Would you call this cheating?

[talkinghead]

One table SNG at Party. Me in 200 BB (quick tournament) with big chip lead. UTG player has T205 left and goes all-in, the two medium stacks each with around 1500 chips fold. I decide that the current situation is profitable and want to prolong the bubble play so i can steal more blinds so fold my BB to UTG player, much to the disgust of the other two chaps.
I then proceeded to shamelessly steal blinds and the bubble eventually burst with me having T8500 chips.

I made a tactical play for my own reasons but other guys cried foul saying that either I was soft playing against my buddy. (didn't know the guy of course)

[DarkKnight]

Nope, not cheating. I'd be prepared to have things thrown at me but it's definately not cheating.

Nice play.

DK

[talkinghead]

Cheers, think it's a stronger play at limit than no limit as in NL players can counteract it by going all-in before it's my turn to act.

There are variations on it, like when it's the small stacks BB just call it, and hope he bets at some point so you can fold. I've folded flopped str8 to less than 1BB bet on river before. (all the time screaming at the computer "bet you lame ass it's christmas") Telling him that you'll fold would be cheating but i didn't do that. (although I was shouting quite loud, don't think he coulda heard me)

This kinda situation doesn't crop up often but when it does, that's why i luv SNG's.

[t_perkin]

yup I have done this occaisonally, although I don't think I would go as far as committing money to the pot, only to give it away on the river. You may as well have stayed out of the hand in the first place.

Steering clear of the small stack is usually a good idea anyway, you are probably going to have to show down a better hand to beat him. Stealing more before the bubble bursts is just another reason to steer clear.

Your other opponents are worrying too much about the bubble by the sounds of it. 3rd place pay off is not that great, they should just play more aggressively if they know that you are reluctant to bust them.

It is definately not cheating, but I have had some pretty rude things said to me when I have made blatantly bad folds on the BB. Still it just sticks them a little (or a lot!) on tilt, all the better when it gets heads up and they are trying to force you out of everything. You have the big stack, just sit back and nail em down when you hit a big hand.

Tim

[daryn]

sklansky talks about this in TPFAP, basically keeping the short stack alive so you can continue to run over the table. it's a perfectly legit strategy