What games are best for collusion?

Assuming a typical online game where a team of players could easily share their hands and signals. If a colluding team of players were to choose a game to play, which types of games would they gain the most advantage from and why?


limit hold'em

no limit hold'em

limit omaha

limit omaha8

pot limit omaha

pot limit omaha8

stud

stud8


It seems stud already has so much information, that collusion doesn't grant that much more. But what about omaha vs hold'em, or limit vs big bet, hi vs hilo? I suspect the colluders would choose hi only, limit games, but I am interested in other opinions.


And how does the nature of the table(loose/tight,passive/aggressive,short-handed) change the decision?

Any game can be good for collusion. You don't even need a team,just open several windows under several names and you can collude to your heart's content. This is why I will NEVER play online poker - too easy to cheat.

My choice would be hi/low games, where you could "hide" whipsawing much more effectively...


and pot-limit, so it wouldn't be so dramatic as no-limit, but still very lucrative

Hubt,


You wrote...


'It seems stud already has so much information, that collusion doesn't grant that much more.'


I would like you to consider this..


Stud is a game in which LIVE CARDS is one of the most important variables you ponder in determaining how ( or if ) you play a hand. Actually 'Live' cards are much more important in a Stud game. I.E. In stud, at a given particular point in a hand, you know you have the best hand, BUT it still may be 'best' to fold. Why? Cause it is a seven card game, and if you can't improve cause your cards are dead, you are a dog to your opponents. When are you ever going to fold the best hand in a flop game?


So while you are correct in addressing that Stud does has alot of information 'exposed' on the board, I would still be willing to bet that if 3 or 4 players were colluding in a Stud game as compared to say a flop-type game, the Stud Colludors would have an enourmous advantage.


CJ

I have always found it hard at split games, as it rarely wins both sides ALL. Big bet poker games are very risky, but if you want to explore, then I recommend pot limit, as the cost and risk is smaller, and there is a better chance to set traps. But as a beginner (as you must be), you should start from limit Omaha Hi games (if you can find one), because of the nuts and winning the whole pot, not to mention the bigger pots.

Actually, on-line collusion would be easy to detect. This assumes that the web-site implements software for that purpose.


Chess web-sites have software/monitoring to detect computer use. Poker collusion may be easier to detect.


What factors would stand-out for colluders?


1. Two or more players playing in the same game frequently;


2. Those same players rarely playing separately;


3. Players raising with absolute junk when certain players are in the pot;


4. Those same players not raising with the same junk when certain players are not in the pot;


5. Players mentioned above frequently in the pot together;


6. Players mentioned above rarely in the pot separately;


etc.


In fact, just a short session by colluders would be enough to conclusively detect the problem.


Now, do any of these web-sites have software to monitor (or "red flag" for personnel to investigate) collusion? I do not know.

Ok, seriously, I think that it should be obvious that stud and Omaha high would be the easiest games to collude, thats for sure. I think that limit holdem is one of the tougher games, and you must ponder this. Do you play higher that 5-10 online? If so, then yes, I would be very worried about collusion. If not, I wouldnt worry that much. Think about it. I know a lot of players that if were in a team of three, colluding, still couldnt win. A lot of players dont know how to play at all, let alone cheat well. I consider myself almost at expert level at limit holdem, and I think that if someone knows enough about the game, and enough so that they can get a decent advantage by cheating, they should be playing at a higher level. If there are cheats below 5-10, I doubt very much that they are very good at it.