What is Collusion in Poker?

When you’re playing poker, whether online or live, imagine this: six to nine players are competing against each other. But if two players start playing together as a team, everything changes. They gain a massive advantage by sharing information and coordinating their moves.

Poker is a game of elimination and deduction. Players try to narrow down the range of possible cards their opponents might have. For instance, if someone thinks the opponent may have Ace-King or Ace-Jack, but they themselves are holding one of those cards, it blocks that possibility for the other player. This is technical, but important to understand.

Now imagine two players are cooperating. One says, “You have 9-10, I have Jack-Queen,” and they can start deducing blocked cards together. This becomes unfair for the rest of the table.

What is Collusion?

This form of cheating, where two players secretly team up to gain an advantage over others, is called Collusion. It’s one of the most common and harmful forms of cheating in both live and online poker.

A Real Example of Collusion

Let’s say you and I are sitting together while playing online poker.

• I get Ace-King.
• You say you have Ace-Queen.
• Then the board shows Ace-Jack-2.
• I might say, “Hey, you fold. I’ve got Ace-King, let me play this one.”

At this point, the integrity of the game is completely destroyed.

Or suppose there are three players in a hand. Two of them are colluding:

• One player bets ₹500 into the pot.
• You raise to ₹1200.
• Your partner says, “Okay, now raise to ₹2000.”
• You raise again to ₹3500.

Now the third player is forced into a corner, thinking, “These two seem to be raising lightly and in sync. I’ve already put in ₹12,000 and now one of them has gone all-in for ₹40,000. My hand isn’t even that strong. I’ll have to fold.”

This kind of coordinated betting manipulates the action and unfairly pressures other players. This is exactly what Collusion is.

How Do Poker Platforms Prevent Collusion?

Collusion is a serious offense, and both live and online platforms work extremely hard to prevent it.

Anti-Collusion Software

Online poker sites use advanced anti-collusion software that analyzes player behavior:

• It checks if certain players always sit at the same table.
• It identifies if these players are active only between 2 AM and 3 AM and always play together.
• It monitors hands where a player folds Kings when the other is present, raising suspicions.
• It flags situations where one player repeatedly loses intentionally to another, especially when they’re in the top 10 of a tournament, helping the other reach first place and win big money.

These systems use AI and behavioral tracking to identify and ban colluding accounts.

Moral Responsibility of Players

Besides technical monitoring, it’s also about moral responsibility. Think about it, everyone playing online is using real money. They deserve a fair environment.

Soft Play: Another Unfair Advantage

Avoiding soft play is equally important. What is soft play?

• It’s when you say, “Oh, he’s my friend, I won’t play aggressively against him.”
• Or, “I won’t make a big bluff because he’s a buddy.”

Even if you’re not colluding outright, soft playing is also a violation of fair poker ethics.

Final Thoughts

Poker is a game of skill, strategy, and integrity. Collusion and soft play damage the spirit of the game and put others at a serious disadvantage. Whether you’re playing online or live, always play fair.

Let’s respect the game, the platforms, and most importantly, our fellow players.

Play smart, play fair, download Pocket52 app and take your poker game to the next level.