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Cheating in poker

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well-known player to play incognito. Another common motive for multi-accounting is to facilitate chip dumping and other methods of equity maximization in online tournaments. A major difference between cash games and tournaments is that tournament winnings tend to be much less consistent over the short to medium term. Because tournaments tend to pay prize money only to the top ten percent of entrants on average and tend to pay the majority of prize money to a very small number of top finishers, in tournament play even the best players are prone to relatively long streaks of overall net losses (or even no winnings at all) between sizable wins. Therefore, for high-stakes players who specialize in tournament play, multi-accounting is one possible means to allow a player to play more entries in major tournaments than they would otherwise be able to, potentially multiplying the player's earnings and, just as importantly, making earnings more consistent over a shorter period of time. This risks a large win by a hitherto unknown "player" attracting scrutiny from the host (and other players), especially if the winner has no known previous poker experience but does have clear ties to a better-known player. In addition, some sites now offer multi-table tournaments where the same player can enter multiple times under their own name, so as to reduce the incentive to multi-account.
441:, this can conveniently and cheaply be done without the likelihood of immediate detection). Such tactics can give cheaters an advantage that is difficult to work against. Online poker cardrooms keep records of every hand played, and collusion can often be detected by finding any of several detectable patterns (such as folding good hands to a small bet, as it is known that another player has a better hand). Users who frequently sit at the same tables will be flagged by poker rooms and their play will be closely monitored. Often, such users will be warned they have been flagged, in an effort to deter collusion. 452:. This is the systematic collection of hand histories, enough of which can be used to profile opponents using specially designed software. Two or more players may agree to share their individual hand histories amongst themselves; alternatively some websites offer large quantities of previously-played hands (even millions) for a fee. Using software to analyze one's own histories is generally accepted. Acquiring histories of hands in which a player did not participate violates the rules of most cardrooms. 523:
nuts" (the best possible hand based on the cards in play). This could be done in reverse via a bluff by betting without announcing the bet & betting less than the minimum call, then when the underbet is realized by the dealer, the player can claim they thought they raised, but the player apparently miscounted and bet less than the required call, which is then required to be increased to become a call. This makes the player appear strong and may induce a fold to the player's weak hand.
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it is called "Glimpsing" or "Peeking". There are a lot of methods for reaching the same goal. A method that is used most is called the "Shiner". A Shiner is a reflective object (such as coffee, a lighter, a blade etc.) that is placed under the deck, so when the cheat is looking into the shiner the bottom card is exposed, and every card that is dealt over the shiner can easily be peeked by looking in the shiner.
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How this is used by angle shooters is if a player is in a hand that they are unsure if they have the best cards and don't want to invest any more money to find out. They can unplug their internet connection and then wait for the hand to play itself out. On a DP table the remaining cards in the hand
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Angle shooting is engaging in actions that may technically be within the scope of the rules of the game, but that are considered unethical or unfair to exploit or take advantage of another player. For example, an angle shooter might motion as if they were folding their hand to induce other players to
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Marked cards are printed or altered so that the cheater can know the value of specific cards while only looking at the back. Ways of marking are too numerous to mention, but there are certain broad types. A common way of marking cards involves marks on a round design on the card so as to be read like
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A cheat can place certain cards in a position favorable to the card cheat. This is called "stacking". Stacking is more often done than "false dealing" because it doesn't look suspicious. There are a couple of techniques for "stacking" cards, the best known being riffle stacking and overhand stacking.
