[Buzz]

[ QUOTE ]
In a Live card room, with regular players who know each other, or have an arrangement with the dealer, there's an even bigger problem.

[/ QUOTE ]Rob - I'll agree there may be a problem, but I'm not sure it's any bigger of a problem. You can at least see what's going on. And in the games in the big casinos in which I play the dealers regularly get switched after less than an hour, and there's a shuffling machine so that two decks are constantly alternated. And most participants watch as the dealer deals. And sometimes a floor manager also watches. False dealing under these conditions may not be not absolutely impossible but it is pretty far fetched, enough not to be much of a consideration.

Any collusion is between players in the game - and you can at least watch what they are doing. I'm sure collusion occurs (I've seen it occur.) but I think you have a better chance of spotting it when it does occur than when you're playing anonymous on-line opponents, although it is neat that hand betting patterns can be analyzed by algorithms for on-line play. Alas, that kind of checking is impossible in a live card room.

Buzz