Fomento de las agrupaciones de voluntarios de emergencias

If you are playing against a consistent winner, he may be a complete Neocheater (as defined in the next chapter). If so, he will execute such mild, smart cheating -- just enough to give him unbeatable long-range advantages -- that you may never detect or even suspect him of cheating. In fact, you may never know for sure if he is a Neocheater or simply a good player. [ 32 ]

Regardless, you need not know if he is a cheater or simply a good player to get rid of him -- you need only to know that he will be a steady winner, thus a financial liability. In fact, the defense against the unbeatable Neocheater is the same as the defense against the unbeatable good player: get him out of your game before he drains your opponents of their money -- money that you could win.

The following anecdote is a final defense against both the Neocheater and the good or Advanced-Concept player. The anecdote was paraphrased from Wallace's "Advanced Concepts of Poker" and describes John Finn's encounter with a player who may have been either a Neocheater or a good player, but a certain winner in either case.

* * *

In one of his private games several years ago, John Finn encountered what may have been a Neocheater. At that time, however, Neocheating had not been identified. But while John Finn did not know about Neocheating, he knew that a particular player -- a newcomer to the game -- would be a consistent winner who could steadily drain money from the game. John, therefore, realized that the new player would be a financial liability and wanted him out of the game promptly and permanently:

Throughout the evening, Boris Klien played tightly, but strangely loosened up on his deal. And when he dealt, he won about twice as often as he would when other players dealt. Moreover, he was the game's biggest winner -- up nearly five-hundred dollars. He then engaged John Finn in a lowball hand. The pot was large. By the last bet, only Boris and John remained. Boris turned his cards face up and declared his hand. John said nothing, so Boris reached for the pot.

"Keep your hands off my money," John snapped. "Uh? What do ya mean?" Boris asked. "I won, didn't I?"

John snorted, turned his winning hand face up on the table, and snatched the pot from under Boris' stiffened fingers.

"This is a poker game, buddy boy," John growled out of the twisted corner of his mouth. "Cards speak for themselves, remember?"

"I'm getting a bad time," Boris mumbled.

"Listen," John said shaking his finger close to Boris' face, "No one made you play. If you don't like our game . . . get out!"

"No, don't leave!" a big loser cried. "You're winning all our money."

"I started out losing three hundred," Boris said, "I'm still stuck a hundred." "Liar!" John shouted. "You're up over four-hundred bucks!"

"This is my last round," Boris said. "I've . . ."

"The bore's even a hit-and-run artist!" John yelled while slapping his hand on the table. "Plan on this being your last round . . . permanently!"

Boris frowned and glanced toward the door. John had been riding Boris that way all evening. Boris did not like his treatment. But he was still the big winner.

"Seven-card stud, high-low with qualifiers and one twist," John announced as he dealt. "Trips-eight," [ 33 ] he added in a whispering voice.

After the sixth card, John raised on his low hand and drove out the other low hands. By the last card, only John and Boris remained. He shrugged and called John's final $30 bet.

"Don't know why you wasted our time betting," he said showing his two pair. "We split the pot. Obviously you're low and I'm high."

"Look at that hand!" John hooted while pointing at Boris' cards. "The sucker calls all my big bets and doesn't even qualify for high. I get the whole pot!"

"What do ya mean I don't qualify?" Boris sputtered. "I got two pair."

"Three of a kind qualifies for high, you creep," John said shoving Boris' cards into the deck.

"Trips for qualifiers!" Boris cried. "They've been two pair all night." "I announced trips-eight," John said laughing. "Clean your ears, clod." "I heard him announce it," one of the players said weakly.

"It stays in the pot," John said slapping his hand on the money. "You make a stupid play, buster, you pay for it."

"I've had enough," Boris said getting up to leave.

"You're winning big," a losing player whined. "Sit down and play awhile."

"Let the rock go," John said. "We'll play longer without him bothering us." Then turning to Boris, John made a sharp hitchhiking motion toward the door. "So long, sucker, hope we never see you again."

"I won't be back," Boris huffed.

"Good!" John yelled. Boris grabbed his coat and left, slamming the door. . . . John was somewhat surprised at how little harassment was needed to drive Boris from a game in which he could have won a fortune.

* * *

The above anecdote describes an overtly harsh defense against good players who are steady winners. That approach is even more effective for getting rid of Neocheaters. The Neocheater is basically lazy and works entirely by the policy of easy money through smart but easy cheating. Thus if you make his job difficult or make him work hard for his money, he will quickly leave for an easier game. The good player, on the other hand, being guilt free and willing to work harder, will fight more tenaciously for his rights in a game. He cannot be driven from a game as easily as a Neocheater.

In a private game, the alert player can eventually determine if a consistent winner is a Neocheater rather than a good player by detecting illogical playing and betting actions that win too consistently. In other words, a Neocheater wins too consistently- - his quality of cardplaying is not commensurate with his frequency and amount of winnings. A good player, however, can legitimately beat cheaters even Neocheaters by knowing their moves and staying one step ahead of them. For example, against a cheater, the good player can--

( 1 ) save money by quickly folding against the cheater's winning hands made more readable by his cheating.

(2) lure the cheater into making expensive bluffs and double bluffs.

(3) use the cheater's aggressive but readable bluffs to drive out the players with better hands. With the other players out, the good player can then simply call the cheater's bluff or, when necessary, double bluff the cheater with a final raise.