Home Game Cheating (2 Viewers)

[grebe]

My money’s on the terminal cancer patient

You lose. He's dead.

 

[Taghkanic]

How would you propose to thrwart this kind of cheating?

I don’t think there is any answer besides the host being watchful of everything that goes on in the game. And, with hope, having a few other regs who share your interest in rules and game integrity.

Certainly if it appears that a player is doing a poor job of shuffling, they can be encouraged to learn how to do better.

If a player appears to be looking at the cards as they shuffle them, that’s a big problem.

If a player appears to be arranging cards, and trying to influence how/whether they get cut, that’s a huge problem.

I chose to use shuffle behind in my game because it seemed more secure (though not perfect) to have one player shuffle, another cut, and a third one deal, than all other options.

Previously I’d played in home and social hall games where the next dealer shuffled, and had someone to their left or right cut. That’s faster, and less confusing, but creates all kinds of additional cheating problems.

With any option, there is always the problem that some people just tap the deck instead of cutting. A lot of these people say “It’s all random either way,” or “I don’t cut,” etc.

I suppose the tap *is* one variation out of 52 possible cuts… But done regularly it opens up all kinds of cheating possibilities, so I insist on a cut.

 

[JustinInMN]

I chose to use shuffle behind in my game because it seemed more secure (though not perfect) to have one player shuffle, another cut, and a third one deal, than all other options.

I do agree there. I guess the lesson is no matter who shuffles, make a point to watch.

With any option, there is always the problem that some people just tap the deck instead of cutting. A lot of these people say “It’s all random either way,” or “I don’t cut,” etc.

I suppose the tap *is* one variation out of 52 possible cuts… But done regularly it opens up all kinds of cheating possibilities, so I insist on a cut.

I also insist on a cut, but if we get to a hand where we realize it was forgotten for whatever reason, we still play on. That's infrequent enough for me. Otherwise we should always cut.

 

[JustinInMN]

Over the years, I've found that maybe 1 in every 10-ish decisions can be made by letting people sort it out themselves or taking a majority vote. Most of the time, you need a confident leader to establish clear rules and make firm calls, without being influenced by extraneous factors like how upset it will make someone to have his hand killed. If the situation calls for killing the hand, you kill it consistently, every time it comes up. If a player wants to cry about it, direct him to a box of tissues.

I hope you just mean in life and not just poker. Because 1 in 10 decisions left to a vote is too many. The host has the duty to interpret rules and render a decision. It should never be in the hands of players. If are talking about a possible house rule away from a pending situation, that's an appropriate time for a vote. Otherwise, the host needs to interpret. It helps to have an extra decision maker (someone who may have hosting experinece as well) to help in situations that involve the host.

But voting on a ruling is never a good idea.

Otherwise you end up with this. The most aggressive personalities get the run of the show. It's like what used to be the rule for whether a royal beats five-of-a-kind in my family's old game: whoever yells the loudest wins.

This is the worst !

 

[grebe]

No need for a frowny face. Fuck that guy, he was no friend of mine.

 

[Poker Zombie]

I suppose the tap *is* one variation out of 52 possible cuts… But done regularly it opens up all kinds of cheating possibilities, so I insist on a cut.

I'm not finding the rule, but I'm pretty sure a tap is not a legal cut. I seem to recall a legal cut must be made with more than approximately 25% of the deck, but less than approximately 75% of the deck. Therefore a tap, a single-card cut or other very shallow cut is not legal.

That said, the tap "it's good" practice is about as common as many other poker mistakes that are made by unwitting players that aren't actively cheating. However, since casinos don't have players cutting (professional dealers do all the cuts) we never see this rule enforced.

 

[Taghkanic]

That said, the tap "it's good" practice is about as common as many other poker mistakes that are made by unwitting players that aren't actively cheating.

Agreed. I also find that it’s one of the hardest habits to break. When you insist on a cut, many tappers get really annoyed, far out of proportion to the amount of effort this takes (almost none).

