New Video Suggests Dodgy Dealing Is Taking Place in Texas
Footage that appears to indicate dealer impropriety at live poker games in Texas has recently emerged. While some industry officials have quickly dismissed the evidence, other authorities have produced strong proof that mechanics have been loading decks at licenced venues in the Lone Star state.
No dealer issues here! Triton Poker Series Main Event winner Roman Hrabec, with a new watch, trophy, and $4.3 million, has good reason to smile. ©TritonPokerSeries
A Whistle Blowing Tweet From Deeb
American Shaun Deeb is one of poker’s brightest stars. His six bracelets garnered at the World Series of Poker – all since 2011 – are complimented with an additional 15 final table appearances and 114 cashes at the Las Vegas festival. The 38-year-old’s career winnings surpass $12 million.
Away from the tables, Deeb is one of the more active and entertaining X users (commonly referred to by its former name, Twitter). Recently, the New Yorker took to the platform to share a video of a poker dealer shuffling dubiously. It has created a lot of interest and led to further suspicious videos surfacing.
Got a pretty disgusting video from a player down here about the legend poker room down in Houston seems there was a few mechanic dealers down there. It’s not the best quality but when you see it you won’t unsee it dealer isn’t actually shuffling the cards he’s separating then… pic.twitter.com/6zjRbg4hDi
— shaun deeb (@shaundeeb) April 30, 2024
The clip was recorded in Legends Poker Room, one of Houston’s busiest card clubs. Hours after Deeb published it, he made a second Twitter post stating, “I have spoken to a floor person of Legends who confirmed multiple dealers were fired for messing with the decks in the past month. I am disappointed that no players were caught, and the dealers were not prosecuted or outed so they can go do it elsewhere.”
Deeb then re-tweeted a Tweet asking: “How about this one at Elite Poker in Houston?” Deeb stated, “a lot better and trickier. I wouldn’t have noticed this at the table at all.” However, in this video, the dealer is clearly not shuffling – instead, he uses his right hand to insert the bulk of the deck into the mid-pack sandwich style.
Another video def a diff dealer from another Houston club this mechanic seems a lot better and trickier I wouldn’t of noticed this at the table at all https://t.co/BQNBPc8Gvx
— shaun deeb (@shaundeeb) May 1, 2024
Man and Machine – It Is Random
Whereas respected online poker sites such as Ladbrokes, Unibet Poker, and PokerStars use a random number generator to create player cards and flops, poker rooms worldwide employ dealers to shuffle and deal. However, many do have automated shuffle machines which randomly pre-prepare decks for a croupier to deal.
In response to the two videos posted by Deeb, Houston Curtis, who describes himself as a “master card mechanic and poker protection expert”, produced a fascinating YouTube video. It reveals exactly how the dealer caught on tape at Legends Poker executed his culling, stacking and false shuffle moves to cheat unsuspecting players at the table.
In his video, Houston Curtis appears shocked and horrified that Luca Vivaldi, Triton Poker’s tournament director, declared on Twitter, “he’s def not cheating” in regard to the second apparent incident of fixing a deck. It is a big statement by a man officiating over some of the world’s biggest tournaments.
Triton Series Is a Monster
Demanding mega entry fees – from a minimum of $15,000 to a current high of £1 million – the Triton Poker Series is among the most exclusive poker tournaments in the world. Its most recent event was played in Jeju, South Korea. On this occasion, Czech player Roman Hrabec landed the Main Event.
The former professional Ice Hockey player’s prize for outlasting 139 entries (and 77 re-entries) in the $100,000 entry event was $4.33 million. Hrabec is now likely to head to Montenegro for the next Triton Series leg that begins on May 12. It consists of 16 tournaments, four of which require $100,000-plus to enter.
