UK Casino scam - what exactly happened?

[jay kay]

Saw this on the morning news .... 3 people caught scamming UK casino "poker" games (poker in this case being a player vs dealer poker variant, not the real thing)

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/n...rio_jailed.php

They had a hidden cam watching the cards the players were dealt and somehow worked out what to bet from that .. but it looks like they didnt see the dealers cards - so what was their edge??

JK

[luckydonut]

The game was three-card poker, details and strategy here:
http://wizardofodds.com/threecardpoker

You post an ante bet to play, then raise (double the bet) or fold after you see the hand. If you know that the dealer is beating your hand, you fold [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Basic strategy is to raise with Q64 or better, and 75% of hands are no-pair. Even seeing just one card can give you a huge edge when you hold queen high.

Edit: This video from the BBC shows the dealers cards being exposed to the camera: http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/u...wm_6265323.stm

[jay kay]

Wot, so the dealer was flashing the cards as he/she dealt??! Thats just bad practice and the casino probably got what it deserved..

In fact if the cards were glimpsed, even if it was just so briefly that the perps had to use a camera to slow down the action, then the dealers cards should count as being public knowledge?

... ala counting in BJ which is not illegal because it uses publically available info that anyone playing the game has, they just used info that the dealer provides them

just being devils advocate of course [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] but did they really cheat if the dealer's action makes it possible to see the cards?

Another interesting thought, about the +EV of their scheme.. with 3 players involved, ~50k pounds profit = ~16k pounds profit each. Avg wage in UK is not much, so did player 1 get ~1 years avg wage for a 9 mth sentence (will be out in 4)? +EV or not?? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] players 2 and 3 got 9mth suspended sentences plus 150 hrs community service, +EV or not?? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] (News article makes no mention of fines, so assume they kept the proceeds)

JK

[Poker is Rigged]

why would they keep their winnings? im sure the casino got the $ back. casino get $ back = -EV