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

I'm not finding the rule, but I'm pretty sure a tap is not a legal cut. I seem to recall a legal cut must be made with more than approximately 25% of the deck, but less than approximately 75% of the deck. Therefore a tap, a single-card cut or other very shallow cut is not legal.

That said, the tap "it's good" practice is about as common as many other poker mistakes that are made by unwitting players that aren't actively cheating. However, since casinos don't have players cutting (professional dealers do all the cuts) we never see this rule enforced.

Tap for us means I trust you, cut it yourself you bum. Deck still gets cut.

 

[Saxplayer]

Tap for us means I trust you, cut it yourself you bum. Deck still gets cut.

That's how I use it - but the 2 or 3 tappers out of 10 of us that "tap" frequently mean "no need to cut, I'll tap to confirm its ok". They shouldn't be tapping.

I hate tapping.

 

[upNdown]

Agreed. I also find that it’s one of the hardest habits to break. When you insist on a cut, many tappers get really annoyed, far out of proportion to the amount of effort this takes (almost none).

I wonder if the habit comes from kitchen table games, where it actually is kind of a pain in the butt to cut a deck (because picking a deck up off a hard surface stinks.)

 

[Jimulacrum]

Can't stand when people 100% tap the deck instead of cutting. (A mix is more acceptable but still not optimal.)

I wish people would 100% cut with me. It makes me nervous about potentially dealing myself a big winner, especially if it's at a game I'm already crushing. All it takes is some silly accusation based on nothing and you've got a mess. I would rather someone else interact with the deck before I deal, every time.

Do tappers need to see how easy it is to set the top card? The top two cards? Three? How many will it take to convert them?

 

[AuburnSeth]

What are some sceneries/instances or examples you have found cheating in a home games or heard of such?

It’s ufortunately common and easy for the host.

Couple things to be cautious of;

1. Home tournaments. Easy for the host or certain players to pass out high denom chips to players to felt later when it’s super advantageous.

2. Pay attention to the dealers hands! Do you actually notice him take the rake? Does he do it in the flop? Or at the end of the hand? I’ve caught dealers double raking!

3. The cards! I imagine it’s very easy to get cards with identifications. Do they shuffle before a new dealer sits down. Or is there a loaded ready deck. Did you see them open the deck etc…

Please share examples so others can be cautious…

In our private home game we play $.05/$.1 with maximum rebuy $20. Micro stakes. One of my oldest friends is one of the best players at our game, he’s a family man with a $100K/year job. Unfortunately, he confessed that during a previous game he was looking at upcoming cards while he was dealer, hiding them in his lap. He asked for forgiveness and promised to keep the cards on the table during his deals from then on. We forgave him and still play regularly, but I have always been suspicious. It almost seems worse for something like this to happen than for someone to cheat at a high stakes game, because money is not an incentive (which is usually very powerful) - the main incentive is pride and not wanting to lose.

 

[Jimulacrum]

In our private home game we play $.05/$.1 with maximum rebuy $20. Micro stakes. One of my oldest friends is one of the best players at our game, he’s a family man with a $100K/year job. Unfortunately, he confessed that during a previous game he was looking at upcoming cards while he was dealer, hiding them in his lap. He asked for forgiveness and promised to keep the cards on the table during his deals from then on. We forgave him and still play regularly, but I have always been suspicious. It almost seems worse for something like this to happen than for someone to cheat at a high stakes game, because money is not an incentive (which is usually very powerful) - the main incentive is pride and not wanting to lose.

Weird. Never heard of a cheat confessing unprompted before. Did he say he just did this during just one session?

 

[AuburnSeth]

My money’s on the terminal cancer patient

Yeah, that guy has nothing to lose. He’ll light you up in a fight!

 

[AuburnSeth]

Weird. Never heard of a cheat confessing unprompted before. Did he say he just did this during just one session?

Most of our group are Christians, so I’m not surprised he confessed to us out of nowhere. But I did make sure to ask him if he had done it in the past and he said no. I catch him looking at the cards as he shuffles, but it’s possible it’s mindless. He has been caught/reminded by his wife to not keep the deck in his lap. So I have been curious and waiting for a good time to ask him politely if he has cheated again. Haven’t yet though. He’s one of my closest friends and if he confessed to cheating again I would not be able to let him play anymore, because then I’m the sucker.

