We Need To Talk About COLLUSION In Poker

[@DougPolkPoker]

On my new channel: Why Disney Is CANCELLING These Star Wars Movies - kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6exeax4ar16i6s

[@yelfouladi]

If I play against a friend/lover/investor I probably wont 3bet bluff (QQ+ AK only) is that softplaying? Both know that, so it makes sense to flat JJ for ICM considerations...the rest is just the EV of not getting any sex for the remainder of the series if you bust your chick... That's good poker and ICM applied like a boss, an extra 600k chip wont get you more sex hence you should bet small so your weiner stays big

[@mikeincontro]

Doug Polk Poker I love your content but only women who gets beat by there husband use that excuse . so what check did your mouth write that your nose and eye paid for? Enquiring minds wanna know

[@mikeincontro]

Doug Polk Poker like you said he has to go home with her if your not playing to win within the rules. Then why even play I'm sure they ain't playing for tittlty winks. What would you do if your playing with your chick. My opinion women belong in the kitchen. Jk

[@Tawnii]

Doug Polk Poker You keep teasing crypto but I never find any cryptography coverage? Why are you lying to your fans?

[@mikeincontro]

Tawnie Pike finally a women to make me a sandwich

[@DrSpecialful]

In the hand example for collusion, aren't they both insanely more massive stacked compared to the third guy? And maybe they would (even if not a couple) avoid big pots with eachother until the short stack is out.

[@fateaglio]

THANK YOU

[@brennanpizer5004]

the third player in laddering up considerations.

[@roflnub1]

I dont know how big the stack of the 3rd person is and it doesnt matter at all. This is collusion and if the hand is played normally Bicknell is on an allin run to not bust. So this play makes to earn the 3rd player a lot less money that he should have. (depends of cause if there was made a deal and what deal it was)

[@syncmaster-xj8xe]

Its normal to try to get rid of the short stack

[@robertnordgren7189]

Normal 2 big stack play to keep pots down until 3rd with the small stacks busted, amateur move to not take the chop, small stack will bust 1st like 99% of the times if the big stacks play smart

[@toptenguy1]

A few years ago, I made the final 4 of a local casino tourney, and 2 of the remaining players were husband and wife. They offered a 4 way chop. Me and the other guy were SMART, so we accepted. :)

[@defeatignorance8681]

But was it fair to you and the other guy? Hell no. You should've had a chance at the top prize, but because they were in the tournament together you didn't get that chance. Poker is an individual game, not a team game and any couple will be in it together, not as individuals.

[@toptenguy1]

@@defeatignorance8681 Meh... I'm an admitted scared nit, so I was happy to take the prize. LOL (I think we ended with $350 each. Don't recall what the original structure was) I fully understand stome disagreeing however :)

[@elmerslick8700]

@@toptenguy1 I made the final 4 of a 45 person tourney in Vegas. We had one holdout who would not chop the $3,000 pool. "No, I've never made it to a final table--I want to play it out!" IMO it's a bad move to admit that. After he lost half his stack on the next hand, we let him chop but he got 4th place money. I'll always take the chop...keeps me hungry for the next tournament.

[@thecocktailian2091]

@@defeatignorance8681 So you would forbid couples and friends playing in the same tournament?

[@ricksundberg5659]

@@defeatignorance8681 I've seen buddies do this same move a bunch, there's no way to stop it. The third guy f-ed himself by not taking the chop. The third guy was far shorter stacked on top of it.

[@davidnorris1726]

Pops was also a gambler, he occasionally "fell down the stairs" also. Usually after a losing streak😂

[@stewiegriffin6503]

and the third guy (the "victim") is dumb as hell, refusing a fair offer. Would play extra soft with my partner just to take him down from the table.

[@Simon-nv5zj]

yeah he is real dumb, only won a few million playing poker professionally lmfao

[@proof1246]

SayWhat IThink no he’s small stack and just being greedy fuck him

[@garamelb]

@@proof1246 Yeah gotta agree, assuming he knew the other two where a couple and both out chipped him by a lot not taking the chop was a dumb move. Also the couple offering him a chop was the right move knowing it's almost impossible for them not to collude in some sort of way.

