Tony Dalben is famous for being part of a Nevada Supreme Court case that defines the line between legal hole-card play and cheating. He spoke at a Las Vegas Green Chip party. We filmed his 35-minute presentation, and it is available as a DVD.
Tony Dalben and his partner, Steven Einbinder, were playing blackjack at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas in 1983. A sloppy dealer was checking the hole card under aces and 10s in a way that Dalben could see it. Dalben signaled his knowledge of the hole card to Einbinder, who was betting large.
Rather than correcting or replacing the dealer, the casino chose to involve the Gaming Control Board, whose agents arrested Dalben and Einbinder. The two were charged with various felonies. After the case was dismissed, the prosecutors appealed. The case went to the Nevada Supreme Court, which vindicated Dalben and Einbinder. The Nevada Supreme Court said: "... the evidence showed that respondent Dalben was lawfully seated at his position at the blackjack table, that he did not use any artificial device to aid his vision, and that he was able to see the dealer's hole card solely because of the admittedly sloppy play of the dealer. Respondent Dalben then communicated his information to respondent Einbinder. The District Court ruled that respondents' conduct did not constitute a violation of the cheating statutes. We agree." Dalben subsequently sued the Golden Nugget.
In the DVD, Dalben explains what happened and how the case affected his life during the five years it made its way through the Nevada judicial system. The DVD concludes with a question and answer session moderated by Stanford Wong.
