Card-cheating methods demonstrated in court

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 8

Card-cheating methods demonstrated in court

PA Auckland An - alleged former Kampuchean Khmer Rouge soldier demonstrated how to cheat |at cards in an Auckland courtroom yesterday. ] A gambling trickster Samnung Muth, bought an $BB,OOO house and I a $23 000 car within eight months of arriving pertnitess in New Zealand, the Court was told. Mr Nuth, aged 38, aliened he was beaten up and robbed at an illegal gambling Party °«ed bv the Kampuchean and Vietnamese command in February last year. I quoc Viet Dang, ag«i 28, a Panmure and ’Sok 1 Hong |KBiew, aged 28, a machine opfe tor, of Mangere, both denied two charge. j aggravated robbery, ; . i h J i

sault with intent to injure, and assault on a woman. Mr Nuth admitted : under cross-examination ! that he was well known as a gambling expert and ! that he had; cheated al games in New Zealand. He showed the jury, before Mr Justice Wylie, how to slip a card from the bottom of the pack [ while dealing .without 1 being seen. i He also demonstrated i’ the game, Apong, where a I dice is spun on a spindle | on a plate and gamblers I bet which number faces i up when the dice, hidden under a dish, comes to rest. I Mr Nuth has in the past made a living from carving dice from ! elephant: bone and told the Court it! would be possible to guess the winning number from the sound a

badly 'made dice made) when it came to | rest. i He ' had made more; than 510,000 while in New ; Zealand from ! gambling,) ! he said. He came to | New Zea-! land when the United (States refused |him entry as immigration) chiefs, believed he), was: once a Khmer Rbuge soldier, although he denied this. | Mr ; Nuth said he was sitting by the Apong board in the gamblirig) den last (year when Kliiew came up to him, (kicked him and dragged him put of the room,' punching (him with a knuckle-dusteii until he (Jost consciousness. He ( said, he ) saw Dang grab his wife round the (neck :to get at (a money bag containing $6OOO in ) cash and jewels) The fase will continue (.today. ' I I !