Vu

Plaintiffs Tom Vu and Mansour Matloubi appeal from summary judgment in favor of defendants California Commerce Club, Inc. (the club), and Huong Mai, in an action to recover money plaintiffs lost while playing card games at the club, assertedly as a result of cheating. We affirm.

Facts

The club provides facilities for card games legal in the City of Commerce, including two that plaintiffs played, “Asian stud” poker and “Pan-Nine.” Betting at the club is only among the players; the club provides the facility, cards, chips, and dealers, and receives a fee per hand from each player. The club maintains a security network that includes video cameras and individual “spotters.”

Plaintiff Vu played Asian stud and Pan-Nine at the club between July 1991 and July 1993. During that period, he allegedly lost approximately $1.4 million. Plaintiff Matloubi, a professional poker player, played the two games between May 15 and May 29, 1993, during which he allegedly lost approximately $120,000. These losses constitute plaintiffs’ claimed damages.

The cheating that plaintiffs asserted included the following. First, certain Asian stud players played as “partners,” signaling to each other…