Chip Cheat (3 Viewers)

[grandmeme]

So sad this happened to your game. It's one of my worst fears as a host/co-host, especially for a game with thousands on the felt. I never let anyone know which set I'm using for 2/5+ games apart from the host. And if someone sneaks in Paulsons in Australia, it's probably guaranteed to be someone on here. Shows how bad my fears are!!

I think a good, quick solution would be to grab a set which is heavy on the 5s and 25s. There are some nice plastic Abbiatis or Matsuis lying around here. Very difficult to sneak in 1200 in greens or reds. Especially with some of the plastics from previous GBs, they are fairly secure and in the hands of people here. Good luck in the search my friend.

 

[doublebooyah85]

See, this is why you need 5+ cash sets

 

[Tonystark137]

See, this is why you need 5+ cash sets

MOARRRRR

 

[ChipFinderSK]

Was the cheat caught?

 

[Tonystark137]

See, this is why you need 5+ cash sets

Or just play low enough stakes where the chips for high denoms $5s are worth more than face value

 

[2xdown]

I would also alert players that they should say something discreetly (just to the host) if they notice anyone’s stack growing more than the action might warrant.

If extra high denoms started showing up on my table I’m pretty sure people would no

We kept it hush as to not spook the culprit but now have eight eyes!
I smashed the case up bad, then had nothing to put the chips in. They both went in the trash I was so mad.

Or just play low enough stakes where the chips for high denoms $5s are worth more than face value

crossed my mind. no $100's would mean a lot of $25

Was the cheat caught?

next game is tomorrow, I'll let you know. The 4 of us have 1 chip each to compare to others in real time now.

 

[Taghkanic]

How certain are you about who introduced the extra chips?

If very certain, are you going to try to collect? How would one approach that?

Or is it just a loss, and he just never plays at your game again?

What if he’s at your table in another game?

 

[2xdown]

How certain are you about who introduced the extra chips?

If very certain, are you going to try to collect? How would one approach that?

Or is it just a loss, and he just never plays at your game again?

What if he’s at your table in another game?

expensive lesson but one we took upon ourselves. First time shame on me. Second time................
Fool me once you can't get fooled again!!!

I seriously hope it was a 1-time thing, we are playing with a random set now period. I hope it was just my chips and not others we know also.

 

[FordPickup92]

Tina chips - not secure anyone can order and copy any design we've seen it multiple times on the forum already
Strongly recommend custom CPC chips for home security, but yes the wait times are going to be a bit longer than desired. CPC does make stock chips that anyone can purchase so stay away from those. I also would go along with anyone whom suggested using a designer to create your personal theme. Unless that's something you are familiar with doing in which case disregard and have fun!! For a quick fix I would say a clay set from here will serve the purpose and be a rotational option in the future. Something ultra rare and hard to come by is great, but is exactly that, and comes with a cost. Do your homework before buying anything "rare" as not all users here are market friendly (think I've already seen one user called out) I'd agree an Indiana grand set or something of the like that is an "affordable" but common replacement could be too easy to duplicate in a few weeks time (but again a quick fix for the time being and a little more difficult to infiltrate extras to the game) I would also recommend using racks and not counting chips out of a case as this will help ensure you have the correct amount of chips collected at cash out (racks only hold 100 chips per) so if you have extras you will know quickly. I may also suggest having EVERYONE stay during cash out and placing everyone's money in front of their seat separately before allowing them to leave the table. That will also help ensure the chip to bank ratio is square before everyone leaves. If anyone is uncomfortable with this you may find your culprit. The only issue with that is if someone wants to leave the game early and the entire game doesn't break all together or all at the end of the night which makes that scenario more challenging. Stopping the game to cash the whole table and rebuy for one person is never going to work... unless the whole games on board to catch the culprit (but that's not theoretical and would be time consuming)

I think someone suggested the option of purchasing another members used customs which I think would be a great "in a pinch" option. And used here (in this context) often means not brand new they've been played a time or two, but still a sharp/crisp set of chips. Depends on the chip set though if it's CPC or a relabled Paulson set. Also just a side note since I didn't see it mentioned, whether you use CPC or a relabeled Paulson set, AFAIK artwork is copyrighted and cannot be duplicated without the original owners permission (unlike Tina chips) if this is wrong perhaps someone can correct me.

