An investigator said last year that Karas had been arrested four times in that state and accused of cheating by marking cards, secretly exchanging cards with a partner or pressing bets, that is, increasing a wager after he already knew the outcome.Īguilar said a probation report shows Karas has a 2007 misdemeanor conviction for burglary in Clark County, Nevada. The Nevada Gaming Control Board helped with the arrest.

The Barona Gaming Commission passed the case to the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control, which coordinated the investigation. Wild One Pair: 1st & 3rd highest cards in front. One pair: Pair in back, next highest 2 cards in front. Pai Gow (no pair or better): 2nd & 3rd highest cards in front. The Barona, like most casinos in California, treat the joker as fully wild in pai gow poker. Last year surveillance cameras at the Barona Casino caught Karas putting “subtle but distinguishable marks on the backs of playing cards,” so he could identify each card’s value before it was turned over, prosecutors said. This is the house way used at the Barona casino, near San Diego. Karas, a Greek immigrant who became a professional poker player, high roller and pool shark, gained international fame for turning $50 into $40 million during a winning streak that started in 1992. “He can go back to Vegas as soon as (the Probation Department) says he can go back,” the judge said, indicating Karas would have to follow an established procedure to transfer his supervision to another state. His lawyer, Jonathan Jordan, asked whether Karas would be able to return to his home in Nevada while on probation. Karas did not make a statement to a judge during the brief hearing.

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