Casino Cheating, by Allan Kronzek:

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In most of the phoners I've done so far, the interviewer starts off by assuming that cheating does not and cannot go on in televised poker, or in countless hold'em ‘em tournaments that are now part of American culture.

This is not strictly true. One of the most undetectable forms of cheating is collusion or team play. It's well-known that many professional poker players are staked out of the same bankroll and enter the same tournaments. It is not unheard of that one member of the team will deliberately lose to his ally to give him more chips and propel him into the next round.

Team players can also exchange information through signals that give team members a significant edge over other players at the table. If one player knows another's hole cards, that's a piece of information that none of the other players have and is therefore an advantage. It may not make a difference in any particular hand, but in the long run, the information will pay off. Information can be transmitted by hand signals, gestures, chip placement, and how cards are mucked, among other methods.

It's also worth noting that at major tournaments, players who are knocked out in the early rounds often stick around to observe the action, and participate in cash games. Here they are even more vulnerable to team cheating by the locals. This is something that has always gone on in public cards rooms, and it would be naive to think the practice has ended just because of televised poker. Casino poker rooms are generally very safe places to play, but they aren't foolproof.

View more information on Allan Kronzek's 52 Ways to Cheat at Poker.

Allan Kronzek

52 Ways to Cheat at Poker

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