 

[dkersey]

Can't stand when people 100% tap the deck instead of cutting. (A mix is more acceptable but still not optimal.)

I wish people would 100% cut with me. It makes me nervous about potentially dealing myself a big winner, especially if it's at a game I'm already crushing. All it takes is some silly accusation based on nothing and you've got a mess. I would rather someone else interact with the deck before I deal, every time.

Do tappers need to see how easy it is to set the top card? The top two cards? Three? How many will it take to convert them?

This says should be at least 4 cards.

https://www.cardplayer.com/rules-of-poker

 

[moose]

Can't stand when people 100% tap the deck instead of cutting. (A mix is more acceptable but still not optimal.)

I wish people would 100% cut with me. It makes me nervous about potentially dealing myself a big winner, especially if it's at a game I'm already crushing. All it takes is some silly accusation based on nothing and you've got a mess. I would rather someone else interact with the deck before I deal, every time.

Do tappers need to see how easy it is to set the top card? The top two cards? Three? How many will it take to convert them?

If I'm dealing and I offer to someone to cut and they tap the deck, I just cut it anyways. If it is my game, the deck is always cut. No tapping allowed. Even if you don't have a 'card mechanic', you never know if a card was flashed during the shuffle accidently and if anyone saw it.

 

[TomC727]

If I'm dealing and I offer to someone to cut and they tap the deck, I just cut it anyways. If it is my game, the deck is always cut. No tapping allowed. Even if you don't have a 'card mechanic', you never know if a card was flashed during the shuffle accidently and if anyone saw it.

I always cut the deck myself over a cut card so the bottom card can never be seen.

 

[Poker Zombie]

I always cut the deck myself over a cut card so the bottom card can never be seen.

 

[BryantRC]

So I have an interesting story. I was falsely accused of cheating and was blackballed by my friends. In early 2023, I connected with a large group of local players and started playing 1-3 times a week with them. Up until that point I had played mostly online with "play chips" except for a few occasions. This was my first exposure to "real" poker and I loved it. From the beginning I tracked every loss and win. I can't afford to just light hundreds of dollars on fire every month. I struggled to stay even and got stuck for a few hundred a few times. I was studying poker online and learning from my opponents. I started to win more and eventually started gaining ground on my bank role. Then after about four months it all came to a sudden end. One week I had the opportunity to play five days in a row. We had five host in our group. I went on the best sun run of my life. I won about $1700 profit over those five days. One of those games was a big cash game we had planned for months. $1/$2 blinds with a $400 max buy in. I bought in for $400 and cashed out with $1436. I felted several of my friends. It was ten times the size of what we usually played or won. Within a few days I got a text from the leader of the group saying they thought I was cheating and I would no longer be welcome. And that was it. Nobody would answer my calls or text. No discussion. No evidence. Just completely cut off. I was dumbfounded, hurt, angry, and stunned. I'm the only one who can know with 100% certainty, the truth. I know I did not cheat in any way. They said I was a card mechanic because I dabbled in card magic for about 6 months 15 years ago. I don't even know how it would be possible to manipulate the deck in our games. We used two decks, usually Copag. We always used cut cards when dealing. We rotated dealing and shuffling with the previous dealer shuffling one deck while the next dealer deals. So one person shuffles and another cuts the deck and deals. If the shuffler were to manipulate the deck in any way, the dealer negates that by cutting and then dealing with a cut card on the bottom. They said they thought some cards had been marked. I never noticed any marked cards. I certainly never marked any cards. They never showed me any marked cards. The whole thing really sucked. I lost a lot of friends and I felt very betrayed. I took about two months off from poker. After a while it kinda turned in to something I'm proud of. I beat the game of poker! I won so much, I was kicked out of the casino! I still miss playing with those guys though. Last week another friend outside of that circle invited me to a 12 man $50 buy in tournament. Before accepting his invite I had to explain what happened. He knows me well enough to know I would never cheat. I won 1st place and $500 that night and it felt really good. I used that $500 to buy my first sets of chips and a used table. I'm looking to start hosting my own game now. I've been lurking and learning a ton. So, thanks!

