Field guide

Monkey Paw

How it works

A mechanical cheating device consisting of a guitar or piano string attached to a bent metal rod, inserted into a slot machine through an air vent or other opening to manually trigger the coin hopper switch. The cheater threads the device into the machine, manipulates it until the metal hook catches the hopper trigger switch, and holds it open to cause continuous coin dispensing. Carmichael developed this specifically to beat microprocessor-based video poker machines in 1990.

On the record

Tommy Glenn Carmichael created the monkey paw after his 1987 release from prison. It allowed him to bank $1,000 per hour. The device is now in the Mob Museum collection, and Carmichael was added to the “Black Book.”

Published as a detection reference for surveillance, compliance and gaming-operations professionals. Thresholds and tuning are set by the property. Nothing here is instruction — the method is described so it can be recognised.