I am neither high limit, nor a veteran. I can only report what I have heard by reputable sources, and what I have seen myself.
In one example, a very good source was upset during the series because two novice players were given time penalties for softplaying each other (ignorance of this rule is no excuse), yet two well known players were only WARNED for softplaying each other. They were reputed to be sharing the same bankroll. One of these players has been barred from playing at Foxwoods and was physically removed from a large tournament by security at another casino.
I have seen his behavior in several large tournaments, and it is a disgrace that he is even allowed to play in events which follow TDA rules. I hated playing at the same table with him, it was disgusting.
All of these incidents of cheating have been well documented on several sites, such at Final Table and RGP. Naturally, they are from the perspective of other players and/or tournament officials, so some may say they should be considered gossip or rumors, but where there is that much smoke, I generally suspect there is a fire. It is one thing for Russ to be accusing everyone and his dog of cheating, but when some of the top players and sources in the world to constantly accuse the "Vietnamese Mafia" of cheating in large tournaments, I tend to listen.
Players like Negreanu and Ferguson, with their entire reputations at risk, wouldn't "out" other top players for nothing, if there was no grain of truth to these allegations.
Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
www.felicialee.net