Stealing chips from other players may seem the most primitive of all types of cheating. However, history knows brilliant virtuosos even in this occupation. They masterfully cheat unsuspecting casino visitors, and no one can catch them for years.
Let's talk about such slicks In this article.
Stealing Chips at Casino Tables
Deceiving the players in any way can be even more dangerous than committing such acts against the casino because, in this case, there is a risk of not only running into problems with the casino management and the law but also making enemies in the face of the cheated.
On the other hand, excited and often tipsy players are much easier prey than professional dealers.
Casino security doing surveillance, as a rule, is closely watching the tables because they are more concerned about cheating against the casino. Nobody will watch out for clients' chips except for themselves. Whatever it is, cheaters have been stealing chips from players for centuries.
The best place to carry out their ideas is the craps table, which is so crowded with excited players that they won't even think of closely watching their chips. They crowd around, push each other, bend to pick up a win, or make new bets. All this time, their chips are on the table next to them, an easy target for thieves.
Classon Brothers' Scam
Something similar happens at the roulette tables, but the infamous Henry and Joe Classon brothers stole chips only from craps fans. They did it in Las Vegas for several decades and developed the whole system over the years. They did not stop stealing chips from casual visitors but paved the way for each cheating.
Usually, they chose a visitor who was actively playing craps, never letting go of a whiskey glass or other drink, and looked like an open person. Henry approached him with small chips and pushed his way to the table between the potential victim and another player. Joe remained behind. Henry never put large chips on the table to avoid the dealer's and inspector's attention.
Then he did his best to win the trust of the selected player.
The player had to feel comfortable in his presence. Otherwise, he would subconsciously begin to watch his chips more closely. Henry slowly curried his favor, taking the same pace of the game, making similar bets, perhaps performing small talk. However, the conversation was unnecessary because not all drunk people are too talkative. Being a good psychologist, he felt the situation and acted accordingly.
Later, Henry placed his bets next to his victims' chips. It was also essential to see the line. After all, some people do not like it when others put their chips along with their own or touch their bets. In other words, Henry's presence should have caused any concern or irritated the player. It was also essential to choose the right table because the victim had to be winning for a while. Otherwise, they would give all the chips to the dealer, leaving no chance to cheat.
After preparing a person, Henry proceeded to steal a few chips from him.
- They bet on the same numbers, so they both leaned over for the payment when they won the bid.
- At this time, Henry stretched his left hand (closest to the victim) for the win and put his right hand on the stranger's stack. This movement was hidden from others' eyes with his torso.
- He picked out three big chips lying closest to him with his fingers and immediately handed them to Joe, standing behind him. He hid them in his pocket.
- Thus, he got rid of the evidence in case the victim put any charges. He played with chips of a different denomination and did not have the same as stolen in hand.
- If the player discovered the loss, Joe quietly retreated from the table, and Henry could only throw up his hands in bewilderment and show with his whole appearance that he did not do anything.
Brothers were never greedy and didn't steal too many chips, so their victims often did not notice that their stacks were quietly reduced. Besides, Classon chose only those players who were lucky for some time because many people stopped counting the chips in this situation because of their prejudices, believing that this was not lucky.
Once the fortune turned away from the player, they left him alone. Sometimes they changed roles, and Joe stole the chips and passed them to Henry.
They acted this way in various casinos. In some cases, they could steal over $20000 a night.
For example, in the late 70s, Joe charmed one oil queen from Texas, resulting in a revenue of $22500 dollars.
Moreover, she not only did not notice but even invited him to her ranch in Dallas after a week, where she arranged a truly luxurious reception.
Chip Stealing in Casinos Now
Stealing chips from players is currently the most famous cheating in land-based casinos worldwide. Of course, not all cheaters are so tricky, and some do it only when it is convenient.
More than half of such situations involve women because they are much easier to turn the head on than men. This makes it a matter of skills to take away some chips.
Often, the casino management knows about some regular players' activities but takes no action until a serious scandal breaks out.
So be careful when visiting the casino, and remember basic security measures!
As a reminder, it is impossible to face such scams at online casinos. Choose honest online casinos to play in a secure environment.