I hope you catch the person that did this in your game... that's low, and a hard pill to swallow... please let us know if you oust him/her.
Apologies for the long response..was brain storming while reading along.
Good luck with everything.

 

[GreekRedEye]

You need an immediate solution and you need a long-term solution.

• Immediate: BR Pro ceramics. You will get the chips within 3 weeks of ordering. Get the bare minimum you need. Don't sweat the design too much - just make it unique and get it done quickly. Maybe take @Poker Zombie up on his offer for free design. I'm also happy to help whip up something quick and dirty for free. I've worked with BR Pro before and they are trustworthy. 80c a chip.
• Long-term: CPC custom clays. Take your time. Hire a designer. Make a set of chips that are secure and beautiful. Pay for a professional designer. Hardest part will be not posting pics of the design or finished chips on this forum.

 

[DuckFat]

Your game plays a lot like mine. I've had discussions about chips and security with my friend who hosts a similar game. Here's my take on things from experience and seeing what others do.

Cutting down the denoms to 25 at the highest doesn't work. It's just too many chips on the table. Anyone playing at this level knows that.

I have 500 and 1k chips. The 500's have only hit the table once and the 1k's haven't seen play yet. 15-20k on the table with mostly green and black is fine. I keep the 500s off the table as much as possible. This limits the opportunity to sneak high denoms on/off the table.

As discussed full customs are the way to go for security.

Rotating sets is a possibility but you need the space and security when not in use. This is also not entirely secure if using a set that others can obtain, the cheater just carries multiple chips to sneak on. It can carry you over until your custom set arrives though

Chip composition is a personal choice. I prefer ceramics for the printing options and they hold up better over time. I really dislike clays thinning to 21-22 per barrel.

Best suggestion - Cameras. I'm surprised this wasn't already suggested. Preferably, indoor home security cameras that aren't cloud based subscription services from at least 2 angles over the table. Local wired storage for the most secure. Recording over wifi to a storage hub isn't bad, just less secure and if someone is hacking your wifi to disable it then it's a bigger operation to steal from you.

 

[BGinGA]

You need an immediate solution and you need a long-term solution.

• Immediate: BR Pro ceramics. You will get the chips within 3 weeks of ordering. Get the bare minimum you need. Don't sweat the design too much - just make it unique and get it done quickly. Maybe take @Poker Zombie up on his offer for free design. I'm also happy to help whip up something quick and dirty for free. I've worked with BR Pro before and they are trustworthy. 80c a chip.
• Long-term: CPC custom clays. Take your time. Hire a designer. Make a set of chips that are secure and beautiful. Pay for a professional designer. Hardest part will be not posting pics of the design or finished chips on this forum.

^^ This.

In addition to the above:

In the short-term, you can also purchase a cheap set (too bad you threw yours away) and relabel them with some cheap but unique labels.

And for a unique long-term and secure solution, order CPC blanks on whatever mold is currently being produced (so they will be produced rather quickly), and have them hot-stamped by a 3rd-party vendor (like @Josh Kifer here on PCF) with your unique hot-stamp design. This would take a lot less time to accomplish overall than a full-blown custom set of CPC chips, would also be cheaper, and be pretty secure (especially if you also had secondary high-denom chips).

Then order a second set of CPC customs (so you can alternate and/or mix up your game-day lineup), but take your time and do it right for a "forever set", including secondary and even tertiary high denom chips to make it much harder (aka nearly impossible) for thieves to introduce extra high denom chips into your game.

 

[Josh Kifer]

^^ This.

In addition to the above:

In the short-term, you can also purchase a cheap set (too bad you threw yours away) and relabel them with some cheap but unique labels.

And for a unique long-term and secure solution, order CPC blanks on whatever mold is currently being produced (so they will be produced rather quickly), and have them hot-stamped by a 3rd-party vendor (like @Josh Kifer here on PCF) with your unique hot-stamp design. This would take a lot less time to accomplish overall than a full-blown custom set of CPC chips, would also be cheaper, and be pretty secure (especially if you also had secondary high-denom chips).

