Originally Posted by MDawg View Post
I’m beyond at expert on how it works at table games.

I don’t play any high stakes poker. But I assume that the AML rules are the same such that the cage isn’t going to convert those chips to a cage check absent a record that the amount of chips exceeds the buy in via a documented win. It’s very easy to track exactly what a player buys in for, no?

And if there is no record of where the chips came from I guarantee the cage will not issue a check for any of them. Otherwise the poker room cage would be the go to cage for money launderers. (So someone has to fabricate such a win record if there is in fact none.)

I’m back to that you need to step back and think about all of this if you’re thinking that “quietly adding chips to their stack” will help anything.

Have you ever actually done any of this, gotten casino checks for wins, or just speculating? When I get my checks at the cage they won’t issue the check for anything over the amount of the sum of the verified wins that pit bosses have documented during my trip / play.
You're going by your own experience, presumably as just a guy who likes to gamble, and is therefore required to follow the basic casino rules and procedures.

That's why you ran into the restrictions you did.

However, you have a few things incorrect.

First off, poker winnings are NOT tracked, nor are buyins unless they are above a certain threshold. So provided you were really playing at a game where such winnings could be possible (that is, you couldn't get a $200k check for sitting at a $1/$2 game with $300), yes, they will issue you a check upon request. Some rooms don't have the capacity to issue checks, but all rooms associated with large casinos can and do. You are correct that they will probably refuse to issue a check if I stroll up with $100k cash, buy in, then cash out 30 minutes later for $99,500 and ask for a check.

"Quietly adding chips to the stack" will definitely help, if those chips were bought under the radar, and then can be disguised at winnings. I've played semi-high-stakes blackjack before, and nobody is closely watching each hand for wins/losses. They care more what I buy in for, and what I cash out. And, of course, if I'm card counting!

I ask you again, MDawg...

What was Matt Bowyer doing to "wash money at casinos" if not what I described? Note that Bowyer was NOT doing it through poker.