Accused wrongly of cheating

imported_bingobazza · #1 08-02-2005, 05:26 PM

A few months ago, I played on a boozy St Patricks nights with 2 golfing 'aquaintances' after our St PAtricks day society round. They are both very good friends with each other, and I have recently just got to know them through golf. They both approached me with a glint in their eye to play a game of poker with them, as they heard I played a little bit. I said OK, as long as it was NLHE, we settled for PLHE. They said £100, I laughed and said £300 was needed to stop me drinking, otherwise forget it. They clearly were out to skin me, but this surprised them....OK they said.

We highcarded for the deal, and I shuffled and the cards were cut by the player on my right. Then I dealt from the SB, all the while the cards were in plain view on the table. It was 1/2 PLHE.

I got J8o. Flop came T74 rainbow. I bet £3, 2 callers. The turn was the 9 giving me the nut str8. I bet £10. BB rasied to 30, button rasied to 100, I pushed. Both called. BB flipped over top set, and button flipped over bottom str8, 86. river was a blank and I scooped the pot of £900 in the first hand. I gave them their 300 back each (it was a golfing day and I didnt want to be a jerk) so we could continued playing. 20 minutes later, I had it all, with £600 in IOUs.

Months later, they are saying that I cold decked them...and they refuse to honour their debts and are bad mouthing me all over the golf club. Im a new member, and I think I may as well leave the club as these guys are well liked and established.

My image here isnt helped by the fact that I won the society golf auction on my first outting and almost £2k a week before this when, off a 9 handicap, I had the round of my life and shot 1 over gross to beat a field of 70. I also demolished their best pool and snooker players for about £1k as well over a golfing weekend in Ireland.

Unsurprisingly, everyone is very quick to believe that I am a cheating bandit.

Any thoughts on how to repair the damage. I really like this club.

Bingo

4_2_it · #2 08-02-2005, 05:42 PM

One way I see to repair the damage is to find an established member who is well-respected to take you under his wing. You need to get a handle on the political situation to determine if your reputation can be rehabilitated. Also, take it easy on the gambling for a while unless you are certain you aren't going to clean everyone out. I'm not advocating losing on purpose (that is WRONG all the time unless you are playing your 4-year old nephew), but taking on some one who is more skilled might not be a bad idea. Remember to most people, a club is a social setting. Noone wants Tiger Woods playing in their rec golf league for side cash. You can't be blamed for being competitive and winning, but sour grapes and poor sportsmanship have soured many a relationship. Good luck to you!

CaptSensible · #3 08-02-2005, 07:58 PM

Man, these guys sound like jerks. My very first thought was why would you want to be in the social circle? In any case you do. I agree with the other poster, to find someone there to take you under their wing. Try to make some friends. My other thought was that you should try and get your side of the story out there. There MUST be SOME reasonable people at this place. Make friends. Be nice. Perhaps ask these people you played with why they are telling lies about you and defaulting on paying back what they owe you? These guys are just dead beats. Good Luck to you.

SheetWise · #4 08-02-2005, 08:15 PM

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Unsurprisingly, everyone is very quick to believe that I am a cheating bandit.

Any thoughts on how to repair the damage. I really like this club.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately, honest people can't repair their reputation any easier than guilty ones. Why do you like the club? They sound like jerks.

kyro · #5 08-02-2005, 08:37 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Any thoughts on how to repair the damage. I really like this club.

Bingo

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Yeah, stop liking the club. Until you realize that liking the club and wanting to be a part of it is dumb, we can't really help much.

KenProspero · #6 08-02-2005, 08:57 PM

They have impugned your honor. I think your only option is to challenge them to a duel.

Ok ... seriously. I'm not sure you can salvage this situation. Anyone who believes the lies that are being spread about you will not want to associate with you. I certainly wouldn't associate with someone I believe to be a card cheat and a golf cheat.

So, unless you either get these people to recant their story, I don't think there's any room for compromise. The only thing I can think of is to find out if these members have done this before. If these guys are sore sports who hustle others, reneg on their debts and accuse the victor of cheating, it's possible or likely that they've done this before. Their prior victims (if still in your club) knowing the quality of the accusation are likely to treat you better socially.

imported_bingobazza · #7 08-02-2005, 09:48 PM

These guys are not deadbeats, they are both extremely wealthy...and the money is nothing to them. I think Ive hurt some egos...Im a lot younger than most of them as well. They all consider themselves shrewd operators, and they are, but not when it comes to shorthanded poker or pool. I had to wait for 2 years to get in, and the course in one of the best in the UK...I play a regular 4 ball and those guys are good friends of mine...they nominated me, but making friends outside my regualr 4 ball has become difficult because of the other 2 guys. I like nothing more than a good drink up after a round and a bit of craic. But I have been robbed of this. My friends are backing me up, but to no avail. I get the cold shoulder every time I walk into the clubhouse and its really pissing me off. I really dont want to put my friends in a bad position in the club. I have offered to play more poker with the idiots, with an independant dealer, just to prove how much they suck, but this has been declined, and wouldnt win me any support anyway as Id fleech them. If I didnt, it would prove i was cheating in the first place in their eyes. Everyone knows Im denying the allegation, but the politics of the club prohibits any support from established members for me. But leaving would be like admitting guilt....and Im not doing that....but I will leave when my name has been cleared...Im just trying to figure the best way to do that....I really, really want to give them both a good kicking for this....lol....but I know that wont help.

Im thinking the best way might be to confront them in the bar on a saturday afternoon in full view of everyone and calling them welchers for not paying their fair gambling debts. 'I didnt think I was joining a club of welchers'.

Thoughts?

Bingo

KenProspero · #8 08-02-2005, 10:19 PM

If I really believed you had cheated me, and you tried that, I'd take the money, throw it at your feet, and never say another word to you again as long as you lived.

I don't believe you have cheated, but other than letting time pass, or finding people who believe you, I think you're in a truly impossible situation.

CaptSensible · #9 08-02-2005, 10:22 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Im thinking the best way might be to confront them in the bar on a saturday afternoon in full view of everyone and calling them welchers for not paying their fair gambling debts. 'I didnt think I was joining a club of welchers'.

Thoughts?

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I think that's a fantastic idea. You get my vote [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

TomCollins · #10 08-02-2005, 10:31 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Im thinking the best way might be to confront them in the bar on a saturday afternoon in full view of everyone and calling them welchers for not paying their fair gambling debts. 'I didnt think I was joining a club of welchers'.

Thoughts?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that's a fantastic idea. You get my vote [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]