The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement issues a $91,000 fine to the Trump Taj Mahal after investigating a case where seven players won over $400,000 in just three hours at a mini-baccarat table last year.
In mini-baccarat, knowing what order the cards are being dealt gives players a huge advantage. On Dec. 10, 2011, a dealer failed to shuffle eight decks of cards before playing them and pulled the same order of cards every round.
Also strange? The game is traditionally fast paced. One round takes less than 10 minutes, easily. That day at the Taj Mahal, some players were at the table for up to 20 minutes.
When one player won $100,000 in one game, security monitored the live feed at the table. He claims he never noticed the cards weren’t shuffled.
Authorities say they were unable to determine if any crimes were committed, but gambling experts say the incident “was reminiscent of cheating scandals in which there is collusion between players and dealers.”
“My immediate conclusion was that there was collusion between the dealer and the player,” said David Schwartz, the director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas… “It doesn’t add up.”
The Press of Atlantic City
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Photograph: Eric Mclean
