I've spent the past 20+ years of my life researching gambling, and card cheating in particular, in one way or another. But the internet really helped in making some new connections, every since I first launched
CARDSHARK Online, ten years ago. Others have tried launching their own crooked gambling sites, but my site (I am pleased to say) remains the top one in this field, due to the fact that it was the first one. Age is something that can never be taken away, as we all know.
In my 10 years of acting as webmaster and administrator for CARDSHARK Online I've had my fair share of dealings with all sorts of people that are somehow associated with gambling. In all those years I've also had the opportunity to meet some of these folks in person, but most of the contacts never went beyond the exchange of emails. So, what are some of those people like?
As expected, it's always a mixed bag. So, let me start with the bad and the ugly, so that I can end this post on a positive note, by telling you a little bit about the good.

I'll put the bad and the ugly into the same bag, and in no particular order.
The worst thing that anyone can do, when attempting to contact me, is to say something along the lines of, "I am looking for some way to plant marked cards in a casino. Can you help me out?"
I've actually received a substantial amount of email phrased more or less like that. I'm a sucker for "good service" so I don't even know why I bother replying to those people, but when I receive an inquiry like that, my answer is always the same. And the answer is, "Please don't contact us again."
Now, at first glance, one may think that I am missing an opportunity to meet some professional casino cheats and learn some valuable information. But in reality, nothing could be gained form meeting people that send such emails. These people are basically telling me, in so many words, that they are totally incompetent.
First of all, they are completely oblivious to the fact that anyone can send an email and pretend to be something, or someone, they are not. I can receive an email that sounds as if it had been sent by some young hot girl, when in fact it was sent by some creepy guy that never leaves his messy apartment. So, as far as introductions over electronic media go, the way to get my attention is not by telling me that one is a casino cheat.
Second, those people also seem to be completely oblivious to the fact that every email can be intercepted and that every email message is stored on some hard drive as it travels through cyberspace. There's not such thing as an anonymous email that cannot be traced. Basically, sending an email is the electronic equivalent of sending a postcard that ends up on the counter of a hotel lobby.
And finally, by telling me in advance that they intend to rob a casino and asking me to help them out, they are basically asking me to take part in a conspiracy to commit a felony. The best part is that I have absolutely nothing to gain from any such participation, but I would still be charged as an active participant, in a crime, in the event that they got caught. And what are the odds that someone like that gets caught? We are talking about a person that doesn't even have the common sense to be discrete when sending an email message to a complete stranger.
To illustrate my point I was using a generic example of someone sending me a message that they are planning to cheat in a casino. I've actually received such email. But I've also received emails form folks that were telling me how they'd like to set up crooked blackjack games, crooked home poker games, steal form vending machines and ATMs, and the list goes on. As you can see, my only option is to put all those folks in one big bag and leave the bag out with the trash.
There's really no point in continuing with specific examples and details that all describe the same kind of person in slightly different incarnations. So, what about the good?
Well, first of all, when I say the "good," I really mean the "bad." But "bad" in a different way.
If someone tells me that they've done something in the past, that involved cheating and scamming, I'll listen. After all, this is what I do: research crooked gambling. If their past does not involve any violent crimes, I have no problem listening to what they wish to tell me. But, as you know, the moment someone tells me that they are planning to do something in the future, that involves any kind of activity that I don't want to get involved in, is when I start looking for a way to distance myself form that person.
So, how do I meet such people in the first place?
Well, First of all I use my BS detector to weed out all the people I don't want to talk to, i.e. the bad and the ugly. Second, I maintain some kind or correspondence with those others, to get a better feel for them. Of course, I am fully aware of the fact that impressions can be (and often are) quite deceiving, over written messages. So, if there are no red flags it may eventually lead to a personal meeting.
I once had a meeting with a guy that was running poker games in several joints in and around his city. I will not tell you which city this is, or even in which country, but I will share a few details form this meeting.
First of all, the guy never really said that he was running crooked games. But I knew very well that this was a very likely possibility. He was hooked up with folks that operate gambling joints in (and around) that city (folks I've never met) but his domain were just the poker games in those joints.
He was a very friendly guy and also an excellent host. On my first day visiting this city he took me for a tour of all the gambling joints. We met in the afternoon and started with all the joints that were situated in and around the central area. This was all quite interesting. It was also apparent that this guy was really who he said he was. Basically, no matter which casino we went to, everyone knew him. In some places we also went to the back and I was introduced to people that were in charge, in one way or another.
After visiting a few of those joints he asked me if I wanted to visit a place that was a few minutes out of town. He would drive me there and back. I was already pretty tired by then, but I still accepted the invitation.
So, some 15 or 20 minutes later I found myself in a car, in a foreign country, being driven by a total stranger, not having a clue where I was or where he was taking me. And at that time it was already dark. All I knew about that guy was that he was involved in gambling, running some shady games, and was now taking me to a place unknown. I couldn't help but think how stupid it was to go for a ride.
It took about an hour to get off the main road. Then he eventually pulled into some parking lot and invited me to follow him. I also noticed that he was carrying a plastic bag.
He was still very friendly, but it was dark, I was alone with a total stranger and I still had absolutely no idea where I was or where exactly we were going.
Our destination, it turned out, was less than a minute's walk from where he parked his car. The door opened and we stepped in. He was greeted by people that were obviously staff and after exchanging a few words he handed off the bag to one of the guys. It was at that time that I noticed that there was a safe, under the counter, near the entrance. The safe was unlocked and the door was not even closed shut. So, the guy swung the door open and the first thing I saw was a gun that looked pretty menacing. I don't know much about guns but this one was a big revolver with signs of wear and tear. It had the patina of time that cannot be faked on a new piece that hasn't been carried or (I guess) used. But, nothing to it, the guy just put the bag inside the safe and swung the door. He left the door open a crack, the same way it was before.
So, we went in and he showed me around. We stayed there for about an hour and then he suggested to drive me back. On our way out he picked up his bag, from the safe, and we headed to the parking lot.
Everything went fine, but I did learn a valuable lesson about getting into cars with strangers, in foreign countries. I saw the guy again and continued to maintain occasional correspondence.
Of course, this guy was not the only interesting character I met through my site. I recently went to Korea where I met a professional cardsharp (and his partner) that runs his business in many of the illegal gambling joints around Seoul. I also met another interesting character in Korea, but perhaps I should leave that for another post.
On my travels to Macau and China I met a professional casino cheat that actually shared a lot of interesting information about his work. I'll have to tell you about that in another post, but keep in mind that I won't really be able to say much.
One of the most interesting characters I've ever met is a guy that is involved in some pretty high stakes operations. He actually picks up high rollers in various countries and brings them to destinations where he organizes games. This guy is based in Europe (I can't tell you which country) but he runs games in other continents. Again, I can't share too many specifics.
In Europe I met a couple of guys that run bustout joints, i.e. totally crooked gambling dens where actual cheating equipment is in use. These places are not as uncommon as one may think.
I've also met a lot of people that run illegal poker clubs, but most of those contacts were not made through my site. Those clubs just charge a time fee, so the house wins no matter what, as long as the place is busy. In a busy club, a single poker table can easily make over $20,000 in cash, just form the time charge. There's really no incentive to cheat the players.
But I don't only research crooked gambling. So, in the world of legitimate gambling I had the opportunity to meet many people, ranging from some casino owners, surveillance directors as well as lower ranking employees, all the way down to dealers. Even outside of actual casinos I've had many dealings with people that do business with casinos.
So, since this post is getting quite long, I'll have to wrap up here and leave some details for some upcoming posts. At least this gives you some idea about what you may expect to read in this blog, in the future.