Stefano Ampollini Poker
Stefano Ampollini Poker Table
Another interesting case involving infrared contacts centers on an Italian gambler named Stefano Ampollini. The 56-year-old was also caught in 2013 during a scam at Les Princes casino in Cannes, France. Ampollini spent €2,000 to purchase special contacts that allowed him to see markings on cards. In 2014 invisible ink was used by casino workers in France to mark cards. The Italian gambler Stefano Ampollini used infrared contacts to see the cards marked with ink. He was fined and jailed together with his band of helpers. The examples show that cheating at a casino, online or land-based, usually lands up in a jail.
Go in any casino or watch poker on television and you will undoubtedly see at least a couple of people donning sunglasses at every table. Being an online poker player, I have often wondered why this practice is so prevalent. So I did a bit of research into the phenomenon and here are my findings.
Why do poker players wear sunglasses?
- To hide physical tells that they might give away with their eyes
- For comfort and confidence when playing with strangers
- To put them in the right mindset when playing a poker hand
- For fashion reasons or to look cool
Now that we have some idea why players might wear shades, let’s go through each reason in detail.
1. Wearing Sunglasses to Hide Physical Tells
There are a few very well known poker tells that involve the eyes. In fact, several of the tells listed by Mike Caro in his book of poker tells talk about the eyes.
Where a person looks (or does not look) during a poker hand can give away a lot of information. Here is a video that will highlight the importance of the eyes in using physical tells against your opponents.
It’s been well-documented that the eyes convey just about every emotion a person might be feeling. Happiness, joy, pain, and concern are all emotions that can be revealed by the eyes. This just happens to be information that you would prefer your opponents not have.
Wearing Sunglasses to Hide the Fact That You Might Be Gathering Tells
In order to obtain tells from opponents you have to actually stare at them for extended periods of time. Some people might feel uncomfortable doing this.
After all, mama said that staring is rude. The best solution? Wear sunglasses and then just shift your eyes side-to-side. No one will ever know if you are staring them down.
2. Using Shades for Comfort and Confidence
Due to the poker boom that started back in 2003, there are a lot of players who are either new to poker or new to live poker. Since a lot of the rise in the popularity of poker occurred online, there are a lot of players who are not used to playing around other people.
In that sense, sunglasses act as a sort of security blanket for shy or uncomfortable players. Some people just are not comfortable staring at other individuals, which is necessary sometimes during a poker hand.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of sunglasses is the ability to hide in plain sight or avoid conversation. Players not looking to socialize at the table can use sunglasses to deter would-be Chatty Cathies from chewing their ears off.
Man, Those Lights Are Bright
Another reason to wear sunglasses is to actually use them for what they are intended. I am not talking about playing poker outdoors, but if you have ever been in a casino you understand that some of those lights in there are really bright.
Personally, I had laser eye surgery several years ago and have had a sensitivity to light ever since. I could definitely see someone putting sunglasses on to help remedy this issue when they play under the bright lights of the poker table.
3. Getting in a Certain Midset by Wearing Sunglasses
If you have ever seen the movie “Over The Top” with Sylvester Stallone, you might remember that he would always turn his ball cap
Many poker players do this as well and only wear their sunglasses while involved in a hand. It’s a great way to witch on your “killer instinct” at the table at the right times and still keep your friendly personality while not involved in a hand.
4. Wearing Sunglasses for image or fashion reasons
There is no doubt that a large percentage of shade-wearing poker players wear them for non-strategic reasons, no matter what they might claim. I do agree that projecting an image or intimidating them in some way is part of the game.
What is more intimidating than some guy that looks like the terminator staring you down.
Sunglasses have always been used as some kind of fashion statement or to look cool. This is especially true among young people who are more concerned about their image than an older counterpart might be. Next time you are in a poker room, don’t be surprised if you see every single under-30 male at your table wearing either a hat, sunglasses, headphones, or all three.
Can Sunglasses Be Used to Cheat?
There are some poker players who fear that sunglasses could be used for nefarious purposes. One of those ways is through marking cards and then using UV sunglasses to cheat. In fact, there is actually a deck of marked cards sold along with the matching cheater sunglasses available on Amazon. (Click the link to see the Amazon product)
Even though this technology exists, I would not be overly concerned that someone is using it at your local casino. However, if you are ever worried about such a phenomenon, it is your right to ask for a new deck of cards to be brought into play at any time. I also wouldn’t hesitate to discretely ask the floor person to check out a suspected cheater who has suspicious sunglasses.
