.

I don't see much difference between observing a crime with no intention of reporting it and being an active participant in the crime.

[/ QUOTE ]

Luckily for the rest of us the law sees a big difference.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

If he wasn't in on the prop, they would not tell him about the prop or invite him to see their equipment.

This is like telling the laws the you are just holding the drugs for a friend or that you did not know a joint was a crack house. Could be so.

I think this is about seeing the hole cards of top players to help someone else in the tournaments. You could even tap into the audio of the announcers. If they are cheating the players, they are cheating the tournament. If it was not hole cards in the tournament, it could be hole cards in the cash games with the tiny sleeve held cameras to see the dealer's cards coming off.

If not hole cards, then it would be security on safes, lock boxes, room doors. Either way, it is scary.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]
If it was not hole cards in the tournament, it could be hole cards in the cash games with the tiny sleeve held cameras to see the dealer's cards coming off.

If not hole cards, then it would be security on safes, lock boxes, room doors. Either way, it is scary.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, nice job reading the thread and repeating what has already been written as if you figured it all out. LOL

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

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some poker players .... safes... plural / how many ?

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Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

This dude sounds really sketchy. No way they let him in on this unless he is apart of the ordeal. HANG HIM!

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

i hope everyone of these thieving pieces of garbage get life in a 3x3x3 cage. and they get fed dog biscuits at their one and only one meal.

and they don't get to shower or shave ever. and it's cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. and no blankets or pillows. they have to sleep on the hard floor.

would serve these thieving scum bags right.

the prison guards should use a blowtorch on them.

burn in hell for cheating people!!!!

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

You guys really are idiots. As if cheating and stealing is anywhere near the top of the list of worst crimes.

Fwiw, havent read link, only this thread. I seriously doubt that any case involving electronic equipment crossed the line into serious in my opinion. By which i mean physical violence against someone.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]

I know this might be tough to believe, but Steve Forte is considered a pioneer in gambling (specifically poker) cheating methods. He has in the past sweated known cheaters to uncover thier methods. So while it might sound bogus this is his standard operating procedure.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not that it sounds bogus, but I thought many of the people who work security were poachers turned gamekeepers? And while there are many magicians who study stuff like slight of hand for many years, it's hard not to imagine that a layperson who devotes years to this stuff may well do so because they have larceny in their hearts.

Also, I'm guessing that there are aren't many bad guys who would take someone along on a job like this unless they'd proven their criminal credentials earlier.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It will be interesting to see what comes out.

I don't see much difference between observing a crime with no intention of reporting it and being an active participant in the crime.

[/ QUOTE ]

Luckily for the rest of us the law sees a big difference.

[/ QUOTE ]

Does it? We're not talking about just happening upon a crime. He was knowingly with a group of criminals who were committing a crime. And if the law does see the two situations significantly different, what's to stop anyone caught up in a similar group situation from claiming they were just observing? I'm not claiming to be an expert, but this situation seems similar to a robbery and one person murders someone and all are charged with murder.

Any why are the 'rest of us' lucky that the law supposedly sees a big difference? Do you often involve yourself with criminals so you can 'observe' a crime in progress?

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

Why don't we wait for the facts to come out, and then we'll know for sure.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

Cheating in short card games has been going in hotel rooms since forever. Usually involves a peep/camera set up in one room and surveillance in another close by room.

Short card games = knock poker, tonk, gin, whatever games the casino wont deal.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]
i hope everyone of these thieving pieces of garbage get life in a 3x3x3 cage. and they get fed dog biscuits at their one and only one meal.

and they don't get to shower or shave ever. and it's cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. and no blankets or pillows. they have to sleep on the hard floor.

would serve these thieving scum bags right.

the prison guards should use a blowtorch on them.

burn in hell for cheating people!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

What happened to the fundamental principle, "innocent until proven guilty"?

It would be best to cool off and not jump to conclusions. Journalists are notorious and they always jump to write an article without checking facts. This is why this article doesn't make 100% sense, as has already been pointed out in this thread. And this is why Thomas Jefferson said, "To be truly informed one must learn to completely ignore newspapers."