[@proof1246]

garamelb exactly

[@SerjSongsROCK]

@SayWhat IThink youve never actually had a relationship, have you?

[@Doktor47]

She knows he flopped a monster because he makes his bedroom face while he's thinking.

[@seroogyw6238]

How about they don’t sit right next to each other?? My gosh if they had any hand or eye signal how easy would it be to pull off!!

[@trevorstrutt1]

How about kicknunder the table pretty much saying hey fold lolol

[@JMacSD]

Good point. I've never experienced it, but I assume my flopping a 3'd K face looks a lot like my receiving a BJ face.

[@hakan341]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Mounta1nKing]

In the hand shown, the third player's stack was so small, that I think any two reasonable players would be softplaying each other and just waiting a round or two for him to blind out.

[@eman43591]

And Doug should have mentioned the ICM Dynamics people play like that all the time who don't even know each other because of the money I don't see anything wrong with the way they he could have checked back on the river he tried to value bat for 600k she was just a good enough player he wasn't betting anything worse than Aces 🤷

[@thequantaleaper]

Absolutely. I can't say for big money tourneys, but in the smaller ones I've been it you see this all the time. 2 or 3 big stacks tend to not go all out for each other and bully the smaller stacks until they have to shove it all in.

[@killwalker]

its like online poker. if the small stack is tight..wait him out. Blinds will get him in short order

[@randylahey8207]

Exactly what Doug is missing here..and it's the most important piece of information!! His cash game background shines through. This is a daily occurrence for online MTT players. I've colluded with guys I genuinely can't stand playing with for my own benefit. Kahle was extremely short stacked, and the two of them playing a pot at all together should rarely be happening unless it's small. When Alex calls the 3bet, flats the flop then bets both the turn and river(the river bet begging to be called) what is his perceived range in that situation? AJ would be the bottom, and would not likely bet both turn and river. This is a polarized range, strongly weighted towards value. In a spot where even one place higher finish means so much, it's not nearly the obvious bet bet jam Doug portrays it to be. Doesn't mean it's not possible they're colluding, but it's certainly not an open and shut case..

[@randylahey8207]

@@thequantaleaper it's often times worse in the big tourneys, because there's much more money on the line. Especially if a regular has a decent lead and there are a couple of nonregs still playing. The others know they are unlikely to play proper ICM strategy, and can exploit that to move up. Although as Doug pointed out, so many pieces are shared in those tourneys that it's an animal unto itself.

[@AndreasFroehliPoker]

Not taking the chop 3way seems pretty dumb

[@bradr2832]

Or at least taking 5 minutes to discuss the issue with other people.

[@RobertS122]

That's what I thought too

[@ClaytonBoyle]

Real bone headed move

[@caracook1032]

Yeah If he's short and they're tryna chop based on chip counts hes prob right to turn it down. If you're taking 3rd place money or close it makes sense to just play. But if each get 30% and play for the remaining ten, it's foolish to not take it. And he wouldn't even discuss terms. Discuss terms. Then decide. To just deny the idea is retarded

[@therealslimshady8903]

He look looked out chipped like 3 to one at the least so it’s very stupid to have a ego at that point More money is always better than less in my book

[@PaulLindsay28]

I'm not buying it. I still think Daniel punched you. Lol

[@ChrisHyde537]

Dnegs couldn’t smash a grape 🍇

[@RustyWells2]

Chris Hyde I know I don’t know how everyone would think he did it

[@mdd1963]

joking about 'the rake' one time too many, perhaps? :)

[@mikelong2756]

paul lindsay Doug ran into "black face" Daniel 😂

[@starcitizen890j5]

My guess is Phil Hellmuth in a basketball court after he lost a bet to you or was paid off by Daniel. 👻👻👻

[@casadelosotte]

This is not only collusion. They are making signals towards another. How can you fold Aces in that position? They should be banned from poker tournaments for cheating the game!

[@Jimmylenaze]

an overpair of aces still becomes weaker on the river

[@AngryNorris]

The 417 dislikes were 213 colluding couples and Daniel Negreanu.

[@user-uz1hq6cr6t]

And half the likes he paid for

[@jjames619]

There's some special kinds of people

[@BasedNeptune]

Lmao

[@tomassheva]

you're pretty good at maths. back to the 3rd or 4th class?

