Poker has attracted unsavoury characters ever since it was created. At least, in the times of the cowboys, you could pull out your gun and just shoot anyone you thought had stepped out of line.
These days, without a unified set of rules, angle shooting continues to cause consternation the world over. Here are just a few of the moves that the cheats prefer to call skill, best avoided if you hope to play in the WSOP 2013 Qualifiers.
- The String Bet
A string bet is one where you drop your bets into the pot chip by chip. It can be viewed as a call and can prompt other players to call behind, before the string bettor comes into the pot with a raise. Most tournaments have rules that now prevent the string bet. - The Fake Fold
Players will motion to throw their hands into the muck and then pull their hand back once they see their opponent also mucking. In some cases, players do end up mucking and the cheater takes the pot. - Miscalling Your Hand
According to experts, there are some players who will miscall their hand at showdown, in the hope that their opponent mucks their hand. After the fault is noticed, the player will pretend that they have made a genuine mistake, by which point they already have the chips. - I Haven't Looked
This one is one of the worst because it often involves people who know each other, or have been playing a game based on some sort of mutual trust.
But there are players who will look at their cards when their opponent isn't looking and then ask them to go all-in "blind" with them. The victim looks his opponent in the eye and gets a doe-eyed "of course I haven't" before calling, only to see a pair of aces.
