The Psychology of Cheating

One of the magazines that I was writing for was looking for "edgy" stories. The editor was tired of the boring strategy articles and bad beat stories that grace the pages of most publications. I was assigned to do a piece focused on those who tried various forms of cheating. I asked around some card rooms for anyone to admit to cheating for a quick interview. As you might imagine, I got no takers on my requests. To lessen the threat, I promised to keep their names out of the article.

I even self-disclosed that I had spent an entire night at a $3-6 table watching a drunk tourist in Aruba inadvertently flashing his hole cards in my direction. Now I realize that peeking at a drunk dude's cards does not make me a bona fide cheater, but I hoped that story might help break the ice. I still had no luck. Next, I turned to the poker forums on the Internet. I posted my prompt with an email address and screen name for private messages. Under the guise of anonymity that the net automatically provides, a steady stream of admitted card cheaters began to contact me. From college kids who'd palmed a chip or two from time to time, to ringleaders of bands of brutally organized cheating teams, I uncovered an entire subculture of poker players: the cheats.

Several of those who contacted me were willing to do phone interviews, which I completed for a few that seemed to have compelling stories. As a psychology-minded guy, I was less interested in their methods than I was at their psychological drive to cheat. Don't be so hasty as to assume that they cheat JUST for the money. The money, I found, was a nice by-product of their actions.

Cheaters, I believe, cannot stand to lose. Because they see the chips that are in front of them as extensions of themselves and their self-worth, losing them is a mini-crisis. This is a habit that many of us subscribe to, inadvertently. Even non-cheaters often measure themselves, their success, and their self-perception based on their wins/losses & chip stacks. Often, cheaters are mired in this thought process. Because it is psychologically dangerous to allow the chips to dwindle, they find an avenue to prevent the occurrence. Signaling to their cheating teammates, purposefully shorting the pot, holding out an Ace -- these were just the actions to get them to their comfortable place.

One thing I am consistently amazed by is the power of the mind to justify. We justify everything to protect ourselves and our ego. After standing in line for 3 hours to ride a roller coaster for 55 seconds, our mind automatically leaps into defensive mode to glorify the ride. The same is certainly true for cheaters. After the cheat, the mind swirls with justifications. We, therapists, call them defense mechanisms. The cheaters tell me how they're certain that they'd win in the long run, anyway. Cheating just sped up the process. They'd talk about how "everybody" was cheating, so they had to just to stay on even ground. They might toss out conspiracy theories on how the internet poker website were rigged, and their cheating efforts just help to negate that effect. I could easily find holes in many of their theories, but my perception did not matter, it was their mind's effort to keep them feeling OK with the cheat. It helped to push the shame and guilt down deep, allowing feelings of pride, honor, and content to stay afloat.

After an email or two, I was able to speak on the phone with one guy who'd been caught cheating. Some poker buddies at the college he was attending had been suspecting, after a few signs, that he may be cheating -- some odd behavior, some unusually big wins, and a new buddy that he brought with him to the games. After he was "outed," some close friends and frat brothers never treated him the same. He could no longer find a game on campus, and he was socially shamed and shunned in even non-poker settings. As he spoke, his flat tone showed the self-disappointment that lingered years afterward. I offered some counselor-type advise and wished him well, somewhat surprised by the lingering ill psychological effects of the poker past.

Whether you cheat or not, there are several lessons that we can learn from their experiences and beliefs. Cheating "teams" are just that --- teams. With poker being a usually personal/individual endeavor, finding a personal link in poker can be attractive. I encourage you to get that connection by finding mentors and poker buddies to critique each others play, honestly. This positive unit can share resources (such as poker books and magazines), discuss plays and tournament results, and explore the best bonuses and promotions at different card rooms. We can also learn not to measure our self-worth based on our chips. At a major tournament, I watched in awe as Daniel Negreanu made a series of huge timely bets (I assume many were bluffs) and tough lay-downs. He didn't cash in the tournament after his opposition sucked him out on a couple of lucky draws. His confidence and self-esteem was not attacked as he left the table. He had played very well but lost. In poker, it happens all of the time. The top level pros do not look for validation via others and via the chips. Self-validation comes from within. Watch how those defense mechanisms spin incoming information. Take some time in an attempt to gauge how the justifications are altering reality. When you suspect a cheater, know that there is likely a fragile ego just beneath the surface (even if there is an overly-cocky exterior). Avoid playing against the cheats, but if you must use your confidence (and their shaky confidence) against them. Mostly, work to understand yourself and your opposition.

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