 

[Colquhoun]

So I have an interesting story. I was falsely accused of cheating and was blackballed by my friends. In early 2023, I connected with a large group of local players and started playing 1-3 times a week with them. Up until that point I had played mostly online with "play chips" except for a few occasions. This was my first exposure to "real" poker and I loved it. From the beginning I tracked every loss and win. I can't afford to just light hundreds of dollars on fire every month. I struggled to stay even and got stuck for a few hundred a few times. I was studying poker online and learning from my opponents. I started to win more and eventually started gaining ground on my bank role. Then after about four months it all came to a sudden end. One week I had the opportunity to play five days in a row. We had five host in our group. I went on the best sun run of my life. I won about $1700 profit over those five days. One of those games was a big cash game we had planned for months. $1/$2 blinds with a $400 max buy in. I bought in for $400 and cashed out with $1436. I felted several of my friends. It was ten times the size of what we usually played or won. Within a few days I got a text from the leader of the group saying they thought I was cheating and I would no longer be welcome. And that was it. Nobody would answer my calls or text. No discussion. No evidence. Just completely cut off. I was dumbfounded, hurt, angry, and stunned. I'm the only one who can know with 100% certainty, the truth. I know I did not cheat in any way. They said I was a card mechanic because I dabbled in card magic for about 6 months 15 years ago. I don't even know how it would be possible to manipulate the deck in our games. We used two decks, usually Copag. We always used cut cards when dealing. We rotated dealing and shuffling with the previous dealer shuffling one deck while the next dealer deals. So one person shuffles and another cuts the deck and deals. If the shuffler were to manipulate the deck in any way, the dealer negates that by cutting and then dealing with a cut card on the bottom. They said they thought some cards had been marked. I never noticed any marked cards. I certainly never marked any cards. They never showed me any marked cards. The whole thing really sucked. I lost a lot of friends and I felt very betrayed. I took about two months off from poker. After a while it kinda turned in to something I'm proud of. I beat the game of poker! I won so much, I was kicked out of the casino! I still miss playing with those guys though. Last week another friend outside of that circle invited me to a 12 man $50 buy in tournament. Before accepting his invite I had to explain what happened. He knows me well enough to know I would never cheat. I won 1st place and $500 that night and it felt really good. I used that $500 to buy my first sets of chips and a used table. I'm looking to start hosting my own game now. I've been lurking and learning a ton. So, thanks!

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Edit: I made the following assessment before I knew more details, which are detailed in later posts in this thread.

I'm willing to bet that it wasn't the whole group that thought you were cheating. It was probably one or two morons that got beat bad and had the ear of everyone else....and they all went along rather than stand up and ask for proof. Sad really, because it's also likely to happen again that someone who is better gets a rush of cards, and the only way those jackwagons will be able to fathom it is to accuse them of cheating too.
I'm also willing to bet that some of that group would join you if you were to host some games, you'll just need to sort out the sensible ones from the group.

 

[surfik]

short changing when breaking high denomination chips

 

[Eriks]