[@sciencenate]

Lol nice math!

[@Seaton1518]

To not take the chop versus a boyfriend and girlfriend is completely a Donkey move.. did you seriously think they're not going to collude against you? You deserve that 3rd! lesson learned kid GG!

[@elpatron7916]

Seaton1518 even if they tried not to they would still collude some

[@bossmanpirate9303]

chill bitch

[@Romans8-9]

Agree but he was shortstacked so it probably wasnt good for him to take a chop.

[@skylerbeckett4239]

No he was not. He was the chipleader when 3 handed play begun and would not discuss a deal. obviously wasn't going to discuss deal after going from chipleading to shorstacked

[@barakz13]

Wtf? First of all he thought he has an edge on them so he rather play. Secondly, it his right? Dont blame the victim bro

[@TokyoSwan.]

Even if you think you have +EV against that couple as players, it was foolish to not chop when offered. Even if they aren't intentionally colluding, they clearly would rather have him eliminated than each other. Same when your buddy is at the final table with you.

[@luckyguy5926]

Tokyo Swan I agree with your comment so I disagree with Doug!

[@e36fanatics]

two big stacks would play this way even if they would be complete strangers to each other didnt see anything wrong here

[@timsullivan4566]

The incentive for two players to go easy on each other occurs ALL THE TIME - whether due to relative stack depth, laddering considerations or even avoiding shoves with substantial equity in order to have a shot at much greater equity vs one or more ultra-fish stacks, etc.- the MOTIVE is not relevant as long as there has been no specific discussion or agreements on adjusting play

[@Jarlzdotorg]

Tim Sullivan perfect answer

[@Jarlzdotorg]

I Target bullies and loudmouths, sometimes shortstacks deep in tourneys... If others also do at my table... It's not collusion.

[@zachf5778]

Agree with this 100%.

[@valeriespencer6046]

They offered him an out and he decided to play. Deal with it.

[@timsullivan4566]

@@valeriespencer6046 and u r in which universe?

[@TakenGTs]

Wow that was super awkward lmao the random looks at each other like they're trying to talk without moving their lips 🤣🤦

[@zeptime3473]

Doug, 2 years of HARD investigation on the black eye. And this is what I found, “U need to understand everything u do at the table coveys information”!

[@frankdux0289]

can I be all Willie Nillie at the table?

[@djohnranch]

He stepped on a rake and the handle hit him in the eye. Be honest.

[@wnocknz]

Sideshow Doug kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4PUYn6pnZJmaMk

[@geoffbeyer1873]

Ha, the first thing I pictured was side show bob walking into the rakes.

[@pumpedupdart6859]

More rake to the face is better!

[@Thisisaweirdthing2makeusdo]

More rake is actually better!!!

[@DreadX10]

He got a bad beat by the rake.

[@restfulsole7]

Totally cool with them. They tried to chop he refused. So good for them .

[@bigazmark]

Agree,the third man was an idiot imo.

[@agilagilsen8714]

True, and in all professional sports, and amateur ones as well with individual competitors this happens. People will slow the field in cross country if a friend or national team mate can gain and they won't loose. It's human nature. Fuck the third guy, he was given a fair offer. He turned it down, end of story. Why should they be punished for trying to make as much money as possible? We would all do the same in their position

[@Romans8-9]

@@bigazmark He´s a crypto millionaire. He prob wipes his ass with whatever the chop amount is.

[@thequantaleaper]

@@Romans8-9 But it still doesn't make sense not to chop. Chop and get some cash guaranteed and they still get to play it out for prestige. Whether the money mattered to him or not, there's no benefit to rejecting the chop here. Leaving guaranteed money on the table makes no sense here.

[@connorgaughan9117]

Casey Goode actually, winning the full amount is more prestigious than chopping

[@Lonniebelle1979]

I love how she's just death staring into his soul when he's just trying not to look at her

[@justinszczawinski3326]

Saw this lady playing in something recently and was like, her name is different....then curiosity got me and I looked her up and realized she was married to this guy, Alex Foxen. My mind immediately went to this Polk video and how they were clearly soft playing.

