TRAN SCAM – An in depth look
The Tran Organisation have eventually been sentenced for their part in the grand casino scam that netted them £2.5 million from fixed blackjack games. Here we will take a look behind the scenes.
The technique that they employed is the false shuffle, and is a variant of a basic form of cheating that had been around for a very long time. In this instance the dealer pretends that all the cards have been shuffled but in reality he leaves a specific number of cards, about a single decks worth, in the same order as they were in the last shoe. By recording the previous card play the gang members can predict the future order of play.
That this scam happened on such a scale has shocked the casinos like Betfair over the world. The dealers involved were top class employees, even trusted by the casino operators to oversee the other dealers. As stated in the movie Casino, everybody watches everybody else; until somebody turns away.
One specific manager spotted somebody winning frequently at mini-baccarat. The player and two accomplices were making frequent but small wins so as not to attract attention. Although his suspicions were aroused, the manager could find nothing on this group, but after a few visits their winnings suddenly increased. From then on the manager watched the table closely and noticed that these people won more often when certain dealers shuffled. He carried out further checks, and found that the face of a gambler matched that of someone wanted for cheating in another state and he called in the police.
Dealers are paid up to $10,000 a week to carry out false shuffles. They can do this by shuffling over the top of the slug, disguising it from the eye in the sky. When a player needs a false shuffle they send a secret signal to the dealer games.
The manager was tipped off regarding the next appearance of the gang. They had two days to set up hidden cameras and prepare special observers. When the gang turned up, the suspected dealers were on leave but the gang still played blackjack and mini-baccarat. For several hours there was no evidence of a false shuffle but the gang still won thousands of dollars. The next day they turned up and a suspected dealer was working. This time false shuffling was detected. When the gang started winning big money they were asked to leave but not told they had been caught. The dealers were allowed to stay for eighteen months whilst more evidence was collected.
Eventually this evidence was presented at court, and the leading Tran Organisation members were jailed.