So I have an interesting story. I was falsely accused of cheating and was blackballed by my friends. In early 2023, I connected with a large group of local players and started playing 1-3 times a week with them. Up until that point I had played mostly online with "play chips" except for a few occasions. This was my first exposure to "real" poker and I loved it. From the beginning I tracked every loss and win. I can't afford to just light hundreds of dollars on fire every month. I struggled to stay even and got stuck for a few hundred a few times. I was studying poker online and learning from my opponents. I started to win more and eventually started gaining ground on my bank role. Then after about four months it all came to a sudden end. One week I had the opportunity to play five days in a row. We had five host in our group. I went on the best sun run of my life. I won about $1700 profit over those five days. One of those games was a big cash game we had planned for months. $1/$2 blinds with a $400 max buy in. I bought in for $400 and cashed out with $1436. I felted several of my friends. It was ten times the size of what we usually played or won. Within a few days I got a text from the leader of the group saying they thought I was cheating and I would no longer be welcome. And that was it. Nobody would answer my calls or text. No discussion. No evidence. Just completely cut off. I was dumbfounded, hurt, angry, and stunned. I'm the only one who can know with 100% certainty, the truth. I know I did not cheat in any way. They said I was a card mechanic because I dabbled in card magic for about 6 months 15 years ago. I don't even know how it would be possible to manipulate the deck in our games. We used two decks, usually Copag. We always used cut cards when dealing. We rotated dealing and shuffling with the previous dealer shuffling one deck while the next dealer deals. So one person shuffles and another cuts the deck and deals. If the shuffler were to manipulate the deck in any way, the dealer negates that by cutting and then dealing with a cut card on the bottom. They said they thought some cards had been marked. I never noticed any marked cards. I certainly never marked any cards. They never showed me any marked cards. The whole thing really sucked. I lost a lot of friends and I felt very betrayed. I took about two months off from poker. After a while it kinda turned in to something I'm proud of. I beat the game of poker! I won so much, I was kicked out of the casino! I still miss playing with those guys though. Last week another friend outside of that circle invited me to a 12 man $50 buy in tournament. Before accepting his invite I had to explain what happened. He knows me well enough to know I would never cheat. I won 1st place and $500 that night and it felt really good. I used that $500 to buy my first sets of chips and a used table. I'm looking to start hosting my own game now. I've been lurking and learning a ton. So, thanks!

View attachment 1161028

Great that you were able to turn it around after that shitty experience. Hopefully those aren’t the chips you bought with your winnings though

 

[Taghkanic]

So I have an interesting story. I was falsely accused of cheating and was blackballed by my friends. In early 2023, I connected with a large group of local players and started playing 1-3 times a week with them. Up until that point I had played mostly online with "play chips" except for a few occasions. This was my first exposure to "real" poker and I loved it. From the beginning I tracked every loss and win. I can't afford to just light hundreds of dollars on fire every month. I struggled to stay even and got stuck for a few hundred a few times. I was studying poker online and learning from my opponents. I started to win more and eventually started gaining ground on my bank role. Then after about four months it all came to a sudden end. One week I had the opportunity to play five days in a row. We had five host in our group. I went on the best sun run of my life. I won about $1700 profit over those five days. One of those games was a big cash game we had planned for months. $1/$2 blinds with a $400 max buy in. I bought in for $400 and cashed out with $1436. I felted several of my friends. It was ten times the size of what we usually played or won. Within a few days I got a text from the leader of the group saying they thought I was cheating and I would no longer be welcome. And that was it. Nobody would answer my calls or text. No discussion. No evidence. Just completely cut off. I was dumbfounded, hurt, angry, and stunned. I'm the only one who can know with 100% certainty, the truth. I know I did not cheat in any way. They said I was a card mechanic because I dabbled in card magic for about 6 months 15 years ago. I don't even know how it would be possible to manipulate the deck in our games. We used two decks, usually Copag. We always used cut cards when dealing. We rotated dealing and shuffling with the previous dealer shuffling one deck while the next dealer deals. So one person shuffles and another cuts the deck and deals. If the shuffler were to manipulate the deck in any way, the dealer negates that by cutting and then dealing with a cut card on the bottom. They said they thought some cards had been marked. I never noticed any marked cards. I certainly never marked any cards. They never showed me any marked cards. The whole thing really sucked. I lost a lot of friends and I felt very betrayed. I took about two months off from poker. After a while it kinda turned in to something I'm proud of. I beat the game of poker! I won so much, I was kicked out of the casino! I still miss playing with those guys though. Last week another friend outside of that circle invited me to a 12 man $50 buy in tournament. Before accepting his invite I had to explain what happened. He knows me well enough to know I would never cheat. I won 1st place and $500 that night and it felt really good. I used that $500 to buy my first sets of chips and a used table. I'm looking to start hosting my own game now. I've been lurking and learning a ton. So, thanks!

