Online Tactics/Collusion?

bantee

Hi all,

I'm a bit of a greenhorn to the online poker but have been dabbling a bit on PPP over the last month or so in cash tables and small buy-in tourneys.
I entered the 12.30am $10+$1 tournament last night on PPP and made it to the last table to be knocked out on AK against JJ.
Anyway, i stayed behind to watch the remainder of the play.
When it came to 3 handed, one guy was very short-stacked and shoved all-in. The chip leader typed in "hey xxxx, be smart here"; and these 2 players called his all-in and checked it down to the river.
By pure luck, the short-stack doubled up, and the chip-leader types in "Damn".
Subsequently, the short-stack gets knocked out in the next few hands anyway, so it didn't really matter.
My question is, does blatent collusion like this happen regularly in online poker, especially when there is a nice difference in the payout between 2nd and 3rd position?
If I was in his position, I would feel a bit peeved at the chip leader to say the least.
I know if it happened in a live tourney, I'd be calling for the tournament director to issue a warning/penalty.

Bantee

gerry87

It's pretty standard to check it down if a player's all in. If there is no money in the sidepot, then there's nothing to gain by betting into it. Everyone wants to ensure the player gets knocked out.

jimmii

Thats pretty standard Tournament strategy both online and live. I think a TD would just walk away if someone made a complaint like this!

Theresalwaysone

is it not implicit collusion? Whereby both players know the best chance they have of gaining more money is by checking it down?

I think though that it shouldn't have been said over the chat box. I think PPP would have issued a penalty for this if they were informed?

EDIT: In fact it is definitely collusion and should have been punished. If this happened to me I would be raging, the fact that one player said it to the other was the sticking point. If both players had the prexence of mind to check it down, then fine but since it was said I think this qualifies as serious collusion.

phantom_lord

jimmii wrote:

Thats pretty standard Tournament strategy both online and live. I think a TD would just walk away if someone made a complaint like this!

pretty sure they'd suffer some sort of penality if they said anything about it or agreed to do it.

bantee

jimmii wrote:

Thats pretty standard Tournament strategy both online and live. I think a TD would just walk away if someone made a complaint like this!

I just said I was a bit green to online poker! I'm fully aware that this is standard strategy, but it is always an unwritten / non-verbal strategy; the fact that one player typed in hints to another player to knock out the short stack was very poor form IMO.

bantee

On Channel 4's party poker team event a few months ago, the Devilfish verbally asked another player to check it down to the river. Obviously all pros should know this standard play, but nonetheless, he was issued with a serious warning for it by th TD.

Cheers for the replies anyway!

tipp86

ya think that happens a lot online ussualy it happens live to because most players have the sense to know they should do it without clearly stating it,if your wondering about collusion online i know irish eyes will let players play SNGs from the same isp address as ive done it several times now that is what you call collusion online:D

Ste05

It is standard play, but can never be openly discussed or expressly agreed, it's just generally what is considered the "correct play" and implicit collusion like this is pretty much par for the course towards the end of Poker tournaments, be they Live or Online.

If both players expressly said it then there should be penalties and sanctions imposed on the offending players.

Ste05

tipp86 wrote:

ya think that happens a lot online ussualy it happens live to because most players have the sense to know they should do it without clearly stating it,if your wondering about collusion online i know irish eyes will let players play SNGs from the same isp address as ive done it several times now that is what you call cheating online:D

FYP :mad:

zuutroy

Something similar happened to me (yes I'm still griping) and was openly discussed in the chat box and Stars did nothing.

BrandonBlock

God, have they never heard of Ventrilo..

phantom_lord

ban?

BrandonBlock

Ahem

Joke (jk)
n.
1. Something said or done to evoke laughter or amusement, especially an amusing story with a punch line.
2. A mischievous trick; a prank.
3. An amusing or ludicrous incident or situation.
4. Informal
a. Something not to be taken seriously; a triviality: The accident was no joke.
b. An object of amusement or laughter; a laughingstock: His loud tie was the joke of the office.

phantom_lord

not you!

BrandonBlock

Righteo!

AdMMM

I was in a similar situation in a SNG on Stars recently. I was knocked out in 4th place in a 6man table and later got an email saying I'd finished in 2nd. Apparently the guy who finished in 3rd complained about the other two and they were found to be colluding and were disqualified. I'm guessing a similar situation would happen if the above players were reported.

The Al Lad

phantom_lord wrote:

ban?

who do u want banned...THIS TIME ???

Moro Man

jimmii wrote:

Thats pretty standard Tournament strategy both online and live. I think a TD would just walk away if someone made a complaint like this!

In alot of cases they wouldn't (In the Merrion indays of yore they didin't know what collusion was and anyone betting in this situation would be accused of colluding with the all in man to keep him alive!!!!) talk about collusion just make an off the cuff remark like "....you know what to do now..."