Then order a second set of CPC customs (so you can alternate and/or mix up your game-day lineup), but take your time and do it right for a "forever set", including secondary and even tertiary high denom chips to make it much harder (aka nearly impossible) for thieves to introduce extra high denom chips into your game.

Hot Stamping is a easy way to make something pretty dang hard to replicate. It wouldn't be easy to recreate someone's stamp also. Everyone is a little different.

 

[2xdown]

@FordPickup92
You summed up 4 pages of messages and hours spent on this site today!

Thank You!

The last thing I want to do is inconvenience the players. Also don't want to alert others to the idea.

Security is achievable and will take time. CPC it is and am open to acquiring another's custom CPC set.


What if we do a break every 2 hour, only chance to get in or out.
Starts at 7 so... 7pm,9pm,11pm until we adjourn.

Honestly, I hope I never catch him. Ideally, he falls in a ditch, and I can continue my games as usual.

 

[2xdown]

^^ This.

In addition to the above:

In the short-term, you can also purchase a cheap set (too bad you threw yours away) and relabel them with some cheap but unique labels.

And for a unique long-term and secure solution, order CPC blanks on whatever mold is currently being produced (so they will be produced rather quickly), and have them hot-stamped by a 3rd-party vendor (like @Josh Kifer here on PCF) with your unique hot-stamp design. This would take a lot less time to accomplish overall than a full-blown custom set of CPC chips, would also be cheaper, and be pretty secure (especially if you also had secondary high-denom chips).

Then order a second set of CPC customs (so you can alternate and/or mix up your game-day lineup), but take your time and do it right for a "forever set", including secondary and even tertiary high denom chips to make it much harder (aka nearly impossible) for thieves to introduce extra high denom chips into your game.

In the moment I wasn't exactly thinking clearly. Hours of cards, few drinks and way after bedtime. Buddy said " they are garbage now" jokingly, to lighten the mood the smashing and tossing commenced. Figured he just had more of the same ones.

 

[2xdown]

Your game plays a lot like mine. I've had discussions about chips and security with my friend who hosts a similar game. Here's my take on things from experience and seeing what others do.

Cutting down the denoms to 25 at the highest doesn't work. It's just too many chips on the table. Anyone playing at this level knows that.

I have 500 and 1k chips. The 500's have only hit the table once and the 1k's haven't seen play yet. 15-20k on the table with mostly green and black is fine. I keep the 500s off the table as much as possible. This limits the opportunity to sneak high denoms on/off the table.

As discussed full customs are the way to go for security.

Rotating sets is a possibility but you need the space and security when not in use. This is also not entirely secure if using a set that others can obtain, the cheater just carries multiple chips to sneak on. It can carry you over until your custom set arrives though

Chip composition is a personal choice. I prefer ceramics for the printing options and they hold up better over time. I really dislike clays thinning to 21-22 per barrel.

Best suggestion - Cameras. I'm surprised this wasn't already suggested. Preferably, indoor home security cameras that aren't cloud based subscription services from at least 2 angles over the table. Local wired storage for the most secure. Recording over wifi to a storage hub isn't bad, just less secure and if someone is hacking your wifi to disable it then it's a bigger operation to steal from you.

Yes 2-3hr and too many green on the table. The time to count and stack will slow the game, Black will be a must by 10-11

 

[ngmcs8203]

Tina chips - not secure anyone can order and copy any design we've seen it multiple times on the forum already

Can you shoot me links to the examples? I'd love to see what was copied or sold without permission.

 

[LeLe]

See, this is why you need 5+ cash sets

is is why you need 5+ 15+ cash sets

Also, it hard to have more workhorse chips so it harder for high denomination chip like $500 & $100 to get sneak into the game.

Having multi sets and rotating them is another good way to prevent chips sneaking in as well.

 

[LeLe]

Can you shoot me links to the examples? I'd love to see what was copied or sold without permission.

Not so sure about the custom set but Tina dont give a fuck if you looking to buy set like Aria BTP set etc

 

[Taghkanic]

It's just too many chips on the table. Anyone playing at this level knows that.

I host 2/5 and I do not know that.

