Richard Marcus became homeless in Vegas after failing to support himself through legal gambling. Then he started working as a dealer at baccarat and blackjack tables.
As a result, he saw how casinos operate from a different perspective. This insider knowledge turned out to be enough for Marcus to manage to cheat the casinos out of money, and in his case, this money turned into millions over the course of his career.
It’s interesting to note that his scam involved a simple trick. He would bet two red $5 chips on top of a brown $500 chip.
But Richard Marcus arranged the chips in a way that made it look like just a $15 bet with three red chips in front of the dealer. If the bet was successful, Marcus would reveal the real size of the wager to the dealer and collect over $1,000.
If the bet failed, he would wait for the dealer to turn his back, then swap $510 in chips for just $15. The simple scheme worked for several months, until he was caught, charged, and banned from approaching a casino.
That didn’t stop him from continuing to help other scammers as their teacher. He labeled himself as the “No. 1 expert in casino and poker scams in the world”. Marcus still mentors followers through “training,” maintaining his own website, and he has also written two books.
According to CNET, he was eventually caught but never convicted, and he managed to steal over $5 million from casinos.
Now, Marcus works as a security consultant for various casinos and sells books about his exploits.