The only facts are that Steve Forte was arrested and that some high-tech electronic equipment was discovered in a hotel room. Now let see if the prosecutors prove that this equipment was intended to be used in a cheating conspiracy. I also happen to be typing up this post on a machine that is a piece of high-tech electronic equipment, and I regularly bring this piece of high-tech equipment to hotel rooms. So what?

I think it is unfounded to jump to conclusions based on an extremely badly written and badly researched sensational article and start saying that they should all rot in a prison cell. The fact is, everything that is written in this thread is pure speculation. There is nothing immoral about speculating on a public board (as long as it doesn't end up hurting someone,) but if you are trying to say that you are up to the highest moral and ethical standards, which is why you seem to dislike cheats, then you should not be making such statements. A lot of witches have been burned throughout history.

And finally, so many poker players condemn cheating. But since when is gambling such an ethical activity?

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

Lol, since when has poker been an unethical activity?

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

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I will admit though tapping into hole card cameras would be sicko

[/ QUOTE ]
Whatever was going on at the Borgata, it certainly couldn't have involved hole card cameras, because the entire $5000 event (including the final table which I watched from the bleachers)was held on the regular tourny (and cash) tables, none of which are equipped with cameras. Also, LOL, at a $5000 buy-in event being "the largest poker event in the town's history"

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

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Lol, since when has poker been an unethical activity?

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Well, actually, since the first day it was invented. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

Having worked as a director or tech on 60+ poker shows I can tell you that in Vegas it would be pretty tough to tap into the cameras. Prior to the event Gaming commission inspects the setup and during the event casino security places a guard in or just outside the room where the signals are recorded to make sure no one is disseminating information. Generally once a hand is dealt, no one is allowed to leave the area until the hand is finished.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

If the glove don't fit, you must acquit.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I will admit though tapping into hole card cameras would be sicko

[/ QUOTE ]
Whatever was going on at the Borgata, it certainly couldn't have involved hole card cameras, because the entire $5000 event (including the final table which I watched from the bleachers)was held on the regular tourny (and cash) tables, none of which are equipped with cameras. Also, LOL, at a $5000 buy-in event being "the largest poker event in the town's history"

[/ QUOTE ]

We are also discussing Steve's situation in the books forum. I can only imagine two possibilities so far,

1) A dealer who wore a pinhole camera up his or her sleeve was part of the scheme. There were recently arrests of a team who did this at table games. This is possible, but actually seems unlikely because its probably not worth the trouble.

2) The release said the scheme took place "off the casino floor" and was done to defraud "players, not the house". Its very possible the plan was to trap an online player by placing a trojan on his computer then play him heads up. The best time to nab a mark is by befriending him in his hotel room where his laptop is located. This seems to be the most plausible explanation so far.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

They were cheating people playing other games in their hotel rooms. Why is everyone talking about taping into hole card cams. They hustle a guy to play gin in the hotel room and used the peep.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

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It would be best to cool off and not jump to conclusions.

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No it wouldn't. The name and purpose of this forum is news, views and gossip.

All unfounded speculation is encouraged.

If you want historical accuracy, go edit Wikipedia.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

[ QUOTE ]
If you want historical accuracy, go edit Wikipedia.

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Oh, I was not aware of the fact that Wikipedia offers historical accuracy. I'll have to make a note for future reference.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

Does Borgata have wireless inet? Maybe they were picking up the wirless activity and hacking into Players Computers. There is always a lot of inet players playing in their rooms when they get knocked, etc.

As for breaking into safes... They don't need that much stuff. I checked into a hotel in LV where the safe was left locked. Security came to my room with some device slighlty larger than an ipod and opened it within a few seconds. So no need for a room full of stuff to open a safe.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

A hooker can run through all the combos on a 4 digit pushbutton safe in 5-6 hours while you're passed out drunk on the bed.

Re: Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam
 

Could be van eck phreaking Get a room next to a high stakes hu player, play him and profit.