Roulette cheating, known as Savannah, was successfully pulled off by professional players between 1995 and 2000. Numerous casino security experts name it the best casino cheating in the history of legal gambling. It is hard to disagree, considering what the cheaters have achieved at no additional cost and without attracting outsiders.
This adventure was named Savannah in honor of the favorite stripper of the team's lead, Richard Marcus.
This incredibly smart plan worked out over a thousand times, and only once the cheaters failed to win.
However, the casino management failed to solve it. They were tired of being cheated, and the guys were denied service. The secret of success was only revealed in Marcus's book, American Roulette, published in 2003.
The Core of Savannah Cheating
Savannah was a minor variation of the good old lost bets stealing, which we have already mentioned on Casinoz.
The idea was straightforward.
- The player made a high bet on one of the columns, hiding it under a small chip.
- The upper chip shifted slightly towards the dealer, so he did not notice a large denomination chip below. Most of it was $5,000, with $5 on top.
- If the bet was won, the player got his $10,000. But if he lost, he quickly removed the chips from the table.
- Of course, the dealer would usually notice that and ask to return the bet.
- In this case, the cheater returned $5 chips, as nobody saw the lower ones.
- He explained the mistake by being drunk, never argued, apologized, and presented himself as a simpleton in all ways.
Cheaters' actions were perfectly synchronized, so catching them by hand was almost impossible.
Important Details
The player and his drunken friends celebrated each win with jubilant cries. Of course, the dealer did not understand their enthusiasm about winning $10. When he saw a large chip, he called for the pit boss, who checked the suspicious bet on the videotape. However, as we already said, the bet was made according to all the rules, so they had to pay for it.
The brilliance of this cheating was that its creator chose a non-standard way.
Usually, cheaters try to make money by obtaining additional illegal payoffs, but he reduces their loss to a minimum. At that time, casino security was unfamiliar with this approach, and the idea was too bland and simple to believe in. For this reason, Richard Marcus and his assistants did this cheating hundreds of times, even when he was the focus of all Las Vegas casinos' security.
| Name | Soft | Return to player | |||
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98.6% |
Play
T&C applies, 18+
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97.3% |
Play
T&C applies, 18+
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97.3% |
Play
T&C applies, 18+
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97.3% |
Play
T&C applies, 18+
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97.3% |
Play
T&C applies, 18+
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97.3% |
Play
T&C applies, 18+
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97.3% |
Play
T&C applies, 18+
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97.3% | |||
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97.3% |
Play
T&C applies, 18+
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97% |
Play
T&C applies, 18+
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What Made the Savannah so Successful?
Several factors contributed to the "Savannah's" success:
- Sleight of Hand: Marcus and his team were masters of distraction and subtle hand movements, making the chip switches difficult to detect.
- Teamwork: Often, Marcus worked with a small team. One person might create a diversion while Marcus executed the switch, and another would act as a "claimer" to support the false bet if questioned.
- Psychology: They often timed their moves when the casino staff was busy or distracted, and they cultivated a demeanor that wouldn't arouse suspicion, sometimes posing as loud, entitled high rollers or unassuming tourists.
- Simplicity: The Savannah didn't rely on complex gadgets, just skillful manipulation and timing, which made it harder for surveillance to identify.
Savannah remains one of the most famous and effective cheating techniques devised by Richard Marcus during his time operating in various casinos worldwide.