Hard to have too many chips on the table. I had about 1,000 total checks in play last game and it was awesome. Players love sitting behind big stacks.

 

[toothpic]

I host 2/5 and I do not know that.

Hard to have too many chips on the table. I had about 1,000 total checks in play last game and it was awesome. Players love sitting behind big stacks.

Agreed. If I don't get 700+ chips into play it just doesn't feel like it was an active night. Do we have to do that? No, of course not. It sure does look and feel nice though to see big stacks of chips and raking in a pot of 100-200 chips is a ton more fun than 20-40 chips.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Agreed. If I don't get 700+ chips into play it just doesn't feel like it was an active night. Do we have to do that? No, of course not. It sure does look and feel nice though to see big stacks of chips and raking in a pot of 100-200 chips is a ton more fun than 20-40 chips.

No, the quote goes:

"You know what always makes me feel better? Rolled up Aces over Kings. Check-raising stupid tourists and taking huge pots off of them. Playing all-night high-limit Hold'em at the Taj, 'where the sand turns to gold'. Very small stacks and half-barrels of checks I can very easily see over because that's efficient and better."

 

[toothpic]

You guys tell me. Do these series of photos that show the slash pots and organized stacks bring a smile to your face? If not, you may be dead inside.

 

[toothpic]

@2xdown

I think everyone here has done a great job giving you advice on getting a set that's much more secure for your game. Aside from rotating chip sets like some of us chip degens like to do, a custom designed set ordered through a trust worthy vendor is the route to go. It'll bring some custom chip feel to your game with a design that's closer to the heart, but also brings security from your own custom design that's very difficult to replicate. Not being able to search on eBay to find a high denom chip to slip into the game is definitely something I've thought about. Even though I play mostly with the same group of people each game, there are definitely new invitees from time to time. While I would expect those invited are trust worthy enough, removing the ability to cheat by adding chips to the game entirely is just an extra layer of security so you never have to deal with this again.

The pictures above are from our 0.25/0.50 circus games and our ocassional 1/2 games NLHE with bomb pot games.

 

[OfficerLovejoy]

I'd buy a CPC set from one of the members here (preferably none from your immediate area - just in case ) to get almost 100% game security immediatly.

You can always resell that set when you order your own CPC customs down the line.

 

[Taghkanic]

It still strikes me that the fastest fix for this particular situation is to get some $100 and $500 plaques.

Even if they are a product which is widely available, it’s going to be essentially impossible for someone to sneak a whole plaque onto the table.

Then the host can take his time either commissioning or purchasing a custom or relatively unique high-quality chipset.

 

[Moxie Mike]

I didn't read every reply but if no one has suggested it, a UV pen is a quick and dirty way to secure your chips in the short term. A local host used them to secure her chips since she uses cheap generics from eBay and actually caught a cheater that way.

I would also suggest vetting your players better. Who was the cheat and how did he get into the game? If he was suggested by another player, I'd take a long look at that other player's history and be very hesitant to allow him to bring invite anyone else.

 

[OfficerLovejoy]

The problem with the UV markings is that you don't catch the cheater sneaking chips onto the table if you're not playing under a UV lamp.
He might lose one of his illegaly introduced chips to another player who is now suspected of cheating when "caught" during cashout.

 

[louBdub]

My advice:

Snap up a casino RHC set for now, it will hold you over and is only $1K +/-

Then dial in on the forum, browse and design your very own set from CPC or a relabel setup like @doublebooyah85 did with Craig’s Casino or many others.

Also, for $1200? That dudes gonna catch a problem….

 

[Taghkanic]

expensive lesson but one we took upon ourselves. First time shame on me. Second time................
Fool me once you can't get fooled again!!!

I seriously hope it was a 1-time thing, we are playing with a random set now period. I hope it was just my chips and not others we know also.

TBH you didn’t really answer the questions, and I’m still curious:

How certain are you about who introduced the extra chips?

If very certain, are you going to try to collect? How would one approach that?

Or is it just a loss, and he just never plays at your game again?

What if he’s at your table in another game?

Also, you mentioned an “APB” being out to other games. Do you mean that other hosts have been alerted to watch out for the presumed culprit?