Interview with a cheater: “On poker series, they definitely shove. Cheating in poker: the main tactics of fraud in "online" and "real" How to cheat in poker

Good day everyone!

I salute my entire team and all those who are just about to join it. For those who don't know me, I'll introduce myself. My name is Sergey Kulikov, he is a sailor and I am the author of this site.

The topic of today's post is cheating with cards in poker. Today I want to show you one cool and cool trick that fans of classic five-card poker will definitely like.

This trick can be done with card table, because it is simple and is based on certain patterns. I would say this - "Whoever gets the King, he loses!"

This trick can be used in the game, but not for long, because the cards are used all the time the same and you will be figured out very quickly. So do this trick a couple of times if you want and tie it up. In general, they can entertain players after the game.

The essence of the trick - you take 10 cards. Of these, 3 pairs. For example, two Tens, two Aces and two Queens. 4 more cards are added to them, one of which will be a reference card. In my video, I took the King of Crosses, he will be my bridge to Terabithia 🙂

I will not describe the whole process, because there is a video for this, which you will of course watch, everything is clearly described there.

As for cheating with cards in poker, I recently discovered wonderful card layout algorithms. If you lay out the cards in a special order, then you are guaranteed to win 100%, even if the cards are folded!

When I found out about these algorithms, I was pleasantly surprised because the chances of winning increase noticeably, but the whole catch is that such cards need to be somehow dragged onto the table. It's one thing when the game is in your house and quite another when you come to someone where the cards are not yours. You can't lay it out there properly.

Although the method is cool.

In general, there are a lot of cheating methods in poker. Of course, it all starts with banal juggling required cards into your own hands, the execution of the lower surrender (low), palming (playing a lisha), all kinds of volts, shifts, crypts and much more tasty and interesting.

These are all the pinnacles of skill that need to be mastered.

Friends, this is the end of this post, and you go to watch the video. But the conversation about cheating with cards is certainly not over. You can talk about this for hours! It's even better to show.

I advise you to learn:

If you somehow ended up on this page, then you probably want to read about how to cheat in poker and how not to get caught. However, before you plan your entire cheating life in detail, imagine for a second that the vast majority of people who trade fraud are inherently losers who are in constant search of easy money.

In their view, this is the easiest way to earn money. They choose not to invest time and energy in themselves, in their game, and thereby lose the opportunity to become a professional poker player and earn solid money in the long run.

However, in the event that you are on the other side of the "barricades" - a winning player who does not want to get hooked by intruders under a combination of adverse circumstances, then you need to be on the alert, because this is the only thing you can do for your own security. Perhaps the fight against cheaters is the only plane where the interests of the poker room and honest players coincide.

Dishonest players try to take your money, which causes extreme indignation among the players and, in parallel with this, also affects the interests of the poker room itself, which are also not enthusiastic about the idea that scammers will operate on their territory. First of all, for the latter, this is fraught with undermining their own reputation, which had previously been built over the years.

Cheating in poker is completely different types. First of all, it is worth making a distinction between effective, insignificant, and also ineffective cheating. While most cheaters make very tiny profits, or do not receive it at all (or, on the contrary, go into the red when they try to "cheat" other players), effective cheaters are a fairly serious enemy. Therefore, it is obvious that minor and ineffective cheating is much easier to detect than effective cheating.

Cheating in real poker

Frame from the film "Sharp"

First of all, we want to note that the so-called ring game increases your chance of running into a scammer. Yes, in tournament poker this probability is much smaller. The fact is that random places significantly reduce the likelihood of collusion. In addition, in the ring game much more often you can find the possibility of obtaining superprofits, through certain actions at the gaming table.

Here is a list of common forms of cheating in poker rooms:

  • short stack and banal theft of chips from the pot
  • peeking at your opponents cards
  • non-payment of winnings
  • marked cards
  • purposefully violating the rules of poker to gain a playing advantage

Complex collusion is a much more effective fraud than any of the above forms. It is noteworthy that it is also quite difficult to recognize. However, the most pretentious cheaters do not have the right to stay in the same place for a long time, because sooner or later they fall under the close influence of the security service. For this reason, they are forced to be in constant search for new places to play.

For this reason, responsible and prudent players must be extremely careful, as well as vigilant and thoughtful about what they are doing. Cheats are just cheaters, but the reality is that just the same players, basically, find themselves in the role of police, and the poker room is more like an executioner.

