Tommy Glenn Carmichael
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Tommy Glenn Carmichael (July 5, 1950) is considered one of the greatest slot cheats. After being introduced to the "top-bottom joint" by his friend Ray Ming, he began his first theft campaign. However, Las Vegas casinos started to replace the old slot machines with new ones, which forced Carmichael to smaller off-the-strip casinos. At one of them, he was caught and sentenced to jail. Carmichael was placed in the Nevada Gaming Control Board's black book.
Jail didn't stop Carmichael. Instead he figured out a way to beat newer high-tech machines. Carmichael invented the slider or monkey paw, which slipped through the payout chute and traveled through the machine until it tripped a switch that would cause the machine to pay out. The machine manufacturers responded with more advanced counter-measures, which Carmichael easily defeated using a tongue shaped device that interfered with the circuitry of the slot, adding credits to the machine which could then be cashed out. An extensive FBI investigation would finally ensnare Carmichael. He was sentenced on September 7, 2001 to time-served and probation. Out of jail, Carmichael manufactures anti-cheating devices.
Carmichael's story can be seen on the The History Channel series Breaking Vegas which features interviews with Carmichael himself and reenactments of many of his memorable moments in the slot cheating "business".
