cooperation/collusion on the bubble

[ardie]

I'm fairly new to online poker and very new to posting on this site. My question involves implied or implicit cooperation to remove the short stack allin when his/her removal will put the remaining players in the money. Are there any real rules regarding this situation? Is it cheating to type "check"? Thanks for any input.

[(my name it is) Sam Hall]

People like to think this strategy is collusion, but really it's an example of the value of moving up one place in a tournament being worth a call. Provided I am not short-stacked myself, I'll call a short stack for less than two BB with just about anything, but only if the situation is such that I can assure it stays two-handed between us. The utility of a small amount of chips to me at that stage is so much less than the utility of putting a player all-in, even if they are a 2:1 favorite to beat me. Short stacks have to push just about anything, and I'll take a chance on anything remotely playable if it can knock someone out. Eventually, my KTo will hit and take out A4s.

I'll agree that typing "check" is an attempt at collusion, but without an acknowledgement from the other player, you can't prove it. If someone did that to me I'd bet at them in a second.

Sam