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The easiest and most common types of cheating require no skill of manipulation, but rather merely the nerve. Such methods include shorting the pot, avoiding house fees, and peeking at other players' cards. It is very difficult to prove because when confronted, at least the first time, the cheat often
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Another example is when a player says nothing when betting, pushes in a raise, then says he made an error (a/k/a "misclick") & meant to just call. The opposing player(s) may take this as a sign of weakness and then re-raise or simply call when they shouldn't, as the player may actually have "the
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One form of angle shooting which is exclusive to online poker is to abuse the disconnect protection (DP) rules most sites have in place. DP is a rule exclusive to online poker whereby if a player is disconnected from the site in the middle of the hand their hand is played out as if they were all-in
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A slight advantage for a cheat can be to know what cards are placed both on the top of the deck as well as the bottom card, so that information can then later be used to bottom deal or second deal themselves that card. The looking at the top or bottom card without the other players knowing or seeing
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and "daub" are two kinds of substances that can be used to mark cards in a subtle way so as to avoid detection, when done properly. While a "juice" deck is premarked and introduced into play by the cheater, "daub" is applied during play to any deck. Once trained, cheaters can read the cards from
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is relatively easy and much more difficult to immediately spot if executed well. Cheaters can engage in telephone calls or instant messaging, discussing their cards, since nobody can see them. Sometimes one person may be using two or more computers to play multiple hands at the same table under
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Another online method of cheating is "multiaccounting", where a player will register several accounts to their name (or, perhaps more commonly, to non-poker-playing friends and family members). This might be done to help enable the collusion previously mentioned, or perhaps to simply enable a
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the cards in a position that the cheat can read from across the table. The practice of burning the top card, or cards, is to prevent a cheat from knowing that top card and dealing "seconds" to either give a confederate a card that helps their hand or an opponent a card that hurts theirs.
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One sign of false dealing could be when a dealer grips the deck with the index finger in front of it or their pinky and pointing finger on both short sides of the deck while the other fingers support the deck while the cards are being beveled slightly. This is referred to as the
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Even if a cheat deals themselves a powerful hand, they may not win much money if every other player has nothing, so often the cheat will stack two hands, with one player receiving a strong hand and the cheater getting an even stronger one. This is called a "double duke".
252:. But while the cheat is shuffling they keep track of the cards they want to stack, and with a little practice they can manage to put the exact number of cards in between the cards they want to stack to make the next round of dealing favorable for the cheat. 279:
if the style of play or house rules call for a cut. The skill lies both in convincing other players that the shuffle is legitimate and in ensuring that other players receive hands that are good enough to entice them into play, but not too good to arouse suspicion.
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state they reserve the right to cancel an account if a player plays "in a professional sense" (and not for personal entertainment only). This is not a standard prohibition. For example, it is not in the end-user agreements of the three largest online cardrooms:
267:—so called because it has not been "warmed up" by play (and thus randomised). Such decks are usually pre-stacked, and are introduced either at the deal, after the real deck has been shuffled, or before the deal, where a card sharp will make a false 515:
without the player actually having to put any more money in the pot. The online poker rooms that offer DP usually have specific tables set aside for this so that all players at the table are aware that the special DP rules will apply.
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One minimal-skill method that occurs in non-casino and casino games happens when a player who has folded appoints themselves the tender of the pot, stacking chips, counting them, and delivering them to the winning player.
