Cheating in Texas Holdem Poker happens at games of all limits. Learn how to identify cheaters so that you can:
- report their unlawful play to the appropriate authorities.
- develop a Texas Holdem strategy that minimizes the effects of Cheating.
Fortunately, in online Texas Holdem poker, you do not have to worry about slight of hand, bottom/second deck dealing, marked cards, and other forms of Cheating involving deck manipulation.
What you *do* need to look out for is Collusion - when two or more players play differently against each other than against the rest of the table.
Here are some examples of Collusion:
- The Whip Saw - partners at the opposite ends of a table raising and reraising the pot to trap players in between.
- Soft Playing - failing to bet or raise in a situation that would normally merit it.
- Information Trading - trading information between partners for an increased statistical advantage.
- Chip Dumping (Tournaments) - deliberately losing to a partner to keep the partner alive.
- *Coffeehousing - chatting among players that could influence the play or outcome of a game. Although this is not precisely a form of collusion, it is generally a violation of play conduct and should be reported.
If you are playing at a poker game where you strongly suspect Cheating, you can file a report to help keep the poker rooms clean. However, since cheaters are rarely banned immediately from play, here are some tactics you can add to your Texas Holdem strategy to protect yourself, and potentially profit from, potential cheaters.
| Cheating Type |
How It Benefits The Cheaters |
Suggested Remedy |
| The Whip Saw |
The partners will milk more money out of trapped players. Especially hurts people who utilize implied odds calculations in Texas Holdem to determine their betting strategy on a given hand, forcing them to commit more chips earlier than would be otherwise appropriate. |
Fold if you do not have the nut. |
| Soft Playing |
At a full Texas Holdem poker table, you have 9 opponents. Soft players are friends with each other and therefore will attempt to maximize their profits on stronger hands.. |
None - will not affect your play at a low limit table to a notable degree. |
| Information Trading |
Sharing information can give players a statistical advantage over other players, especially for calculating their Texas Holdem outs & odds. Very difficult to detect. |
None - will not affect your play at a low limit table to a notable degree. |
| Chip Dumping (Tournaments) |
In Texas Holdem tournament play, chips equal power. Bluffs are more effective because players facing elimination cannot simply reload. One player with 2000 chips can take a lot more small pots than two players with 1000 chips. |
None - will not affect your play at the smaller tournaments. |
| Coffeehousing |
This is just annoying. |
Report the player(s) involved. |