There is more room for cheating in poker tournaments than anywhere else. To date, the most popular cheating strategy in poker tournaments has been and remains the so-called soft game against a partner or companion. In the event that soft play is in your interest, then this is a completely legal activity.

For example, if you are the chip leader and only one player at the table needs to go to the cash, you can fold a strong hand without bothering to ruin an opponent who has a medium or large stack, since you will increase your own stack by stealing the blinds because short bettors will play with a certain amount of fear and generally you won't have to risk all or a significant portion of your stack.

It is worth noting that soft play is not so easy to recognize, since often both players who help each other in the game hide their intentions. Unfortunately, in tournaments that have low buy-ins, you can often find players who are loyal to each other.

However, let's also not forget that in any tournament there may be a situation when a client of a poker room drops the blind on an opponent's bet, which has a marginal hand, due to the fact that he simply does not suspect what kind of combination the opponent has. This can no longer be attributed to cheating, which once again proves to us how thin the line between intentional cheating and fear in making decisions at the gaming table can be.

It is also important to note that collusion is a much rarer form of fraud, if only for the reason that fraudsters, by definition, cannot be honest, and therefore they can easily deceive each other. That is why collusion requires that the players absolutely trust each other, although this happens very rarely.

In the event that in a casino or in a poker club one of the poker players suspected his opponent at the table of cheating, he is obliged to notify the staff of his suspicions. However, there are also individual cases when the majority of those present at the table observe the strained actions of a rookie swindler, but in principle do not declare it to the casino management, since they can “get rich” on a failed scammer on their own.

Are there scammers in online poker?

The answer is: of course, players are always trying and will continue to try to deceive others in online casinos. There are multi-million dollar turnovers in online poker today, and, of course, unscrupulous poker room customers will want to grab a piece of this pie. If you convince yourself that: “yes, no one can cheat others in online poker” or “this is an extremely rare occurrence”, then you are simply trying to turn a blind eye to reality.

It is worth citing as an example the scandalous story with the actions of scammers at Absolute Poker, where one of the poker room employees deceived customers. Among other things, there are also stories of other scandals involving poker professionals. Therefore, since famous players and poker room employees want to cheat, what can we say about millions of poker room customers?

How to cheat in online poker?

There are several methods that players use to cheat in online poker. Some of these methods are more aggressive, others are vice versa.

  • Poker software- the use of special cheating software that gives the cheater an advantage over other players. Some of them can be called legal, but most of them are not. The matter is also aggravated by the fact that these cheats can be found and downloaded on the Internet, because they are freely available.
  • Preliminary collusion- this type of fraud occurs when several players agree in advance with each other about playing for a common profit at the same gaming table.
  • Multi-accounting- this is the type of fraud when one of the players at the table uses several accounts in a cash game or in a particular tournament. Perhaps it is not necessary to explain how many advantages this type of fraud has, and therefore the use of multiple accounts can probably be attributed to the most dangerous and most common methods of Internet fraud.
  • Poker bots are automated poker programs or simply "bots" that independently make certain decisions and perform actions as a player for poker table in online mode. These pre-programmed poker bots are able to earn money instead of their owner, even in cases where they were not installed directly on his computer.
  • Selling an account- the phenomenon when a poker room client sells his seat in the later stages of an online poker tournament, often to a professional player who has a much better chance of winning. A number of cases of selling accounts of this kind have already received publicity, as they represent a violation of the rules, as well as the rules of any of the poker rooms. Professional players like Sorel Mizzi and Chris Vaughn cheated together in one of the tournaments hosted by Full Tilt Poker guaranteed prize fund which totaled $1 million.

Okay, there are scammers in online poker. How to deal with it?

First of all, you shouldn't stop playing poker online just because you might run into a scammer. In any game, people try to cheat and this has never put an end to the game as a whole. Beyond learning tactical game, which will help you protect yourself from illegal actions, you should only play in trusted poker rooms with a worldwide reputation. Of course, no poker room on the internet can be 100% safe from cheating, but you need to choose one that tries to do so.

If there were fewer simpletons in the world, there would be fewer of those who are called cunning and tricksters.
J. Labruière

In poker, as in others card games, fraudulent methods are widely used. Probably everyone once heard about the so-called "catals" - professional cheaters, skillfully and skillfully beating simpletons. Card sharpers use marked cards, rigging techniques, and even special devices to keep cards "in the sleeve." Romantic? Undoubtedly! But as long as you are not deceived.

