How I Cheated at Poker

[David Sklansky]

It was about 1974. I had been in Vegas a couple of times before and was now here for good. My best game was hi-lo split but it was almost never played. So I concentrated on blackjack. I found out about a guy who was staking poker players in big games and I approached him with a proposition. Let me bet one or two hundred at Caesar's incredible one deck game and pay me nothing out of the first 5K I won. This proposition interested him because I wouldn't suggest it if I wasn't sure I had an edge.

Because I won him a lot of money, he steered me away from crooked poker games. He didn't stake me in poker because I had money myself. At least enough for 15-30 or 30-60. The bigger games were not something I was yet good enough to expect to be staked in. Except Hi-Lo. In that game I was the best. Period. So when it started to be spread 100-200 and 200-400, I begged him to put me in. He was reluctant because he had to get permission from a partner who didn't know me and because he already was putting in the second and third best players in town.

In spite of that, he thought he would give me a chance as long as I accepted the fact that we were all three playing out of the same bankroll and should adjust our play accordingly. Without that adjustment the others would have had almost no chance anyway but it was his money so he made the rules. If I turned him down I would have lost all opportunity to get into big games for many years.

We won 50K the day he put me in to a 200-400 Hi Lo, No qualifier, game. My end was 10K. But I never played for him again. The other partner decided that me being in the game aroused suspicions, if not of partnerships, at least that there was something about the game I knew that others didn't. Which was true. The other two guys had played a lot bigger than 15-30 so they didn't have that problem. End of Story One.

Story Two occurred shortly after Paradise Poker came online. I dabbled in the 20-40 Holdem a little bit. About that time I bumped into an old ladyfriend I hadn't seen in a while. She was still looking good in spite of her advanced age (32) so I thought I might try to rekindle something. She had a laptop and had independently discovered online poker. She was mediocre but still dreamed of making good money on the side.

Well guess what honey? I think I have a way to speed up the process. I'm going to go home now and call you up on the phone and we are going to get into the SAME GAME (I think it was 10-20 Holdem). And we will tell each other what we have, adjust accordingly and split. Ooh that sounds so EXCITING. So what was I supposed to do? Not go through with it? Meanwhile I was curious as to whether I would be stopped, given I planned to do some flagrant strategy changes. If I was, I didn't care much (this was before the days poker sites were advertising here.)

We played about two hours, won about $400 and I never did it again. Various reasons.

I'm guessing the above post may leave some with a few unanawered questions. But I am not answering any of them. Ever.

[jfk]

I hope the second story doesn't serve as justification for a slew of players to mimic what was done with the online play thinking that it is commonplace and easy.

I'm always chagrined and worried that when I bring up online poker among my technically oriented, non-poker playing friends, the first thing they consider is a half dozen ways to cheat.

Nevertheless, it is a credit to you to have addressed these episodes.

[pennpal]

Why would you post this

seriously

[David Sklansky]

You perhaps don't realize that this is a continuation on something previously written about.

[leaponthis]

[ QUOTE ]
the above post may leave some with a few unanawered questions. But I am not answering any of them. Ever.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wanna bet?

leaponthis

[Phil153]

Thank you for clearing this up.

How do you rate compared to the players of your generation? I'd imagine you've got a cleaner slate than most but I don't know.

[milesdyson]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm going to go home now and call you up on the phone and we are going to get into the SAME GAME (I think it was 10-20 Holdem). And we will tell each other what we have, adjust accordingly and split. Ooh that sounds so EXCITING. So what was I supposed to do? Not go through with it?

[/ QUOTE ]
Not going through with it sounds good to me.

[pennpal]

[ QUOTE ]
You perhaps don't realize that this is a continuation on something previously written about.

[/ QUOTE ]

[donkeylove]

I appreciate the candor.

[HedonismBot]

OMG you cheater how could you I will now commit ritual suicide