[ALawPoker]

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It's about risk vs reward. If the risk for cheating or allowing cheating is small (i.e. the consequences not particularly significant) then the deterrent is also small (scruples not taken into account).

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But if the risk outweighs the reward, to even a small degree, then there IS a deterrant. Cheating is therefore not a rational choice.

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I never claimed AP was happy that they got caught. Nor did anyone else. You're attacking a straw man.

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I know you never claimed it, hence why I asked (rather than assume what your answer would be). So do you think they're happy, or do you think they're regretting their decision. You again have not answered, and again it's telling.

I assume your answer is that they probably regret their decision. What does this tell you?

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No one is claiming AP gained from this. It's weird that you put "gained" in quotes. Who are you quoting?

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I didn't mean to be quoting anyone. I have a habit of using quotes for voice inflection. My point is that I think AP is in worse shape now than before, and so this is evidence that there is some real consequence even in the absence of central planning.

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If there's a built in incentive against cheating, even if mild, then there's never a rational reason to cheat.

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[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] This is completely false.

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How is it false? Just because you say so?

If a poker decision has a very small negative equity, it's still never rational to make that play.

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That's why the incentives against cheating cannot be merely mild, they must be strong enough to outweigh the profits that cheating can bring.

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I'm not saying that the consequences themselves are mild. They are very BIG consequences, but they are offset by the fact that you can make a LOT of money when you cheat. My position is that the net sum of all consequence may result in a "mild" effect. 'Consequence' does not necessarily imply only the negative side of the equation. When I use it, I am referring to all of it.