Zurich Casino Uncovers $180K Baccarat Cheating Plot
Most people who play casino games treat them as a bit of light-hearted fun, whether they are sitting at a table in a land casino or enjoying online baccarat. However, there are always a few people who are looking for ways to gain an advantage over the casino. Over the years, there have been countless attempts to cheat casinos, and one particularly notable example took place at Swiss Casinos Zurich in 2024.
A group of 11 Zurich baccarat players managed to win nearly $180,000 using a carefully planned strategy that combined teamwork, distraction, and hidden technology, and for a short time, it looked as though they were going to get away with it.
How the Plan Worked
The group, which later became known as “the Chinese Eleven”, did not arrive at the casino together. Rather, they entered one at a time or in small groups and behaved just like any other players. They spent time playing other games, chatting, and generally avoiding attention.
Later in the evening, they gathered around a punto banco table and continued with their act. They placed relatively small bets, joked with the dealer, and ensured there was a relaxed atmosphere at the table.
However, at some point, the bets suddenly increased. One player began betting several thousand francs per hand and quickly built up a large win. The others followed his lead, increasing their bets at the same time. Then, after a few hands, the bets were reduced again, and the group eventually left with close to $180,000 in winnings.
It was only later, when the casino reviewed the session, that a pattern emerged.
The important moment came during the cutting of the deck. At land casino baccarat tables, a player is often invited to insert a cut card into the shuffled deck before it is placed into the shoe. In this case, the players asked the dealer to hold the deck in a particular way, claiming it was due to superstition. Superstitious players are quite common at baccarat tables, so the dealer probably thought nothing of it. However, it allowed them to position the cards so that the corners were briefly visible during the cut.
At the same time, the rest of the group created a distraction by asking questions and engaging the dealer. During those few seconds, the player cutting the deck used a modified phone with a hidden camera to capture a short sequence of cards.
Using the Information to Create an Advantage
The camera did not need to record the entire deck. Capturing a sequence of 20 to 40 cards was enough to give the players a real advantage. Once the footage had been recorded, the player could review it and memorize the order of the cards.
Because a baccarat shoe is dealt over a relatively long period, the player could simply wait for that sequence to appear during play. When it did, he increased his bets. The rest of the group did not need to know the details; they just needed to copy his actions. This explains the sudden increase in bets that caught the attention of the casino’s surveillance team. The pattern of betting was not random, and once it was identified, the session was reviewed in detail.
Investigators also found that the group had spent time in the casino before. They were seen studying the layout and observing the positions of security cameras, which showed that the plan had been carefully prepared and was not impulsive.
Hubris Brings the Group Down
It was later found that similar methods had been used in other European casinos. Although most of the stolen money was eventually recovered, it is still one of the largest casino cheating cases to have taken place in Switzerland.
While the scheme itself may have been very well planned, the group of Zurich baccarat players made a crucial mistake. After a successful evening cheating the casino, they returned to the same place just two days later, and by that point, the casino had already begun investigating the unusual win. When the group returned, the authorities were ready, and the players were arrested.