[@ronb8052]

I lived in Las Vegas....I ran into a guy who admitted to me he was part of a "team." He said the team played against tourists at a BIG casino. Everyone who lives here and plays knows this is going on. (That's why I quit playing)

[@philliph5647]

It's even worse than the small poker houses or small casinos. They all team up they all know each other so it's impossible to win these tournaments

[@amarurecor]

They addressed this in Rounders in the late 90s. I'm surprised it surprised you

[@AKtreeTV]

Ron B which casino/stakes

[@e36fanatics]

@@amarurecor rounders the classic :)

[@ronb8052]

@@AKtreeTV Starts with a B......ends in gio

[@alexchernandez88]

I like poker But I hate a lot of the people who play it

[@nicocola1]

A P that's right. Unfortunately a lot of regs are living the salty life. What can you do :/

[@jacobharris4838]

6 million+ in live cashes combined, it's okay to say they're more than "probably at least decent" papa

[@luckyguy5926]

Agree with you Jacob Ryan They proved they are great players. Don't get why Doug treats other players that way. He likes to be controversial!

[@666Zerschmetterling]

But how much did they lose?

[@joe47771]

the 3rd guy left the table while they both were acting like they were not colluding. It was so obvious the way they were eyeballing each other. she was like WTF? he was like "look at my eyes, do you think i am bluffing?"

[@I_RacooN_I]

"Fell down the stairs" looks like a bad beat to me. :)

[@drew5121]

Hahaha I was thinking the same thing like “I walked into the door” kinda vibe... lmao

[@christhomas3968]

They're not only soft playing. They're telling each other their hands via signalling. Watch how they play with chips and where they put hands,, in particular fingers on parts of cards. Normally a player uses the same chip dance throughout a game. Not these two. I've actually worked out how the aa and jj were signalled. Surprised others haven't seen it as well. The third guy that refused the chop is an idiot imo. I know it's not his fault he has been cheated but he had the chance to get a decent payday. He was never winning in a million years and I think that dawns on him at the end of this hand. The couple offered the chop to divert attention away from what they were doing. Worst case for them was 2/3 of the top 3 payouts anyway so it's a no lose gamble and a clever diversion tactic

[@michael2305]

Top story tonight: Doug broke someones hand with his face. what a BEAST.

[@VaderYouSeekVader]

Only a jackass would go broke with pockets JJ with 40 BB left. I see no problem with smooth calling the 3-bet.

[@TacoBully]

Vader...You Seek Vader! thats Why you suck at poker

[@VaderYouSeekVader]

Hello Jackass!

[@Oldsport216]

Small ball #Dnegs

[@ddhh8253]

fish

[@taylorwilson1246]

The river bet is an auto jam but she would have folded anyway due to the table dynamic. I don’t call it collusion as long as they disclosed their relationship to Kahle. Frankly, if I’m Alex, i play it the exact same way except i jam river and tell her I’ll obv show if she starts talking to me. If the relationship is serious you have no choice but to play conservatively against each other. Frankly if I’m Foxen and i get 4 bet by my girl in that spot i actually want to hero fold jj pre but i just can’t on the button. I realize the the correct move in a standard final 3 players w 40 B.B. is to jam but you can’t ignore the table dynamic of the fact ur opponent is never bluffing you in this spot. She has jj+ or ak and it’s obvious, especially when u factor in kahle is short. So ur flipping w ak and dominated by the other 3 holdings which is a 2:3 combos anyway. Like i said if I’m Alex and my girl 4 bets me in this particular spot i want to fold but i force myself to call and play it same way except i jam on river and basically tell her I’m gonna show. Fuck what the Twitter sphere says, we both made the final 3 thru hard work and offered dude a chop when he had chip lead , disclosed our relationship and he still said no. Wtf else can we do??? Break up until the tourney is over ??

[@oyuyuy]

Never really thought about this, but it must be a massive problem honestly. I don't see any solution to it, you can't really stop 2 people at the same table from knowing each other. All regulars will build some kind of relationship sooner or later and it will affect how they play, consciously or unconsciously. Either way though, the second best thing next to a solution, is bringing light and transparency to issue. You did that Dan, thanks!

[@Paulafan5]

It happens all the time since many top players are friends with each other and may "unofficially" softplay each other and take out the third person.