It will be a deep delusion to believe that only players can use dishonest tricks. Fraud in poker can lie in wait for you at every turn: either the croupier wants to receive free “tips”, or the casino itself is deceiving its visitors.

Quite another thing is online poker. Here, popular cheating tricks do not work for the simple reason that all the action takes place in the virtual space. In other words, getting an ace out of your sleeve and juggling the deck will not work with all your desire.

But resourceful scammers know how to adapt to any conditions. Cheating in poker is difficult to eradicate, even with today's technology.

So how cheat in online poker?

  1. Team game or collusion game .

Several players agree among themselves and during the game they use online instant messengers (Skype, ICQ, etc.) and cellular communications for communication. As a rule, they play at the same table and share their cards and other information with each other. Thus, players get an additional advantage over others, increasing their chances of winning the hand.

The most common tricks are: collusion, chip dumping (when chips are intentionally transferred to other players) and soft play (soft play in relation to "their own")

  1. Multi-accounting .

One player creates several accounts and uses them to play at the table at the same time. In order to prevent the scammer from being caught, proxy servers are used.

Bots are a special program that plays automatically. Playing against a bot is very difficult, since in fact it is a calculator that automatically calculates every move, is devoid of emotions and does not make mistakes.

In addition, on the Internet, you can stumble upon offers to purchase poker cheats - a special code that is entered into the program to change the course of its work. According to legend, these cheats allow you to: see the cards of your opponents, shuffle the deck, win every hand and other joys. In fact, by responding to the call to “download poker cheats” you will fall into the hands of scammers. As a rule, the declared value of these codes starts from hundreds of dollars, and by paying this amount you will at best lose contact with the seller, at worst - install a virus on your PC that will damage your system, or a program for collecting information banned by poker rooms (completely which does not change the game parameters), the use of which will lead to an instant block, since poker clients scan all processes during your game.

Despite the fact that there are many ways to cheat in online poker, cheaters are easily detected by professional players at the table. Team play involves certain techniques that, with regular repetition, are visible to rivals. And poker rooms do not stop working to protect their customers from all possible types of fraud.

Now you know how to cheat in poker. But if you want to use these methods, please note that if fraud is detected, your account and all the money in the account may be blocked, and your reputation may be damaged.

There is a lot of money in poker, both live and online. Hundreds of people are after them. Some do it honestly (play a lot and work on themselves), others cut corners. Today we will talk about scammers, swindlers, deceivers and other dubious personalities who, unfortunately, appear at the table from time to time.

Collusion

Collusion is a situation where two players at the same table play together. A simple example of collusion is giving secret signals to an accomplice in order to discreetly tell him what you have on your hands.

A case from one's life

In 2009, Partouche Poker Tour Main Event finalists Jean-Paul Pasculini and Cedric Rossi of Corsica were accused of cheating. They gave each other secret signals and quietly talked about their cards.

Despite the obvious deception, the scammers safely took the winnings. Jean-Paul won 1,400,000 euros and his friend 870,000 euros. They probably shared the money. One consolation: in live tournaments, they never played again.

How to cheat in poker: video guide

The following year, another scandal erupted at the main PPT tournament. This time, Ali Tekintamgak was accused of fraud. He enlisted false reporters, bloggers and fans to cooperate, who circled around the table, discreetly peeped and photographed opponents' cards, and then, using secret signs, discreetly told about what Ali had seen. The fraudster was able to stop and neutralize in a timely manner. He never played at the final table. This was the end of his poker career. Today, Ali closed the entrance to almost all casinos in the world. This is the punishment for cheating in poker.

Incredible, but true: on the eve of the exposure, Ali managed to win big tournament WPT.

How to cheat in poker: Ali Tekintamgak's school

Should I be afraid?

This is probably the most common and dangerous form of cheating in poker. The only consolation is that it is impossible to systematically deceive the room and other players. Sooner or later the secret will be revealed. The money from the fraudster will be taken away and distributed among the affected players. Unfortunately, no one guarantees that everything will be returned to you.

How to protect yourself?

Before you start playing, read the rules of the room. Find out what you can and cannot do at the table. The rules of different rooms interpret the concept of "collusion" in different ways and treat scammers differently.

If you witness a collusion, report it immediately, because not only you, but also the organizer of the game are interested in catching the attackers. Do this only if you are ready to answer for your words and provide undeniable evidence.

