Two well-known poker cheats with a history of bans across multiple states were once again caught marking cards, this time at a Texas poker room—bringing an abrupt end to their latest scheme.
Norberto Pardo, 49, and Yaiquel Mosqueda-Perez, 43, both previously barred from poker rooms in Florida and California, were identified last week at The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, Texas. Their presence didn’t go unnoticed. Poker vlogger Anthony Martino, who has been familiar with the pair’s activities since 2020, spotted them playing in a nearby game and immediately recognized the warning signs.
Martino alerted the floor staff, explaining that the two players were known for cheating and had been banned elsewhere. The dealer promptly removed the deck from the $1/$2/$5 pot-limit Omaha game for inspection. After reviewing the cards, staff confirmed they had been marked. The Lodge Card Club later confirmed to PokerNews that both players were permanently banned for card marking.
A Scheme Years in the Making
According to Martino, this was far from an isolated incident. He first encountered the duo years earlier at Tampa Greyhound Track, a venue they are no longer legally allowed to enter. He described a pattern that remained remarkably consistent over time.
The two players would position themselves diagonally across from one another—typically in Seats 1 and 6—and went to great lengths to maintain those positions. If another player occupied one of their preferred seats, Martino claims they would offer money to persuade that player to move. Once situated, the pair allegedly worked together, signaling information and applying pressure to players caught between them.
Martino said it took several months before he fully pieced together what was happening, describing the realization as his own “Garrett Adelstein moment,” referencing the high-profile cheating accusations made during a 2022 Hustler Casino Live stream.
Viewer comments on Martino’s video suggested that Pardo and Mosqueda-Perez have also been banned from poker rooms in Iowa and Illinois for similar behavior, including collusion and card marking. Martino also shared evidence indicating the pair had previously been barred from bestbet Jacksonville, a regular stop on the World Poker Tour.
Threats and Criminal Histories
After publicly exposing the incident, Martino reported receiving threatening messages from Pardo, including one that warned of a future confrontation over what Pardo claimed was slander.
Public records show Pardo was arrested in Miami-Dade County in 2022 on charges including grand theft and possession of a controlled substance. Mosqueda-Perez, meanwhile, has been permanently excluded from all casinos in Florida following a July 12, 2025 hearing with the Florida Gaming Control Board. An administrative complaint against him had been filed months earlier, in October 2024.
Martino said his goal in sharing the incident was to alert the wider poker community and help prevent the pair from continuing their pattern of moving from room to room after each ban.
If the swift action taken in Texas is any indication, poker rooms are paying closer attention—and repeat offenders are finding it increasingly difficult to stay under the radar.