Documented Cases of Sunglasses Being Used to Cheat
It was difficult to find any documented cases of cheating by using sunglasses. I am guessing that it has happened from time to time but casinos have kept it quite, likely due to embarrassment. If this is occurring, its much more likely to happen in a home game.
While I am sure there are plenty of unscrupulous players who would do anything to win, it is highly unlikely that this type of cheating is rampant in casinos. It would take an inside person, who physically marked the card, to pull off such a cheat. With the high security measures and the still penalties if you get caught, it’s hard to see this happening often.
What about contact lenses?
In 2011, a poker player and 2 casino workers were involved in a cheating scandal that used marked c
Opponents of Sunglasses and Pushes to Ban the Practice
There are several poker pros who have advocated against the use of sunglasses at the poker table. One of the biggest critics is Daniel Negreanu who feels that the integrity of the game is at stake. He believes that even the smallest chance that someone could be cheating is enough reason for them to be outlawed in poker.
I have been on the fence about this subject for some time. While I feel it is important to be able to look someone in the eyes while playing live, I do understand that it helps shy people cope in an otherwise uncomfortable situation.
Whether or not sunglasses violate the spirit of the game or whether the potential for cheating to occur is enough to warrant a ban, is still up for debate.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know the reasons why some poker players choose to wear sunglasses, you can use this information to your advantage at the table. How do you feel about people wearing shades? Is there any other reason people might wear them? Be sure to let me know in the comments.
Related Questions
Why do poker players wear visors? Poker players might wear a visor for a couple of reasons. 1. They want to reduce the glare from overhead lights. 2. They can easily hide their eyes whenever they want without having to resort to much-maligned sunglasses.
Why do poker players wear hoodies or scarves? Many poker players wear hoodies or scarves just because it is in fashion. Others wear them because it is known to get really cold inside some casinos. Those that wear them for strategic reasons do so to hide physical tells.
Stefano Ampollini Poker Game
Can you wear a mask in poker? While most casinos frown upon players wearing masks due to security reasons, you are actually allowed to wear them during the World Series of Poker. The entertainment value outweighs the security risks in that case.
Four Chinese men were arrested after defrauding a small business owner out of 70,000 yuan (approx. $10.5k) in a poker game. And a police investigation uncovered that they used marked cards and special contact lenses in the crime.
The victim, identified by his surname Feng, was lured to Dali, Yunnan by four men who promised to recruit customers for his pesticide business.
The suspects brought Feng to their hotel room in Dali and began playing poker with him. According to a police report, Feng lost every single hand that he played with the men.
When the poker game was over, Feng dropped 10,000 yuan in cash along with another 60,000 in promissory notes.
Suspecting that he’d been cheated, Feng contacted authorities and they raided the Dali hotel room.
According to the South China Morning Post, police found the four men sleeping in the hotel room, along with 30 packs of marked cards, and a pair of special contact lenses.
Stefano Ampollini Poker Player
The suspects later admitted that they marked the cards with a special ink that can only be seen with the contacts. One of the men wore the contacts and signaled what cards Feng had to his opponents.
Feng originally told police that he’d been drugged too, but reports haven’t stated anything about the police finding drugs on the scene.
This isn’t the first time that gamblers have used special contacts in a cheating scandal.
The Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut caught Bruce Koloshi marking cards in a stud poker game. They found that he was also wearing infrared contact lenses that allowed him to tell what the cards were based on markings.
Koloshi’s case is an interesting one because he was busted doing the same thing in Louisiana and faced trial there. His goal was to generate enough money that he could pay court costs in Louisiana.
Another interesting case involving infrared contacts centers on an Italian gambler named Stefano Ampollini.
Stefano Ampollini Poker Games
The 56-year-old was also caught in 2013 during a scam at Les Princes casino in Cannes, France. Ampollini spent €2,000 to purchase special contacts that allowed him to see markings on cards.
A twist in this case is that Ampollini had inside help from a dealer who sorted cards in a way that allowed him to see the markings better. There was another casino employee who marked the cards for Ampollini.
The trio made almost €100,000 before Les Princes security uncovered their plot. Ampollini was sentenced to two years in prison as a result.