View attachment 1161028

1) Sucks to be falsely accused.

2) I’ve never heard of a casino ejecting a poker player just for winning a lot. The casino has no stake in your poker winnings or losses, unlike with table games. It doesn’t affect their bottom line; you win money from the other players, not the house. The rake is all they get from poker. Did something else happen?

3) RE: “If the shuffler were to manipulate the deck in any way, the dealer negates that by cutting” … Not entirely true.

A canny player can move certain cards to the top or bottom of the deck (say, high value cards like aces). By watching the cut, they have a sense of whether those cards will get into play or not. This can confer a huge edge for a thinking player, long-term. Not as big as actually stacking a deck, but still quite an advantage.

Also, in home and social hall games there are sometimes people who just don’t cut, or forget to cut, even though it is required.

 

[Mick]

2) I’ve never heard of a casino ejecting a poker player just for winning a lot. The casino has no stake in your poker winnings or losses, unlike other games. The rake is all they get from poker. Did something else happen?

He didn't mean literally. His group of friends are "the casino" in his analogy. "The casino" banned him for winning too hard.

 

[JustinInMN]

I went on the best sun run of my life. I won about $1700 profit over those five days. One of those games was a big cash game we had planned for months. $1/$2 blinds with a $400 max buy in. I bought in for $400 and cashed out with $1436. I felted several of my friends. It was ten times the size of what we usually played or won. Within a few days I got a text from the leader of the group saying they thought I was cheating and I would no longer be welcome. And that was it. Nobody would answer my calls or text. No discussion. No evidence. Just completely cut off.

This sounds like sour grapes and sore loserism to me. (Perhaps because the stakes were uncomfortable?)

They can't provide any response or proof? "Some cards were marked?". Yeah, unfortunately I am learning right now that copags are prone to thumbnail dings.

Glad you are working on your own home setup. If you invite players from the other game let them know you believe you were banned for winning. (An honestly $1000 swing at 1/2 is high but not that unusual where one should presume cheating.)

If they are uncomfortable with the magic thing, offer that you won't handle the deck when it's your turn to shiffle or deal.

Will look forward to more about your setup

 

[JMC9389]

So I have an interesting story. I was falsely accused of cheating and was blackballed by my friends. In early 2023, I connected with a large group of local players and started playing 1-3 times a week with them. Up until that point I had played mostly online with "play chips" except for a few occasions. This was my first exposure to "real" poker and I loved it. From the beginning I tracked every loss and win. I can't afford to just light hundreds of dollars on fire every month. I struggled to stay even and got stuck for a few hundred a few times. I was studying poker online and learning from my opponents. I started to win more and eventually started gaining ground on my bank role. Then after about four months it all came to a sudden end. One week I had the opportunity to play five days in a row. We had five host in our group. I went on the best sun run of my life. I won about $1700 profit over those five days. One of those games was a big cash game we had planned for months. $1/$2 blinds with a $400 max buy in. I bought in for $400 and cashed out with $1436. I felted several of my friends. It was ten times the size of what we usually played or won. Within a few days I got a text from the leader of the group saying they thought I was cheating and I would no longer be welcome. And that was it. Nobody would answer my calls or text. No discussion. No evidence. Just completely cut off. I was dumbfounded, hurt, angry, and stunned. I'm the only one who can know with 100% certainty, the truth. I know I did not cheat in any way. They said I was a card mechanic because I dabbled in card magic for about 6 months 15 years ago. I don't even know how it would be possible to manipulate the deck in our games. We used two decks, usually Copag. We always used cut cards when dealing. We rotated dealing and shuffling with the previous dealer shuffling one deck while the next dealer deals. So one person shuffles and another cuts the deck and deals. If the shuffler were to manipulate the deck in any way, the dealer negates that by cutting and then dealing with a cut card on the bottom. They said they thought some cards had been marked. I never noticed any marked cards. I certainly never marked any cards. They never showed me any marked cards. The whole thing really sucked. I lost a lot of friends and I felt very betrayed. I took about two months off from poker. After a while it kinda turned in to something I'm proud of. I beat the game of poker! I won so much, I was kicked out of the casino! I still miss playing with those guys though. Last week another friend outside of that circle invited me to a 12 man $50 buy in tournament. Before accepting his invite I had to explain what happened. He knows me well enough to know I would never cheat. I won 1st place and $500 that night and it felt really good. I used that $500 to buy my first sets of chips and a used table. I'm looking to start hosting my own game now. I've been lurking and learning a ton. So, thanks!