[@dubstar420]

Dan, hahaha

[@joet7760]

This is a tough one for me. I’m an old school cash pro (playing since the mid 80s) I hate getting friendly with people on the table because I always soft play with my friends. Maybe soft play isn’t the correct term but I won’t make moves on friends and will check with nothing and bet when I have a decent piece. I don’t and would never collude but 3 way, I would bet when I have it. If my friend bets and I don’t have a big piece or draw, I fold. I play it the same way as HU.

[@johnrupesh4535]

You fell down the stairs? Yeah right.

[@DK_Son]

That was a great intro Doug. Had a good chuckle at "so I don't fall down the stairs again". One of the reasons I stopped playing poker in my local pubs is because couples and families turn up. You get assigned a seat randomly so you'd think that this would stop friends/family sitting with each other. But no. They just sit next to each other anyway. And the Tournament Directors do nothing about it. Turns it into a big joke. I know it's just pub games. But I don't have the bankroll to sit at the casino. So these are the only games I have access to.

[@flatfingertuning727]

I think it would be interesting to have a "team" tournament with five pairs of people at a table, placed opposite, who were overtly recognized as partners and were expected to collude, but exchanging information only via choice of legal plays. It provably wouldn't make good television unless edited to remove dead time, since the participants would probably have to be in different rooms, and receiving information about plays, with some random delay, on viewscreens [the random delays would be included to obscure how quickly or slowly different people were playing]. A couple would be entitled to secretly use "coded" bets, but the requirement that any bet match a previous bet would significantly limit the kinds of signaling available. On the other hand, I didn't see evidence in this video of what would seem the worst form of collusion in an event where collusion wasn't explicitly expected: two players milking a third player by making repeated small bets and raises, thus denying the other person a chance to see the next card without putting in an endless stream of money.

[@redrunner9324]

2:28 LMAO. The Dudes on that Coke.

[@droffig68]

I have been in this situation as the 3rd wheel before and I actually don’t mind it. You are basically going to finish 3rd or 1st in this scenario. Sure the set of Js should have knocked out the pocket Aces, but he also didn’t get full value out of flopping a set against Aces three handed. That could leave him in a situation later where he could knock out the 3rd player but doesn’t because he left those extra chips on the table.

[@thesaurusakasickakatheomc7688]

I once walked into a five handed $5 buy-in kitchen table game. My friend and I walked out with $30 (the host re-bought) off of nothing more than soft-playing each other. I'm not even particularly good at poker. This is a huge advantage situation.

[@BongoZozo]

Great video Doug. Always good to bring poker issues up for discussion and I think you did this fairly although I have seen faaaar worse collusion than the two in thr video. Here's a question for you: when a short stack is all in and the 3 or 4 callers check it down (unless nutted) to bust the small stack: is this collusion?

[@cateatfood6634]

Lol, did DNegs come looking for you? That black eye, man.

[@PatrickAllenNL]

The old lady in the last story had it easy...it was rumored a third of the field kicked the bucket before late game

[@philip6419]

I also wanted to tell you about a local collusion problem due to C-19, here in Florida. I go in and am told there are 6 max to a table AND if I leave the table, I cannot return for 4 hours. HUH?? The only table open is a 1, 2 with a $100 buy in. I sit down and there are 3 guys, 2 sitting on either side of the dealer, one is 4 seats to the dealers right and my immediate right.. each with $600-$800. Right away im like, wtf? Without getting into a lot of details, you can see what happened. When they arrive in the morning, they keep losing to each other and buy back in, until they're packed. They then keep passing random hands around, then a $20 re raise for the guy who has a bigish pre-flop hand. I waited, but whenever I was BB the guy would steal it with a straddle. Very slick! Everyone else losses big and wins small until they jam out of frustration. Its how they work and Im not too sure what to do, as its 'all legal'.

[@torgo4ever]

soft play between two people in a tournament isn't " collusion" . If you enter a tournament , you can play your hands whatever freekin' way you want. There is no rule obliging you to play by someone's GTO " way you should be playing." As far as the "situation" the third person in that tourney was in , you still have to play hands against the other two who , again , are under no obligation to play any certain way against him in the hands they play against him.

