This cheating, performed by the famous Klasson team for a quarter of a century, is somewhat similar to other tricks described on Casinoz. However, it has its features and deserves a thoroughly detailed review.
The Core of the 1005 Scam
They worked as follows.
- One of the team members came to the table when the dealer paid out winnings and collected cards from the players.
- He bet three red chips of 5$ each on the edge box to the right of the dealer.
- Sitting at the table, he had five purple chips (500$ each) and one 5$ chip, hiding them with his right hand so that no one in the casino could see.
- He formed a stack of these chips with 5$ on top (1005$ in total, which gave the name to the whole cheating).
The rest three 5$ chips remained in reserve, and their purpose will be discussed later.
He played and made signs to the dealer with his left hand. As he sat on the top box, he played last, but it was his box the dealer served the first when comparing the combination and making payments. This meant that his winnings were to be paid first, and then the dealer was to work with other players at the table.
This position was necessary because the dealer turned away as soon as he made the payout on this hand.
Cheating could be done at any table, but the last box was better than the others. The closer to the first box he would have to sit, the harder it would be to do his trick.
In the process, he never raised his right hand, which covered five purple and one red chip.
- If he lost the original bet, he just got up and went to another table. He could not make another bet at the same table because he presented himself as a cheap player who didn't attract attention with valuable chips.
- If his box won, he was preparing to execute his plan. For this, he pinched two purple and one red chip with the index finger of his right hand and waited for the dealer to make the payment, which, of course, was three 5$ chips.
Once the dealer moved 3 winning red chips to him, he quietly removed his original 15$ bet and put two 500$ chips covered by 5$ instead. He had mastered the move imitating his intention to pick up the win.
Dealing with the Dealer
Then, he bent over the table slightly and hid 5$ chips in his jacket pocket. With the empty right hand, he gently slapped the dealer's hand. This is how he pointed to the mistake in payment.
When the cheater had drawn attention to the original bet, it was already 1005$. His hands were empty, and three 500$ chips, confirming that he was able to bet this amount, were on the table in front of him.
The dealer was shocked by somebody touching his hand, which is unacceptable in any casino. He immediately knew that the player wasn't happy about something and began to worry.
The cheater cried and claimed he had been cheating. Moreover, he snapped15$ payment back to the dealer with his index finger. This gesture subconsciously made most dealers bring the chips back into the fleet.
When the pit boss or the hall manager came, they saw the following picture:
An outraged player, a 1005$ bet, and three 500$ chips on the table.
All this pointed out that the visitor was wealthy, and the dealer could be wrong, confusing a 500$ chip with 5$. As a result, the cheater often got the desired payment.
The Psychological Aspect
This move was well thought out from a psychological point of view. Especially important was slapping the dealer's hand. Croupiers at reputable casinos are not used to blackjack players touching the cards, not to mention themselves. Therefore, such a gesture from a visitor testified that he was seriously dissatisfied with something.
The trick performance was so perfect that even CCTV (in those days, it was far from perfect) could not fix it. All movements were natural and logical; the chips' substitution was taken as an attempt to pick up the win, so there was no evidence.
However, it did not end there, and the cheater polished the game situation. He changed one 500$ chip into five 100$ and bet 205$.
Thus, he demonstrated that he always played in this manner and reduced the suspicion of casino employees.
The trick almost always worked out, and only in some cases he failed to prove the croupier made a mistake. Later, they did it with 1000$ and 25$ chips and even 5000$ and 100$. The fantastic thing is that the system didn't fail at all when they raised the bets.