View attachment 1161028

Not getting caught up in a he said/she said situation. Good luck with the new game!

 

[TomC727]

So I have an interesting story. I was falsely accused of cheating and was blackballed by my friends. In early 2023, I connected with a large group of local players and started playing 1-3 times a week with them. Up until that point I had played mostly online with "play chips" except for a few occasions. This was my first exposure to "real" poker and I loved it. From the beginning I tracked every loss and win. I can't afford to just light hundreds of dollars on fire every month. I struggled to stay even and got stuck for a few hundred a few times. I was studying poker online and learning from my opponents. I started to win more and eventually started gaining ground on my bank role. Then after about four months it all came to a sudden end. One week I had the opportunity to play five days in a row. We had five host in our group. I went on the best sun run of my life. I won about $1700 profit over those five days. One of those games was a big cash game we had planned for months. $1/$2 blinds with a $400 max buy in. I bought in for $400 and cashed out with $1436. I felted several of my friends. It was ten times the size of what we usually played or won. Within a few days I got a text from the leader of the group saying they thought I was cheating and I would no longer be welcome. And that was it. Nobody would answer my calls or text. No discussion. No evidence. Just completely cut off. I was dumbfounded, hurt, angry, and stunned. I'm the only one who can know with 100% certainty, the truth. I know I did not cheat in any way. They said I was a card mechanic because I dabbled in card magic for about 6 months 15 years ago. I don't even know how it would be possible to manipulate the deck in our games. We used two decks, usually Copag. We always used cut cards when dealing. We rotated dealing and shuffling with the previous dealer shuffling one deck while the next dealer deals. So one person shuffles and another cuts the deck and deals. If the shuffler were to manipulate the deck in any way, the dealer negates that by cutting and then dealing with a cut card on the bottom. They said they thought some cards had been marked. I never noticed any marked cards. I certainly never marked any cards. They never showed me any marked cards. The whole thing really sucked. I lost a lot of friends and I felt very betrayed. I took about two months off from poker. After a while it kinda turned in to something I'm proud of. I beat the game of poker! I won so much, I was kicked out of the casino! I still miss playing with those guys though. Last week another friend outside of that circle invited me to a 12 man $50 buy in tournament. Before accepting his invite I had to explain what happened. He knows me well enough to know I would never cheat. I won 1st place and $500 that night and it felt really good. I used that $500 to buy my first sets of chips and a used table. I'm looking to start hosting my own game now. I've been lurking and learning a ton. So, thanks!

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I'd consider it a win on multiple levels, if what you say is really the truth.

 

[Taghkanic]

**** EDIT: I’m leaving the following intact, for the record, but have changed my mind or am at best uncertain about much of the above given new info from a longer-tenured PCFer from the game in question. ****

When cheating was detected in my game, I and another regular took several sessions to closely observe the accused person’s play before confronting and booting him.

Some here criticized this approach, saying that the other players should not have been put in the position of playing with the cheat a few more times while we investigated.

However, until the cheating was confirmed, it was just an allegation.

In the poster’s case, IMHO the host and whoever made the accusation should have waited at least one more game to observe and attempt to document whatever was alleged—unless it was so blatant that it needed no further proof.

If indeed there were any marked cards, how would they know who marked them? The biggest winner of the night is not necessarily the culprit.

Their rush to eject the player without more investigation adds to the suspicion that they were more butthurt at his success than being diligent monitors of their game.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Really surprising how many of us are jumping to conclusions at one side of a story, the homegame is run by one of our own. 3 sides to every story, yours mine and the truth.