Poker fraud used X-ray tables, high-tech glasses and NBA players

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

NBA, Gambling, and Fan Alienation

  • Several commenters say this story is “the last straw” in their relationship with the NBA, tying it to:
    • The league’s aggressive embrace of gambling and constant betting ads.
    • Long, foul-heavy games, load management, tanking, and a very long season.
    • Fragmented TV rights that require multiple subscriptions.
  • Some argue gambling promotion is like cigarette advertising: socially harmful and especially predatory toward kids, with language like “fun” and “play” normalizing addictive behavior.
  • Others note smoking-prevention campaigns and regulation worked only as part of a broader mix (taxes, public bans, de-normalization) and worry similar tools are being abandoned for gambling.

Should the State Police Cheating in Illegal Gambling?

  • One camp calls this a waste of resources: gambling is socially harmful by default, so “fair” vs “unfair” games shouldn’t matter, and legitimizing enforcement could even boost trust in other crooked games.
  • Opponents counter that:
    • This was organized crime, not a kitchen-table game: fraud, extortion, and money laundering are squarely in law enforcement’s remit.
    • $7m in cash/crypto is far more valuable to crime families than equivalent taxed, traceable business revenue.
    • If police don’t intervene, victims may resort to violence.

Cheating Tech: “X-Ray” Tables, Shufflers, and Marked Cards

  • Multiple commenters doubt literal X-rays; the consensus is:
    • Likely IR or similar wavelengths through an IR-transparent tabletop, misbranded as “X-ray” by media or prosecutors.
    • Rigged shufflers that read deck order (often via barcode-like marks on edges) and either:
      • Re-stack decks algorithmically, or
      • Are swapped with pre-arranged decks.
  • Marked “reader” cards plus special glasses/contacts are described as relatively old-school; many note there are simpler, low-tech ways to cheat once you control the environment.
  • Broader point: there are so many cheating methods that playing in private games with strangers is inherently risky.

Economics and Purpose of the Scam

  • Some think $7m over years, split among ~30 people and multiple families, is barely worth the risk and effort.
  • Others suggest:
    • That figure is likely a floor, not the full take.
    • The real leverage may be blackmail and sports betting/fixing tied to indebted NBA figures.
    • The thrill, access to celebrities, and untraceable cash can matter as much as pure ROI.

Poker, Gambling, and Morality

  • Mixed attitudes toward poker:
    • Critics see it as paying to sit for hours, deceive people, and take their money.
    • Fans defend it as a deep skill game (math + psychology) and a structured social activity; low-stakes home games are framed as paying for entertainment, not “trying to get rich.”
  • Several emphasize that pros target wealthy “recreational” players and that variance makes “just play better poker” an unrealistic alternative to guaranteed cheating.