Caught in the act
The Mohegan Sun Pocono Casino in Pennsylvania has caught an alleged cheater. Wengui Hu is accused of using sleight of hand to receive a higher payout once the cards were dealt at the casino’s table games. Hu reportedly used the tactic several times to win a total of $13,000.
The casino has now taken action against the alleged cheater. Few details have been provided on the incidents as the investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Mohegan Sun Pocono catches the accused
The 42-year-old gambler frequented the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino and played the table games on several occasions. According to court documents, during his visits, Hu would use a sleight of hand technique to switch out a losing hand for a winning one to earn a higher payout once the cards had already been dealt.
The casino’s surveillance cameras caught Hu in the act on April 19. A pit scan showed Hu making the switch and security personnel called him out on it. At the time, Hu repaid $5,425.
cheated on more than one occasion, using the switching method ten times in April
After investigating further, the casino discovered that Hu cheated on more than one occasion, using the switching method ten times in April. With this technique, Hu was able to win $13,000 from the casino.
Once Mohegan Sun Pocono officials realized what had taken place, they filed charges against Hu, including theft by deception. An arraignment hearing took place this week with Hu released via unsecured bail.
2014 cheating scandal
Hu is not the first person to try to cheat the Mohegan Sun Pocono Casino. Back in 2016, Dustin Raynor Laird pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a cheating incident involving a tile betting game. Laird, a dealer at the casino, was able to rig a Pai Gow poker game in 2014 and cause the casino to lose over $17,000. Officials observed Laird cheating two times in March of that year. The casino started an investigation soon after.
It was found that Chung Van Lam approached Raynor at the casino and taught him how to cheat. Later on, Van Lam and Jessica Hahn Nguyen paid Laird $200 to $300 to participate in the scheme.
Maryland cheating incident
Dealers are trusted individuals that casino operators expect to follow the rules at all times while on the job. But, unfortunately, that is not always the case. For example, in 2019, Ming Zhang, a dealer at the MGM National Harbor Casino in Maryland, was accused of using his position at the baccarat tables to cheat the venue out of over $1 million.
In late 2017, Zhang exposed a portion of the card deck to a player as he was dealing cards. The individual photographed the unshuffled cards before bets were made. Naturally, the accomplice then knew the order of the cards and placed bets based on that knowledge.
The court sentenced Ming Zhang to 18 months in prison.