"friendly" check downs, collusion?

[jar]

I posted this in the best lines thread, but I don't want to derail that with discussion, so I'm posting separately too.
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4-8 at foxwoods on the first day of the WPT event. Two guys cap preflop, forcing everyone else out. They then check down acting a round ahead of the cards coming out. The second time the same two guys do this, I point out that it's not fair to the other players at the table, and if they do it again I'm going to call the floor. I get a bunch of crap for saying it for the next hour or so. The guy to my right, one of the players involved says "Yeah, it's a conspiracy, all 8 of us are working together against you." I point to my original rack of yellow, and the full stack of green chips in front of me, and say, "You'd think I wouldn't have so many of your chips then."


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The players involved argued that they were just being friendly to each other. Am I right to complain about it? It just doesn't seem fair to me that they raise and reraise to knock people out and then check it down. I was hesitant to say anything, which is why I didn't say anything the first time it happened. Other than giving me a hard time for a while after, it didn't seem to affect how people played against me.

What do you do in this situation?

[TomCollins]

They are cheating, but don't know they are cheating. I would call the floor, but not act like such a d*ck in front of them. I would simply have the floor inform them of the rule on a bathroom break.

[jar]

Yeah, that's probably what I should have done. Evelyn was the floor for our area, so it would have been fine. I was probably still thinking like we had the previous shift floor, who was there from the blackjack pit, because of the huge WPT crowds.

[Lurshy]

I was playing 4-8 at foxwoods late one night a couple of weeks ago. 3 young friends (2 guys and a girl) sit down occasionaly talking to each other in chineese. They had been watching the WPT too much and the guys were laggish, the girl real tight (she played her cards that way too). They were feeding me their money, which I didn't mind.

It annoyed me that on a couple of occassions the guys checked down pots heads-up. I didn't say a word as tempted as I was. Why?

I didn't want to scare the fish, and they all left busted within 2 hours.

If they were good players, I would have had the floor over in a flash.

[aces961]

I would really consider if you want them to change their play before talking to the floor. If these players are really that bad and for some reason the raising preflop and checking it down with each other makes them have fun why would you want to stop it. You should want them to stay at the table as long as possible.

Now if for some reason you think that them being told they can't do this won't encourage them to leave then I would handle it by discreetly telling the floorperson about it and letting them take care of it.

[Lurshy]

my point exactly.

[shant]

If you had good cards you would've been in the capped hands. People who check down with friends are sometimes afraid to raise other players because they would also be raising their friend, so it's not hard to play in pots with them anyway. Unless they were raising you out of the pot with nothing cards and then checking it down, I see no problem in keeping them happy and taking their money.

Making snippy comments about having all their money is just lame. What were you trying to prove?

[jar]

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Making snippy comments about having all their money is just lame. What were you trying to prove?

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I only said that because he had been making snippy comments at me for an hour. I wanted it to shut him up, and it did.

[shant]

Ah OK, I didn't realize he was being a dick for an hour. Nothing wrong with defending yourself after that.

I just prefer to keep bad players at the table happy, but you know what that's about.

[TripleH68]

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What do you do in this situation?

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If they check it down don't you get to see both their hands? I would ask to see both hands every time and make sure the holdings are reasonable.

[Toro]

My best friend and me are guilty of doing this all the time. But we have a rule. We play the hand normally as long as there is at least one other player in the hand. Once we get heads up we check it down and then we both flip our hands over.

I know you're not suppose to soft play against friends but we just can't take each others money. For that reason, we try to avoid playing at the same table but sometimes it's unavoidable.