How Poker Cheaters Mark Cards in 2026, and How Rooms Fight Back

The Texas card-marking case at The Lodge

So what actually happened in Texas?

In January 2026, staff at The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, Texas, pulled a deck from a 1/2/5 PLO game after content creator Anthony Martino recognized two players, Norberto Pardo and Yaiquel Mosqueda-Perez, as known cheats from previous incidents.

Staff inspected the deck away from the table and found clear signs that cards had been marked. The room then banned both players for life and shared their names with other operators. This duo had been linked to similar cases in Florida and prior grand theft convictions, following a classic pattern: once a method works, cheats often move to new regions to try it again. 

The key points for regular players are simple. A regular noticed something and told staff. Staff pulled the deck, checked it, and acted fast. The story went public, which helps other rooms and players stay alert. That is how the system should work when it is working well.

Classic ways card markers cheat

How do cheaters mark cards in the real world?

At the base, many of the live scams still rely on physical alterations to make specific cards recognisable from the back or side.

For the most common low-tech methods, you’ll commonly see things like:

These methods do not need fancy gear. They rely on time, repetition, and the fact that most players never study card backs closely.

Warning signs include:

• The same player keeps handling the deck when they do not need to.
• Cards feel unusually warped or “sticky” in specific spots.
• One seat seems to dodge coolers or always folds correctly in marginal spots.
• You notice one or two cards that look slightly different when fanned face down.

None of these prove cheating on their own. They are early warning signals, not court evidence.

High-tech tools: invisible ink, RFID, and hacked shufflers

Old tricks now sit beside more advanced tools.

Invisible ink and special lenses

Modern card-marking gear often uses inks that only show up through specific filters. Security teams describe two main setups:

Deckmate 2 and hacked shufflers

The recent Deckmate 2 shuffler scandal showed how this can be pushed further. 

A federal indictment in late 2025 described hackers who exploited the shuffler’s internal camera and USB port to send full deck order to an accomplice’s phone. With that information, cheaters knew every player’s hand before the cards left the shoe.

Wired’s reporting notes that the manufacturer patched casino units after security research, but unregulated or second-hand games can still be vulnerable if they use old firmware or modified hardware. 

A standard shuffler in a licensed casino is not automatically suspect. A shuffler in a private or poorly regulated room often is worth a closer look.

RFID and rigged private games

In 2025, a Houston social club called JokerStars became the centre of an RFID cheating scandal. Three people, including a former employee, used RFID-enabled cards and a hidden reader to see opponents’ hole cards during streamed games.

Security staff later found the altered decks and hardware. The room banned the involved players and tightened its procedures.

These cases show a clear trend. The same ideas behind simple marked cards now sit inside cameras, shufflers, chip trays, and streaming setups.

What good poker rooms do to stop card marking

What can you expect a well run room to do?

Serious rooms treat game protection as a core job. They mix basic discipline with specialist tools.

Typical countermeasures include:

• Frequent deck changes
  Rotating decks on a fixed schedule and swapping them sooner if any player raises a concern.
• Dealer training
  Teaching dealers to watch for bent corners, odd patterns, or players who touch cards too often. Training them to call the floor quietly when something feels off.
• Secure cards and suppliers
  Using high quality, branded cards that are harder to fake or tamper with, ordered through trusted chains with tracked inventory.
• Surveillance and review
  Cameras on tables and shufflers so staff can rewind sessions when a pattern or complaint appears.
• Equipment checks
  Regular tests and firmware updates for automatic shufflers. In some rooms, third-party security consultants audit hardware and procedures.
• Blacklist sharing
  Sharing information about confirmed cheats and major cases with other rooms and operators. The Texas bans and the Houston RFID case both spread through industry channels quickly.

The same mindset applies online. Serious operators invest in security, detection tools, and clear sanctions when they find cheats. None of this makes cheating impossible, but it raises the cost and risk for anyone who attempts it.

What you should do if you suspect marked cards

What should you do the next time something feels off?

The worst move is a loud accusation in the middle of a pot. You gain nothing and you might end up in trouble yourself. Use a simple process instead.

Simple security checklist for live players

Here is a quick checklist to keep in mind:

• Watch who handles the deck. Only dealers and, in some formats, a nominated shuffler should touch cards between hands.
• Notice repeat patterns. If the same player always cuts, always gets into big pots, and always seems right with thin folds, pay attention.
• Inspect the cards casually. When you sit down, glance at a few backs as you stack your chips. If they already look worn or inconsistent, ask for a fresh deck.
• Respect real rooms, avoid sketchy ones. Licensed casinos and big public cardrooms have more to lose. Private games with unknown hosts and extra gadgets carry more risk, especially if they use second-hand shufflers.
• Know the local process. Some rooms want you to call “floor” out loud. Others prefer you walk to the podium. Learn the house style and use it.
• For online play, choose sites that talk openly about security, publish ban numbers, and explain their fair play tools.

Marked cards, RFID scams, and hacked shufflers all share one thing. They collapse the basic promise that everyone at the table sees the same unknown deck. 

You do not need to become a full-time detective. You only need to stay observant, speak up early, and play in rooms that take security as seriously as you do.