I caught someone cheating and need advice

J

johnsmythIV

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I play at the local card room as well as in a “Poker league”, the other day I finished up a tourney at the local card room and headed over to a place where the league had a game. I had never played at this particular venue and knew pretty much no one that was playing when I walked in to sign up. After a while I got to a table and it turned out that I knew two people there, the actual dealer at the table and one other player who showed up just before the game started. I was in seat 3 and there was a drunken guy that was in seat 4, but I just ignored him for the most part. After about 20 minutes or another guy walks in and I recognize him as a dealer at the poker room from which I had just come from, he didn’t recognize me that I could tell and he said nothing to me, he was going to have to wait to get into the game so he stood right behind me to my left and to the drunk guy’s right and was talking with his buddy the drunk guy. After losing a few hands to the drunken guy I finally get a playable hand, pkt 8’s and I doubled the bet pre-flop. Now, I need to point out that for someone to see my cards when they are standing behind me would be pretty difficult, they would have to be really looking to see them as I am very aware of my surroundings, I am kind of anal that way. Anyways, after I bet I hear the guy behind me, (The dealer at the local Poker room), say to the drunken guy “he’s got pkt 8’s”. At this point I am thinking, there is no way I just heard that, a guy like that would never do that I must have heard it wrong. So, the drunken guy calls me as does most of the table, the flop comes out Q84, everyone checks to me and I push all in, I was short stacked. I am still trying to figure out if I really heard what I thought I had heard? So the drunken guy who had playing as loose as I have ever seen anyone play, and now he is short stacked, looks at the pot and says out loud, “I am not going to bet with someone that has the nuts”. Once again, I am blown away as this just confirmed that I had actually heard what I thought I heard. He folds. Everyone else calls and I rake a nice pot and obviously this is not my issue it is just the set up.

The guy behind me is a “respected” dealer at a poker room where he is licensed by the powers that be and he also plays in the same league in which I play and has just cheated and I heard pretty much everything, as far as I know he had been telling the drunken guy all of my hands up to this point. Even if I had held up my cards and this guy had seen them, protocol dictates that you do not tell another player who is active in the game what you had just seen. After this incident I started being much more protective of my cards and oddly enough the guy behind me walks away for a little while…Hmmm!

So here’s my dilemma, should I share the details of this with the people that run the league and have them deal with this problem? I was also thinking of letting his place of employment know about this indiscretion as well? However, since there are no cameras at the league games, it does come down to my word against his and I am thinking if he is willing to cheat in league games, what is stopping him from cheating at the poker room?

Or should I, as I have been thinking of doing, confront this guy with my knowledge of what he did and let him know that I am not interested in trying to ruin his reputation, however if I catch him doing it again, I will with no second thought report him not only to the league, but I will file a report with his employer and the State.

Any and all thoughts?
 
EvertonGirl

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That does suck that someone would sink that low to have to do that. I think you heard correctly as the drunk wouldn't know that you have hit the nuts on that flop without knowing what you were holding. I personally would of turned to face the dealer if I had heard him saying what I was holding and say to him did I hear you correctly, you just told this guy what my cards are. I would make sure everyone heard what I had to say. That's because I am a bit confrontational.

As there are no cameras, it would be your word against his. I personally wouldn't know how to go about it. If you see him again, watch what he does and see if he stands behind anyone else who is sitting next to that guy.
 
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Adventurebound2

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I'd call him & everyone involved out in a blink & make certain I was loud enough for all in the game & on the rail to hear. I dang well wouldn't worry for even moment about hurting the reputation of anyone I'd just caught cheating no matter who they are either, esp. if that person was a "professional" . Then I'd show the crowd my cards & prove the cheating occurred & let the powers that be deal with them appropriately.

So nowadays they may get in a little trouble. A century ago it would have got them shot.........
 
J

johnsmythIV

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I agree

Adventurebound, in hindsight I agree 100%! And this is what I should have done, however when it happened there were three things for me to consider: 1) I was in complete shock, I couldn't believe it had really happened? 2) I was in the middle of a fairly large pot and most importantly as I have said I had never played at that location before and there were about 25-30 people there and all I knew were the main dealer and this clown. So do I wish I had called him out right then and there, absolutely! But hind site is always 20/20 and now it is just my word against his, so it looks like I will just have to confront him one on one and deal with it this way. Thanks for the input though, and if there is ever another incident like this you can bet I will be the loudest person in the room!
 
PsychoVas

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Welcome to the best and friendliest poker forum, John!
I absolutely agree. Don't let them get away with this!

 
TeUnit

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think you should call him on it, and then protect your cards like somebody is looking over your shoulder every hand
 
Carl Trooper

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I would have said something either right when he saw my cards, or waited until after then hand.

I don't care how "respected" he is.
 
rawbad

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WO GOTTO WHATCH YOUR BACK ALWAYS
 
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fordman427

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I would probably let those who run the league know, it really does suck a respected person such as a dealer would stoop to the point of helping someone cheat. Even if it was his friend that is still showing a lack of ethics
 
VinnyStrat

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Does it matter whether he saw your cards or not? Isn't it totally inappropriate for him to be advising a sitting player?
 
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