♠ PROFESSIONAL-POKER.COM ♠

Steve Badger interview - Part 3: Poker in general

Q: Online poker is supposed to be more vulnerable to collusion than real poker. Do you think collusion happens a lot in online poker? Going over all poker games you played online, in how many did you suspect collusion, expressed as a percentage?

A: Cheating exists in all forms of poker. Online cheaters get caught far more often than in casinos. Low level cheating is easier, but effective cheating is harder. The best sites have solid ways to track and red flag suspicious patterns. And since most cheaters are loser-people to start with, they generally ruin themselves.

Q: Some players claim online poker is rigged, usually after a bad beat. Have you ever heard of an experienced and respected player making such claims? Have you ever played in an online poker room where you thought the game was rigged?

A: There were a couple of rogue sites a few years ago but they are out of business now. Casinos are filled with players who say "change the deck" when they lose a hand, so such people will always look to blame someone or something else for their poor poker play.

Q: Many new players only know poker from television. You have written on your website about the dangers of applying no limit hold'em play to online poker (the "Maverick syndrome"). What would be your single most important advice for these type of players?

A: You have to learn to walk before you run on a tightrope with your eyes closed.

Continue with Part 4 of this interview: Concluding questions