Mihai Lacatos is a sixty two year old Romanian national who recently earned 18 months in jail after trying to escape charges of cheating at the game of poker. Lacatos traveled throughout the UK, cheating at cards, before he was eventually caught by police. Lacatos would use fake IDs and drivers licenses to enter casinos in which he was banned. He would then use the method of ‘card marking’ to be able to cheat at the Playboy Club in Mayfair with the game of three card poker.

Lacatos would bend certain cards during the game and use his knowledge of the markings to be able to tell what cards the dealer and the other players were holding. This would give Lacatos the advantage and he spent several hours playing at a single table to earn a cash payout.

Once Lacatos’ deception was detected, the Metropolitan Police Service Gaming Unit began an investigation. The image of Lacatos was circulated across the UK and he was eventually found when he visited the Rubicon Casino.