Home Game Cheating (3 Viewers)

doublebooyah85

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What are some sceneries/instances or examples you have found cheating in a home games or heard of such?

It’s ufortunately common and easy for the host.

Couple things to be cautious of;

1. Home tournaments. Easy for the host or certain players to pass out high denom chips to players to felt later when it’s super advantageous.

2. Pay attention to the dealers hands! Do you actually notice him take the rake? Does he do it in the flop? Or at the end of the hand? I’ve caught dealers double raking!

3. The cards! I imagine it’s very easy to get cards with identifications. Do they shuffle before a new dealer sits down. Or is there a loaded ready deck. Did you see them open the deck etc…

Please share examples so others can be cautious…
 
What are some sceneries/instances or examples you have found cheating in a home games or heard of such?

It’s ufortunately common and easy for the host.

Couple things to be cautious of;

1. Home tournaments. Easy for the host or certain players to pass out high denom chips to players to felt later when it’s super advantageous.

2. Pay attention to the dealers hands! Do you actually notice him take the rake? Does he do it in the flop? Or at the end of the hand? I’ve caught dealers double raking!

3. The cards! I imagine it’s very easy to get cards with identifications. Do they shuffle before a new dealer sits down. Or is there a loaded ready deck. Did you see them open the deck etc…

Please share examples so others can be cautious…
Are you talking home games, or raked “underground” games hosted in a house?
 
Get better friends
This is more for home games that are not “friends” maybe “underground” etc.

Also I’ve had good friends have problems with alcohol and gambling, and have made poor decisions. Judge them differently or forgive them. But that isn’t a solution to the question. Lol. Looking for specific examples for others to be cautious of.
 
Are you talking home games, or raked “underground” games hosted in a house?
Cheating can occur at either tbh. If it’s an “underground” game it can still have friends and I’m sure the host would be charismatic if he’s a cheater.

And I’ve caught “friends” cheating in tournaments adding chips. Gambling addictions and debt will change a person. It’s important to be observant and not ignorant.
 
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What inspired this was a tweet by Chris Moneymaker and the amount of replies of others saying how often you can find cheating in home games.


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If a short stack is all in at the final table and it affects a payout position, I wouldn't call it collusion if the two remaining players check it down to improve their chances of one of the eliminating the short stack. But if one player has the nuts, they should bet it.

Checking down in the middle of a tourney, not at a final table. Then I would call that collusion and fishy.

As for cheating in the home game I have never seen a case of it in the last 15 years of my home game when i'm the host. When we first started (all were in their mid 20's) we rotated hosts and caught a guy marking Aces and wanting to play "pick the high card" from a washed deck on the table for $20/person with 10-15 people in each time. Needless to say he pulled the Ace multiple times and ended up getting caught. Almost a fight that night and needless to say he was Blackballed.
 
If a short stack is all in at the final table and it affects a payout position, I wouldn't call it collusion if the two remaining players check it down to improve their chances of one of the eliminating the short stack. But if one player has the nuts, they should bet it.

Checking down in the middle of a tourney, not at a final table. Then I would call that collusion and fishy.

As for cheating in the home game I have never seen a case of it in the last 15 years of my home game when i'm the host. When we first started (all were in their mid 20's) we rotated hosts and caught a guy marking Aces and wanting to play "pick the high card" from a washed deck on the table for $20/person with 10-15 people in each time. Needless to say he pulled the Ace multiple times and ended up getting caught. Almost a fight that night and needless to say he was Blackballed.
Interesting, I’ve always heard/read good tournament strategy is to ALWAYS check down an all in player (unless you have the nuts)

Every player eliminated benefits the remaining field and the risk of doubling/tripling up the all in player b/c you bet out that winning hand is even worse.

This was a key theme/thread in Sklansky’s Tournament Poker.
 
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He doesn't specify cash vs tournament. My guess is that this is a cash game, in which it's bad form. Also sounds like there was discussion about it.

Regular squeezing by friends, hand signaling, cold deck, are a few that come to mind.
 
We have an occasional duo that does this in our cash game. They always set as far apart from each other as possible. Then one will lead, the other will squeeze...as soon as everyone is gone, they check it down. Sometimes with the nuts.
That duo is cheating and should be spoken to. How occasional are we talking?
 
He doesn't specify cash vs tournament. My guess is that this is a cash game, in which it's bad form. Also sounds like there was discussion about it.

Regular squeezing by friends, hand signaling, cold deck, are a few that come to mind.
In cash game - 100% agree.
 
The classic friend rivalry cheat
- imply that your ready to challenge Bill cause you just dont think he has Bunk....then Bill throws back at your aggressive play.....the result Players XYZ fold to the raise or if at worse play against are usually at a statistical disadvantage with other players.....over the night this allows grinding players down at home games with no rake, then splitting the winnings later.
 
The two instances I have mentioned here in the past were:

* A couple of new players, who I met at another home game, and asked to come to mine, who appeared to be signaling to each other. After discussing it with other regs, we agreed it was suspect and I just never invited them again.

* Much more painfully, several of us began to suspect that a longtime reg and valued friend with an abnormal win rate was previewing and otherwise manipulating the deck when he handled the cards (either dealing or shuffling). He was booted after a multi-week investigation where two of us made a point of observing him closely.
 
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Cheating can occur at either tbh. If it’s an “underground” game it can still have friends and I’m sure the host would be charismatic if he’s a cheater.

And I’ve caught “friends” cheating in tournaments adding chips. Gambling addictions and debt will change a person. It’s important to be observant and not ignorrant.
True. Maybe not instabanned. But I don’t think I can hold back the atomic wedgies…
 
Home games shouldn’t have these kinds of worries. Most cheats are bad at it. Most people who try bottom dealing have tells from the cards they use, the way they cut, over focused etc

Most people trying to hustle a homegame are doing because they’re not good enough to do it somewhere else. Wannabe mechanics are rarely good enough to deal

I would say most common attempt would be chip adding or stealing. Most thief’s are lazy
 
Maybe I’m naïve, but how are folks adding chips to their stacks? Do these games not have bankers/hosts who control the chips?
 

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