429:. These are programs that play instead of a real human. Though their accuracy and their ability to win are disputed, their use normally violates the rules of online cardrooms, so using them is, by definition, cheating. 295:
a clock (an ace is marked at one o'clock, and so on until the king, which is not marked). Shading a card by putting it in the sun or scratching the surface with a razor are ways to mark an already printed deck.
135:(also known as "ratholing"), where a player covertly removes a portion of their chips from play while remaining in the game, normally in order to preserve the winnings as profit, or prevent a major loss in 455:
Poker software, like all software, cannot be assumed to be reliable. It is always possible that a person is exploiting the software to win money from victims. The software may even contain a
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would be dealt and the pot would be awarded to the player with the best cards. If there were multiple opponents in the hand then they would be eligible for a side pot.
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one or more cards. When a cheat is "mucking" the cheat is cleverly hiding cards in their hand, to later switch their hand for. This may also be done with a confederate.
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and magicians. The overhand stacking method takes little practice, and is more likely to be done in a situation with a cheat. The cheat does (what looks like) a normal
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In riffle stacking the cheat stacks the card(s) while doing a riffle shuffle. This form of stacking is the most difficult to master and the most respected under the
232:, or to find the cards one needs, place them at the bottom, top, or any other place the cheat wants, then false deal them to oneself or one's confederate. 240:". It not only allows better control of the cards, but provides cover by showing the back of the top card, and without moving the hand holding the deck. 348:
on each round of betting through the end of the hand. Unless they explicitly communicate an agreement about checking it down, this is not collusion.
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Online play has allowed for new methods of cheating while other methods based on physical objects such as cards or chips are impossible.
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faces a lawsuit with allegations of employees exploiting the software. The user agreement of the two online poker sites owned by
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is two or more players acting with a secret, common strategy. Some common forms of collusion are:
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is when such a "helpful" player palms a chip. Odorless adhesive can be used for this purpose.
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One method of cheating that involves both great risk and great potential pay-off is the
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was engaged in such a scandal along with site consultant and notable poker player
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Decks can be marked while playing using fingernails, poker chips or by bending or
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different aliases (since many broadband plans offer customers multiple
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that is intended to give an unfair advantage to one or more players.
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which allows a person, perhaps an employee, to view cards.
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Is "checking it down" in a tournament implicit collusion?
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Bill Rini: The Definitive Guide to Online Poker Cheating
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using sleight of hand. The latter method may require
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PartyPoker.com: PartyGaming’s Unfair Advantage Policy
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Unsourced material may be challenged and 874: 860: 718:PokerStars.com: End User License Agreement 763:AbsolutePoker: End-User License Agreement 410:Learn how and when to remove this message 201:Learn how and when to remove this message 107:Learn how and when to remove this message 747:Online poker cheating blamed on employee 506:Advantage gambling § Angle shooting 48: 29: 425:One new form of cheating is the use of 14: 1296: 120:calls the cheating an honest mistake. 