Quick facts by PokerStrategy
- Collusion in poker is a type of cheating where two or more players work together to gain an unfair advantage over others at the table.
- There are many ways that players attempt to collude, including chip dumping and soft playing.
- Poker collusion is against the rules at both casinos and online sites. It can even be against the law.
- Casinos and platforms take steps to prevent poker collusion by monitoring suspicious behaviour and taking action against those who cheat.
What Is Collusion in Poker?
Collusion in poker is when two or more players cooperate by sharing information, signaling, or soft-playing to gain an unfair advantage over the rest of the table. It is a form of cheating and is strictly prohibited in both live casinos and online poker rooms.
Poker rooms undergo immense efforts to snuff out all forms of cheating, including collusion. Having said that, some unscrupulous players do try it. This page will show you how collusion works, how to spot it, and what poker rooms do to stop it.
How Does Poker Collusion Work?
Two or more players can collude in poker by working together in a number of ways.
The poker collusion definition includes:
- Team Play: A coordinated effort between a group of players to work together to exploit others who are not involved, often using one or more of the other methods described below.
- Chip Dumping: This is when one player intentionally loses their stack to another by making ridiculous calls, raising all in with trash, or betting lots of chips before folding. It is used to help the second player gain a bigger stack or survive to make the money.
- Soft Playing: Soft play is when one player goes easy on another by playing passively or avoiding bets because they don’t want to take their friend’s chips. Soft play isn’t always intentional or malicious.
- Sharing Information: Another form of poker collusion is sharing information, particularly when it comes to the strength of each other’s hole cards. This can be done using physical signals or digitally using messaging apps.
Examples of Collusion in Poker
1. Coordinated Team Play
Six players are part of a poker team that targets online cash games and small-field live events. They share information, signal hand strength, and avoid each other while targeting other players at the table. Any winnings are shared.
2. Tournament Example
Two players are in a small-stakes tournament. Player A signals to Player B that they have pocket aces. Player B moves all in with a weak hand on purpose to lose their stack to Player A, giving them a greater chance of cashing and running deep in the tournament. Winnings are then split.
3. Soft Play Between Friends
Two players are friends away from the table and end up sitting near each other in a poker game. They have no intention to collude, but also don’t want to actively damage each other’s stacks. They soft play against each other, folding or checking big hands instead of betting and raising.
4. Live Poker Example
Poker collusion most commonly occurs in cash games when players arrive together and can choose where to sit.
In live poker, cheaters use hand signs or gestures to signal strength, or soft play may occur between friends. The relatively small field sizes of live tournaments can also make it easier for team play to occur.
5. Online Poker Example
In online poker, especially cash games where table selection is available or small field SNGs, poker collusion can be both sophisticated and damaging. Players can communicate privately while playing, and bots can even be used as part of team play.
To counter this, online poker sites go to extreme lengths to combat collusion, using both AI and human moderation to flag and catch potential cheaters.
Why Is Collusion Illegal in Poker?
Poker needs to be fair for all players, so outcomes should be based only on chance and skill. Any edge that players have over each other should be a result of excellent plays and honest mistakes, not collusion.
That said, collusion between players ruins the spirit and fairness of the game. Given that poker is played for real money, integrity is vital for both the players and the industry ecosystem. Even seemingly innocent forms of poker collusion, such as soft play, can be very damaging.
A select few amoral donkeys will always try to cheat. But casinos and online poker rooms are well aware of it, and do everything in their power to prevent collusion from happening. Players will be banned if caught breaking poker collusion rules.
It’s important to note that poker collusion is literally illegal, not just against the rules of poker rooms. It can result in criminal charges of fraud.
5 Ways to Spot Collusion in Poker
You can personally help to prevent cheating by spotting and reporting any suspicious behaviour or signs of poker collusion.
- Unusually Passive Play: When two players consistently avoid big confrontations with each other, despite being aggressive towards others, this could be a sign of collusion. This may include missing bets, overfolding, or avoiding each other completely.
- Coordinated Raising Patterns: If you notice players making suspicious raises followed by folds when they are in a pot together, they could be colluding to inflate the pot and win chips from other players, or they could be chip dumping to each other.
- Physical Signals: In live games, look out for physical signs of poker collusion such as hand signals, card placement, or even more obvious behaviours like whispering, texting, or passing notes.
- Showdowns: If you suspect players are colluding, take note of any suspicious showdowns, such as if both players show a monster after checking down.
- Frequent Wins by Small Group: If a small group of players consistently wins at a cash game table or in small field tournaments, it could be a sign of collusion. However, be aware that this alone isn’t enough to accuse someone of cheating.
How to Report Collusion
If you suspect players of breaking poker collusion rules in a live game, don’t get up and start yelling at the suspects. This is a sure way to land yourself in trouble, and you could even end up getting kicked out if you create a scene.
Instead, discreetly inform the floor manager. From then on, you should let the professionals deal with it. They will listen to your concerns and closely monitor the game for any signs of collusion.
If you notice signs of poker collusion online, you can report this to the platform’s customer support. Before doing so, make sure you observe the behaviour for long enough and don’t base your report on one hand.
To make a stronger case, take note of the Player ID, tournament, and time the offense took place. This will make it easier for the online poker site to investigate your concern.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is collusion a form of cheating?
Collusion is considered a form of cheating in poker. This goes for any type of collusion, from deliberate team play to soft play between friends.
Is collusion the same as chip dumping?
Chip dumping is one form of collusion in poker. It involves one player deliberately losing chips to another so that the second gains a chip advantage or makes the money.
How to report collusion in poker?
If you spot signs of poker collusion in a live game, you should discreetly tell the floor manager, who will then keep an eye on the player in question. If playing online, you can report collusion to the site’s customer service, who will take action.