a poker player cheated casinos across the country out of tens of thousands of pounds by making almost invisible dents and bends in cards mihai lacatos, a romanian national, would sit at casino tables for hours deftly making the marks in the cards and even managed to swindle the playboy club in mayfair, london out of £43,400 in just one week the unemployed 61 year old managed to lie his way into casinos across the country  he had been banned from by producing fake id cards and driving licences and swindled them out of thousands scroll down for video  mihai lacatos fleeced casinos across the country out of tens of thousands of pounds by making almost invisible dents and marks on playing cards, and is seen making the marks at playboy club in mayfair  lacatos committed the frauds during a six year spree in which he was living at different locations in the uk he tried to flee the country after his slight of hand was discovered but was arrested as he got to the departure lounge of luton airport on november 20, 2014 he was found with around £3,000 he admitted 14 fraud offences and four further charges of possessing false id documents which date back to 2008 he is one of the first people to be convicted for a specific cheating technique called ‘card marking' lacatos (bottom right corner) was captured on camera making the almost imperceptible marks on cards  the 61 year old fleeced customers at casinos across the country   including in leicester, salford, nottingham and birmingham  lacatos used slight of hand to subtly bend and dent cards at the poker table and was so skilled his cheating went unnoticed for years the bends and dents helped him identify what other players at the table for three card games were holding lacatos marked cards like the one above, so that the dents could identify the cards his opponents held  lacastos targeted the playboy club in mayfair in london and cheated players out of more than £40,000  after he was spotted at the playboy club, parent company caesars entertainment contacted the metropolitan police's gaming unit who circulated his image to casinos across the uk he was arrested on 31 march 2014 at the rubicon casino on regent street, northampton after staff there recognised him and raised the alarm officers seized £1,485 from him, but while on bail he duped at least another three casinos during the six year spree phil ivey failed in his bid to get crockfords club in london to pay him £77million in winnings  the high court ruled crockfords club would not have to pay phil ivey £77million in winnings last year because his 'edge sorting' technique amounted to cheating mr ivey had tried to sue the casino for refusing to pay out bruce koloshi admitted cheating at a casino in louisiana, america, in 2014 he was found using infrared ink to mark cards, which could only be seen using special contact lenses in 2011 a gang used a similar technique in cannes to steal £55,000 in two trips to the poker table the group are believed to have used the scam at casinos across the continent he was due to return to court in may 2014 but failed to turn up and detectives eventually tracked him down to luton airport where he was arrested as he tried to flee officers seized £3,000 from him under the proceeds of crime act lacatos hoaxed staff at the rendezvous casino in southend on sea, the genting palm beach casino in mayfair and maxim’s casino also in london and was convicted of fraud at all three premises he also fleeced customers at the rank casinos in leicester, stockport, salford, swansea, portsmouth, nottingham, sunderland, birmingham, walsall and london premises in victoria and bayswater he used fake id documents at casinos in leicester, stockport and bournemouth lacatos will return to southwark crown court on 16 march for sentence casinos in leicester (left) and stockport (right) were also targeted by him during his six year spree 
mihai lacatos romanian fleeced playboy club mayfair london 43,400 luton airport uk
unemployed poker player mihai lacatos cheated at casinos across country . romanian national marked cards with dents to cheat at poker games . fleeced playboy club in mayfair, london, out of £43,400 in just a week . lacatos was banned from numerous casinos in but used fake id to get in . he cheated clubs out of tens of thousands during his six year spree . was arrested at luton airport trying to flee uk after crime was discovered . lacatos admitted 14 fraud charges and could now face a prison sentence 