[@YolkyPalky]

Top 3 spots have biggest pay jumps of all, I’m not buying that JJ on a 40+ BB stack is an auto-jam, no reason you can't call 3BBs in position with it.

[@YolkyPalky]

Yes, it depends on the range you put your opponent on. 40+ BB's is enough play that you don't have to jam every pair preflop, obv QQ is different, and of course KK, AA. How many BB's you need before you don't auto-jam JJ, or worse? We're not talking 20BB's.

[@rock.paper.scissors.]

Yolky is totally correct. Bencb and Jeff Gross spent an hour breaking down a final table JJ hand with 24BBs. ICM considerations are massive here, where even flatting a 4 bet can be optimal. One could argue that things are different BTN vs BB, but they're also twice as deep. Breakdown for reference. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWGtZIl5q7pqZ8U

[@geraltofrivia2570]

flatting jacks 40bbs btn vs bb is awful and that's that

[@YolkyPalky]

Remember, in 3-handed poker "BTN vs BB" could also be written as "UTG vs BB", in other words it's practically meaningless compared to 9 or 10-handed poker.

[@geraltofrivia2570]

Most retarded thing i have ever heard. You play 17% range from utg because there's a very likely chance one of the 8 players behind you will wake up with a monster. Since that's not the case otb you can play 55% or whatever it is they play nowadays in holdem and they can't do much about it. Since bb vs btn 3betting ranges is less polarized and defined than ep vs utg and jacks don't have that good of a playability postflop you jam JJ every time so you can cooler TT-99 or even TT-66 and you can play happy trappy every one in awhile with AA/KK.

[@jdfreality]

To be fair about the couple that was apparently colluding, what else could they do? I don't know how big the field was but sure enough, the 2 of them made the final table. But really went against them was the seating arrangement. The 2 of them sitting beside each other was probably out of their control, the photogenic's really didn't help. I really do not think there is anything that can be done. Like you said bigger issue at final tables is players having pieces of each other.

[@LukeIsmail]

jdfreality exactly, I mean they both made it that far so fuck it, if they soft play, they soft play what do you expect. These instances are few and far between and aren't worth discussing. The kid should have took the chop it's his own fault. What you expect them to do? Triple barrel bluff against one another? I too would also be more interested in millionaire pros buying into tourneys but only having 10 percent of their action, shits embarrassing.

[@TheFruitney]

I personally would have been annoyed with the couples soft play but I also would have taken the chop three ways. Regarding that hand with AA vs JJ, that was more collusion/soft play than not. It would seem less likely if they were married because i know the money is going to the same place regardless. Lastly, I dont care if you are my girlfriend, my momma or my uncle, Im not letting you win anything. You have to earn it.

[@ChielReemer]

You shit embarrassing? What does that look like? Does it flush?

[@phil-f716]

She’s like begging him to tell her the way she’s looking at him.

[@ChielReemer]

In their defense: it is very common for two players to take it easy on each other when another player is close to busting out. It's just called pot control.

[@WizzRacing]

Bingo... Why would the two chip leaders fight each other? When the short stack is the guy to watch..He is looking to get either ones chips or both. If he gets the chance... And yes I been that short stack guy. I'm looking to get the chip leaders chips.. As I'm in it to win...

[@degmar]

Wouldn't soft playing keep the stack sizes more similar, thereby helping the third player? I'd be more concerned if a player was pushing chips to their partner. Also, you will often see the larger stacks taking it easy on each other or avoiding getting into hands against each other - is this a form of collusion?

[@Rookiemist8k]

Bicknell shudda go broke here

[@agostanian]

For soft play, I think the right first step is disclosure. For tournaments, casinos should require that players identify (1) whether anyone has a claim on a piece of their tournament winnings (i.e. just yes/no), (2) disclose the specific people if such claim is over a certain threshold such as 10% and (3) whether anyone else in the tournament is a close family member (first cousins or closer??) or a romantic relationship. That information should be provided publicly and if any two such players are seated at the same table, specifically disclosed by the casino at the table. The consequence of failure to disclosure could vary depending on facts, but could include forfeiture of winnings. I think limiting this to large tournaments would be the right first step.I think disclosure is the only viable option because simply demanding that people NOT soft play when they have an economic interest in another player's results is unenforceable and a bit delusional. Not sure on cash games other than table etiquette expecting that people disclosure such relationships and hoping most do ...

