Card-cheat tricks outlined at trial

Rachael Levy

Friday, Nov. 8, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

A former State Gaming Control Board agent who teaches people how to catch casino cheats said the behavior of a group of gamblers and dealers on trial is consistent with those of card sharks.

William Zender, author of "Card Cheating for Casino Executives" and now an Aladdin hotel-casino vice president, said the defendants "falsely shuffled" the cards in mini-baccarat games based on his review of casino surveillance video.

"The cards that appeared before the shuffle reappeared in reverse order," Zender testified Thursday.

The three dealers and four gamblers on trial in federal court are accused of improperly shuffling, which created a "slug" of cards that could be predicted. This "slug" allegedly had been recorded by the gamblers prior to the shuffle, allowing them to raise their bets with confidence.

They and five others who have yet to go to trial are accused of illegally winning almost $700,000 from the Las Vegas Hilton, MGM Grand and the Sheraton Desert Inn between April and July 1995.

The defendants' attorneys argued that it was wrong to let the jury hear Zender's opinion, a key piece of evidence in the government's case.

"He can't crawl into anybody's mind ... that's for the jury to decide," defense lawyer Louis Palazzo said.

But U.S. District Judge Lloyd George disagreed and allowed Zender, who has taught college classes on how to spot and prevent cheating, to testify.

He will resume his testimony Tuesday, when defense lawyers are expected to question his expert status. Zender has specialized in cheating techniques used in other card games, not mini-baccarat.

The defendants' attorneys have maintained that their clients -- among them two millionaires, a Las Vegas restaurant cook and a Los Angeles tourist -- are not part of a conspiracy ring. Rather, they say the hundreds of thousands of dollars were won as a result of luck, copycat betting and sloppy dealing.

The defendants are Chi Pang Lee, Chun Lok, Chung Wong, Hung Quoc Ly, Cheok Sang Wong, Cindy Ruiron Wan and Thanh Sam Su.