Steve Forte arrested in possible poker scam

[SmackeytheFrog]

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.

[Tuco]

"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.

[Rushstreet07]

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?

[Lord_Strife]

[ 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

[TheUsher]

[ 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.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]

[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]

[The B]

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

[/ 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

[Ringo]

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.

[quirkasaurus]

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...

[SmackeytheFrog]

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.

[MiltonFriedman]

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