855: 544: 41:is any behavior outside the rules of 1264: 937:List of poker playing card nicknames 388:adding citations to reliable sources 355: 179:adding citations to reliable sources 146: 85:adding citations to reliable sources 52: 526: 24: 351: 142: 25: 1320: 833: 499: 1275: 1263: 1252: 1251: 360: 151: 131:Another minimal-skill method is 57: 1276: 283: 818: 792: 774: 756: 740: 722: 711: 693: 680: 13: 1: 1198:Fundamental theorem of poker 313: 34:A card hidden under a sleeve 7: 621: 10: 1325: 503: 287: 27:Overview of poker cheating 1247: 1221: 1188: 1055: 1005: 957: 950: 902: 889: 881: 786:October 11, 2007, at the 768:October 18, 2007, at the 511:fold theirs out of turn. 673: 1178:Open-face Chinese poker 894:Index of poker articles 749:, by Mike Brunker, at 35: 1229:Computer poker player 705:May 10, 2006, at the 49:Minimal-skill methods 33: 1309:Cheating in gambling 1109:Community card poker 648:Cheating in baseball 384:improve this section 175:improve this section 81:improve this section 653:Cheating in casinos 594:Red Dead Redemption 473:Tokwiro Enterprises 448:Another concern is 734:2007-10-16 at the 552:The Cincinnati Kid 545:In popular culture 302:across the table. 36: 1304:Poker terminology 1291: 1290: 1138:Casino games 1130:Six-plus hold 'em 1051: 1050: 658:Cheating in chess 420: 419: 412: 211: 210: 203: 117: 116: 109: 39:Cheating in poker 16:(Redirected from 1316: 1279: 1278: 1267: 1266: 1255: 1254: 1203:Morton's theorem 1159:Three Card Poker 1154:Mississippi Stud 955: 954: 876: 869: 862: 853: 852: 827: 822: 816: 815: 813: 811: 796: 790: 778: 772: 760: 754: 744: 738: 726: 720: 715: 709: 697: 691: 684: 539:Titanic Thompson 527:Notable cheaters 415: 408: 404: 401: 395: 364: 356: 342:poker tournament 250:overhand shuffle 206: 199: 195: 192: 186: 155: 147: 112: 105: 101: 98: 92: 61: 53: 21: 1324: 1323: 1319: 1318: 1317: 1315: 1314: 1313: 1294: 1293: 1292: 1287: 1243: 1217: 1184: 1164:Four Card Poker 1096:Seven-card stud 1047: 1001: 946: 898: 885: 880: 849: 836: 831: 830: 823: 819: 809: 807: 806:. 25 April 2022 798: 797: 793: 788:Wayback Machine 779: 775: 770:Wayback Machine 761: 757: 745: 741: 736:Wayback Machine 727: 723: 716: 712: 707:Wayback Machine 698: 694: 685: 681: 676: 643:Casino security 624: 615:A Losing Streak 547: 529: 508: 502: 494:Full Tilt Poker 416: 405: 399: 396: 381: 365: 354: 352:Online specific 316: 292: 286: 238:Mechanic's grip 207: 196: 190: 187: 172: 156: 145: 143:Skilled methods 113: 102: 96: 93: 78: 62: 51: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1322: 1312: 1311: 1306: 1289: 1288: 1286: 1285: 1273: 1261: 1248: 1245: 1244: 1242: 1241: 1236: 1231: 1225: 1223: 1219: 1218: 1216: 1215: 1210: 1205: 1200: 1194: 1192: 1186: 1185: 1183: 1182: 1181: 1180: 1168: 1167: 1166: 1161: 1156: 1151: 1146: 1144:Caribbean stud 1134: 1133: 1132: 1127: 1125:Omaha hold 'em 1122: 1120:Greek hold 'em 1117: 1115:Texas hold 'em 1105: 1104: 1103: 1098: 1093: 1091:Five-card stud 1081: 1080: 1079: 1077:Five-card draw 1067: 1061: 1059: 1053: 1052: 1049: 1048: 1046: 1045: 1040: 1035: 1030: 1025: 1020: 1015: 1009: 1007: 1003: 1002: 1000: 999: 994: 993: 992: 982: 977: 972: 967: 961: 959: 952: 948: 947: 945: 944: 939: 934: 933: 932: 922: 917: 912: 906: 904: 900: 899: 897: 896: 890: 887: 886: 879: 878: 871: 864: 856: 847: 846: 840:Poker Cheating 835: 834:External links 832: 829: 828: 817: 791: 773: 755: 739: 721: 710: 692: 678: 677: 675: 672: 671: 670: 668:Second dealing 665: 660: 655: 650: 645: 640: 635: 630: 628:Bottom dealing 623: 620: 619: 618: 611: 604: 597: 590: 583: 576: 569: 562: 555: 546: 543: 542: 541: 536: 528: 525: 501: 500:Angle shooting 498: 477:Absolute Poker 467:. 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Hayes, 608:Lucky Luke 504:See also: 490:PartyPoker 486:PokerStars 450:datamining 335:signalling 327:whipsawing 1222:Computing 1213:Slow play 1033:Isolation 559:The Sting 371:does not 323:soft play 319:Collusion 314:Collusion 273:collusion 265:cold deck 215:hand-muck 162:does not 137:"big bet" 68:does not 1258:Category 1208:Pot odds 1190:Strategy 970:Position 958:Elements 920:Glossary 915:Cheating 903:Overview 784:Archived 766:Archived 751:NBC News 732:Archived 703:Archived 622:See also 587:Maverick 573:Rounders 457:backdoor 307:crimping 1282:Outline 1270:Commons 925:History 910:Betting 392:removed 377:sources 331:dumping 269:shuffle 183:removed 168:sources 139:games. 89:removed 74:sources 810:6 July 690:, 2017 601:Casino 492:, and 1043:Steal 1018:Bluff 1006:Plays 985:Hands 883:Poker 674:Notes 566:Shade 346:check 340:In a 299:Juice 275:or a 43:poker 1101:Razz 1065:Brag 1028:Draw 997:Tell 965:Chip 951:Play 812:2022 663:Muck 580:Tilt 479:and 427:bots 375:any 373:cite 277:pass 230:cull 219:palm 166:any 164:cite 72:any 70:cite 975:Pot 842:by 386:by 217:or 177:by 83:by 1300:: 802:. 496:. 488:, 475:, 875:e 868:t 861:v 814:. 617:" 613:" 413:) 407:( 402:) 398:( 394:. 380:. 236:" 204:) 198:( 193:) 189:( 185:. 171:. 110:) 104:( 99:) 95:( 91:. 77:. 20:)

Index

Angle shooting

poker

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going south
"big bet"

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palm
bottom card
Mechanic's grip
card sharps
overhand shuffle
cold deck
shuffle
collusion
pass
Card marking
Collusion

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