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– Submit memoriam ads to [email protected] or call 651-228-5280.
—
**By Andrew Dalton**
The indictments announced Thursday of a poker cheating ring involving NBA figures and backed by the mafia emphasized their alleged high-tech cheating methods. But the con tactics they described are as old as poker itself, familiar from heist movies and James Bond films.
Shady shuffles came not from quick-handed card sharks, but tricked-out machines. Instead of mirrors or guys in the corner peeking over shoulders, there were X-ray tables and high-tech contact lenses. Low-tech signals between players and old-fashioned beatings for debtors allegedly were used too.
Here’s a look at how the alleged fraudsters rigged the games, according to an unsealed indictment and federal officials’ announcement.
### The Poker
The underground games were illegal by their very existence, and operated by mafia families. The indictments emphasize these were extra illegal, as opposed to “straight” illegal games where the poker itself is legitimate.
Texas Hold ’em was the poker they played, like most games today. It involves very few cards — just five face-down public cards and two for each player. That potentially simplifies the scamming.
### The Victims and the ‘Face Cards’
Rich targets known as “fish” were brought in by the allure of playing for high stakes in posh secret spots in Manhattan with names like “The Lexington Avenue Game,” the indictment said.
They were also attracted by the prospect of playing with pro athletes and coaches, including Portland Trail Blazers coach and Hall-of-Fame NBA player Chauncey Billups, who is expected to make his initial court appearance later Thursday.
The operators called these “face cards.” Billups was charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games tied to La Cosa Nostra organized crime families that cheated unsuspecting gamblers out of at least $7 million. Also charged was former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones.
Authorities gave no hints about the victims’ identities other than to say they were usually wealthy people who lost tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cheaters.
The “face cards” and everyone else at the table who was not a target was in on the scam.
### The Cheating Tactics
The shuffling machine did most of the work. Using machines is common, but the advanced tech on these machines could determine the exact order of cards after a shuffle, and who was holding what once dealt.
That information was transmitted wirelessly to someone off-site, who would send the identity of the player with the winning hand to the phone of a player at the table, known as “the quarterback.” Then it got low-tech.
The “quarterback” used classic subtle signals like touching certain chips to pass the information to fellow cheaters. They all bet accordingly.
### Other Cheating Methods
The shuffling machine con was the main tactic, but the conspirators tried other gadgetry, some similar to tech used to identify players’ hands on poker telecasts. Authorities didn’t detail these methods, but they included:
– An X-ray table that could identify face-down cards from underneath.
– Hidden cameras built into trays holding players’ chips to identify cards.
– Customized contact lenses and glasses detecting special marks on cards.
### The Postgame
The cheating winners would share a percentage of their take with the game operators. Victims were often told to wire money to shell companies that laundered it.
Organizers sometimes used robbery, extortion, and assault to collect debts. Authorities said two game operators physically assaulted one cheated player to extract payment.
Also charged was former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones, accused of participating in a separate scheme exploiting private information about players to win bets on NBA games.
Billups made an initial court appearance Thursday; his lawyer declined comment. Messages left for Damon Jones went unanswered.
*Originally Published: October 23, 2025 at 5:08 PM CDT.*
https://www.twincities.com/2025/10/23/sports-betting-arrests-how-it-worked-poker/
