A local restaurant has a free poker tourney weekly (for hats, shirts and points for a big finale tourney at the end of the season). Four friends and I all head out to compete against about 60 others for a night of fun. Tables are made up of 8 players each.

Start at 7pm with 3000 chips, blinds at 25/50. I'm completely card dead for the first few levels, but manage to double my stack to around 6K by the 9pm break by stealing the blinds when I was able.

Managed to get down to the final 10, still card dead and very short stacked. A buddy of mine exits in 10th, and I'm at a table of four others.

At this point I only have about 4500 left, and blinds increase next hand to 2000/4000, so I'm sitting in UTG. I'm dealt my cards, and look down to see a real hand - two red jacks! Nice - so I go all in. Folded to the SB, who calls, BB then goes all in himself. SB thinks, then calls the all in.

I'm just about to flip my cards, when I look a little more closely, and see I hold J J !

I immediately call for a timeout, and call the tourney organizer over. People crowd around to see what the fuss in all about, and the see I'm holding pocket jacks with a diamond flush draw

The tourney organizer takes the deck, and quickly glances through it. We find, in addition to all the normal cards, an additional J and A .

The tourney director calls the hand dead, gives us a brand new deck and I'm then dealt the A 6 - another good 5 handed hand. I go all in - called by the BB.

Flop is K63T5 - I flip a pair of 6s, BB shows pocket fives for a rivered set. GAH!

But the question I have is - who cheats at a free poker tourney?!!!?

OMG how could you fold?!

...it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooted!

probably wasn't cheating, but rather.. a mistake. if you can believe that.

lol people cheat at the dumbest things some times. I once was dealt A A at a home game, We weren't evening playing for money, just bragging rights.

LMAO

why wouldnt you cheat at a free tourney???


thats the best time too cheat, no real grave consequence

Hehe maybe one extra card could be a mistake, but two extra jacks and an extra ace is just a bit tooooooo suspicious.



We do have an idea of who it may be. There was a BF/GF couple that were at the table for most of the night. GF went out early, and 'volunteered' to deal for the table. Her BF went on a nice winning streak after that, until someone insisted on doing the dealing for themselves - he busted out shortly after. So, if he comes back next week, we will keep a close eye on this couple.

Other than that, it was a relaxed night with some good players. Its nice to be able to work on my live game in a relatively relaxed atmosphere, with at least some reasonable competition.

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

My guess is that it'd been that way the whole time and nobody noticed it, or nobody said anything. Seems like putting those extra cards in the deck could just as easily hurt you as help you.

Did you have dealers or were the players dealing? And what was the top prize?

i only play suited aces

All decks were brand new out of the wrapper at the beginning of the night. Top prize was a $50 gift cert at the restaurant.

Players deal to themselves - no dealers provided.

Hmm... what's the point of cheating then? Did the couple look homeless?

Nope . . . could be they needed to practice their techniques

how is this in the bad beat forum?

apparently it was because hero was a moron and folded his way down to 1 BB then went allin with the worst hand and lost

I think I know the tournaments that you play in. I play sometimes myself.
I have talked to the tournament director a few times about the cheating that goes on.
They use the cheap plastic chips that you can buy anywhere. At the end of the night when they are counting the chips they will usally find 10000 - 15000 in extra chips.

You'd be surprised...

i enjoy how you think 3 duplicate cards in a deck is nothing but a mistake

y would u let yourself get down to 1 bb?