Ethical Q

[ThreeBeers]

Can someone explain why it is so taboo to play under another screen name? Obviously, the Justin B (Zjustin) thing is wrong (playing two accounts in the same tourney), but how is playing under another account unethical? In a live game are we obligated to give our real name to the brush to get a seat? Are we obligated to give our real name when sitting at a new table? As we all know there are several internet pros, whose names we recognize, but have no idea what they look like. What if they sat down at your table and gave some bogus name when they introduced themselves. Is that unethical? I have not formulated an opinion one way or the other - just wondering.

ThreeBeers

[Ansky]

I have done it and I feel very bad about it.

I suppose I never really considered the bad side of it until someone told me when it was happening to me vs a player who knew very well that I didn't want his action.

I realize that there is nothing to stop it and it is a relatively common practice, but I just feel like an [censored] in my gut for having done it.

There are very few regulars who will play me at 10/20 (not saying this to brag, it just is the case) so I have thought of doing this again quite a bit, but I really don't want to be that guy.

[TheWorstPlayer]

just play. if they don't want to play people, they shouldn't sit. that's the only way to ensure you're not playing someone you don't want to play. even if you were a total rando on your 'rando' name, who's the say that you're not Phil Ivey? he gets no say to whom he plays. he either plays who's available or he doesn't. that's it.

[Ansky]

I don't understand that attitude TWP, is it just because it is online, and handles are already a form of anonymity?

[ThreeBeers]

I understand if you have decided you do not want to play a certain player. But does that really matter to the ethical question? Is it that you think the player gains an advantage because you don't know his playing style but he knows yours? If this is the case, then can't a good player figure out the style and either get up from the game based on the action of the player or continue to play?

ThreeBeers

[kemystery]

[ QUOTE ]
ethics lol

[/ QUOTE ]

[TheWorstPlayer]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't understand that attitude TWP, is it just because it is online, and handles are already a form of anonymity?

[/ QUOTE ]
yes. anything else is completely unenforceable. so instead of trying to have some sort of ethics around who's playing what, when, it just makes a TON more sense to just have a caveat emptor situation where you just know that it's the internet, it's anonymous, you could be playing a bot, or a 12 year old, or Phil Ivey, or Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese sitting together, whatever. If it's real collusion, then it's definitely a different story, and you dont have to expect that people are doing that. But if it's just playing on someone else's name, or two guys sitting together, or whatever - it's so easy and so common and so unenforceable, that it's just silly to have an expectation that it's not happening or for it to be considered unethical.

[gumpzilla]

Ansky,

Presumably, wouldn't all (okay, most) players who have identified themselves as worse than you not want your action? Say you find some fish and sit down with him. How is his lack of information fundamentally different than what you'd get by showing up against a guy you've played before, but with a new name? In both cases you have a guy who is playing somebody he wouldn't like to play if he had all the facts, but obviously you'd only find fault with one of these scenarios.

It does seem like there's perhaps more of an effort at active deception in the second case, but if it's at a site where having multiple names is acceptable policy, then it seems like this is a tactic the rules allow. It may be poor etiquette but I don't see how it's unethical. By contrast, it seems to me that taking somebody else's account and exploiting their image is a deeper misrepresentation. Were I to try and articulate why I think this is worse, I think it's because I would expect the approach to an unknown to be quite different to the approach to a player they are actively seeking because of their bad play. Your opponent is more likely to figure out sooner that he wants to get up if you're coming at him with a fresh name, I'd guess.

[Ansky]

gump,

All your points are valid, and to be clear I don't necessarily disagree, merely saying that my conscious just goes off when I play someone who knows who "ansky" is and wishes not to play him, but will play me under "blablablabla."

[TimWillTell]

B&M
So there's this champ that nobody wants to play because he's to good.
Now the champ dresses up like an old granny, nobody recognises him and they want the play against this granny.

Would that be cheating?