Multi-accounting

MA is a phenomenon characteristic only for online, this is a situation when the same person plays from different accounts in the same room. A player who has multiple accounts could theoretically seat himself at the same table twice. So he will know more maps than the rest and, if desired, can use all the dirty tricks of the conspirators, which we talked about above.

If the owner of several accounts plays a tournament, he gets extra lives and thus increases the chances of winning. Finally, a multi-account impersonates another person, which, according to some, also provides an additional advantage.

A case from one's life

Briton Darren Woods was convicted of repeated violation of the rules regarding MA. Incredibly, it is a fact that when his guilt was proven, Darren was not only taken away from everything that he had on his gaming account (much less than what he managed to steal), but also put in jail. The court sentenced him to 15 months in prison. In addition, if he does not return the stolen million pounds, the sentence will be extended to six years.

Darren was able to figure out thanks to the vigilance of his opponents and the ability to save hand histories.

Is it worth it to be afraid?

Unfortunately, MA is not uncommon. Sometimes in a light form (without landing two versions of themselves at the same table), even well-known and respected players in the community hunt for them. They justify their behavior by saying that "otherwise no one would want to play with them."

How to protect yourself?

Forewarned is forearmed. Do not be afraid of everyone and everything. Most still play fair. Be careful, but don't get paranoid. Nerve cells do not regenerate.

If you have created an account in the room, but forgot the password and decided to get yourself a new one, it is better to tell the support service honestly about it. Otherwise, you may be mistaken for a fraudster, even if your intentions are pure and innocent.

Hosting

Another type of poker scam is ghosting. Ghosting is a situation where the actions of one player are led by another. He can be in the same room with him and just tell him what to do, or he can even “take control” from anywhere in the world.

A case from one's life

In 2007, Bluff Magazine editor Chris Vaughn unexpectedly won Full Tilt's $1 Million Guaranteed tournament. As it turned out, as the tournament advanced into the later stages, Chris Vaughn handed over control to rising online poker star Sorel Mizzi. The Canadian used the stack that Vaughn provided him and brought the matter to a victorious end without any problems.

A week later, Sorel did the same, but on a different site. The Canadian finished the game Sunday Million for "Slippy Jacks". He bought a place in the tournament from him when there were already twenty people left in the ranks.

Unfortunately, this happens very often online and is revealed, as a rule, only if the conspirators do not know how to keep their mouths shut.

How do you know that someone more experienced is not sitting behind your opponent's shoulder and does not tell him every move? No way!

If you suspect that it is not a player who is playing against you, but a team, or if you notice that the opponent's style has changed dramatically, report your suspicions to the support service. Nobody else can help you in this situation. As a rule, in serious rooms, a large team of specialists deals with such issues. If they spot anything suspicious, the potential scammer will face serious scrutiny.

If the support team is not helpful, you can try to make a fuss on the forum. If you're lucky and don't get trolled to death, you'll find like-minded people who have been in similar situations and you'll be able to piece together some serious evidence.

Super Users

Unfortunately, sometimes not only players, but also the rooms themselves are involved in deceiving players. Sometimes “God mode” is integrated into the software of the game client, the ability to see all the cards at the table or even control the cards of the board. If you know your opponent's cards, it's easy to beat him.

History from life

The most famous story about "god mode" and "superusers" is associated with the "Ultimate Bet" room, which has sunk into oblivion. The scandal erupted when it became known that the upper management of the room has access to the “god mode” and uses it not to protect the players, but for exactly the opposite purposes.

The victims of a group of scammers were the inhabitants of the most expensive tables. Some lost six and even seven-figure sums. UB has been out of business for a long time, but the scammers, by and large, got away with it. They never returned most of the money. Nobody went to jail.

Last year, dozens of players fell victim to "Odlanor", a virus that was installed along with popular poker programs (Poker Office, Tournament Shark, Poker Calculator Pro) downloaded from torrent trackers and other leftist sources.

The program could send screenshots from the player's screen to the attacker in real time.

Is it worth it to be afraid and how to protect yourself?

If you play in serious rooms with a good reputation, the risk of becoming a victim of fraud by the management tends to zero. Virus protection is more difficult.

  • A poker player, like any active PC user, needs to take care of their safety. Here are some simple tips:
  • never download "free" versions of supporting software from unverified sources;
  • do not leave your computer unattended and do not allow unauthorized persons to use it.
  • install a good antivirus and update it regularly;

Many leading professionals and just serious players use a separate computer for poker. As a rule, it only has game client and antivirus.