[@ARCMalafide]

The guy was foolish not to take the deal. They made it pretty clear to him what he was up against, and he wanted to try to 1v2. His own fault. They played weird, but if you actually look at that hand, he took way more than he had to from her. If he had jammed on the flop, she would have folded and saved a ton of her stack. The jam (in my mind) is far more of a telegraph oh his hand and makes it easier for his ally to get away from the hand early.

[@BoxOfGators]

Agreed. You have to take that deal, and he deserves whatever happened if he doesn’t. Now as for making this a non-issue, it’s time to change the structure of the prizes. Make the prizes look like the deals would look and stop giving the vast majority to the final player.

[@MyPat911]

ARC Malafide he should've probably took the deal. That was extremely soft pre flop jj vs aa 3 handed

[@Jarlzdotorg]

ARC Malafide agreed! especially if couple... All in, with collusion is guaranteed fold... He was trying to beat his gf!

[@khure711]

Not really, listen to the video, they just ask him do you want to split the pot 3 ways. They didn’t say, hey we’re a couple and so do math do you want to chop 3 ways? Maybe the guy didn’t know they were a couple and he was thinking hey I can out last for at least second place... she might have been the short stack at that point... not everyone keeps up on the relationships of other people.

[@Hawksforever99]

I mean soft playing for sure...but it's not like they were checking it down either

[@Romans8-9]

She check called the turn with aces, then he bets under 1/3 pot with 2nd set, and she folds, like come on.

[@IAMSOUND99]

i mean just not going in AA vs JJ 3handed 40bb deep tells it all.

[@Hawksforever99]

No. Fact is I do play. Quite a lot. Not tournaments so much but the cash game principles don't change much for this situation. It comes down to simple humanity - who would you rather see win if it ISN'T you? Don't tell me it wouldn't MATTER to you. I think Mike Mc D said it best: "We're not playing together. But then again, we're not playing against each other either. It's like the Nature Channel. You don't see piranhas eating each other, do you?"

[@Hawksforever99]

And as for her action and folding aces...ever consider that being they're a couple, maybe she just knows his game THAT well and...look he called a 3 bet pre...then he's betting into her every street post flop...if you're looking at the board and aren't considering pocket Jacks for a flopped set or POSSIBLY pocket Kings for a turned set as a HUGE part of his range given his play action, "then you ARE the sucker."

[@IAMSOUND99]

EdwardRAZRhands lmao "ever consider that being they're a couple" that they would softplay each other because it's the +ev thing to do even tho immoral?

[@samuelchoate9644]

lol. this is one of ur funnier episodes. every segment had funny elements in it. good job bro. u r a lot funnier than i look and thats saying alot.

[@josephglover4546]

10:19 he clearly signals to her with his eyes to fold!

[@captainstubbing1]

Nice catch

[@jakejayfrosty4697]

His eyes literally said lay it down

[@lvzee]

1. Ms. Bonyadi played like an 18 year old Scandinavian with lot's of ramming and jamming. It was really exciting watching her run over the rest of us. 2. Collusion (both intentional & accidental) has always been a big problem. On the river of the featured hand, I can certainly him not shoving, figuring she'd fold to a shove and her figuring smaller bet was a sign of strength. Also when you play against someone you know really well, it is very easy to draw accurate inferences from their physical behavior.

[@uninformedluddite]

If he shoved the only thing he could expect was to be called by a better hand(unlikely but possible). If she had shoved to his river bet then I would think that she held a set or straight (KK, suited or unsuited connectors) and if the option was to lose the hand and the pay jump then I am folding as I have seen this sort of thing happen far too often. Hope it makes sense as I am grammatically challenged.

[@DustinPlatt]

Did Doug get a knee to the eye when going down on some random dude?

[@mdd1963]

Vanessa does not swing that way! :)

[@Beanmachine91]

what if someone said being a poker pro does not have to involve fame, its silly how fame chasers can be...

[@redalert2progames501]

Doug your videos are gold!

[@jimstythehpguy]

Lol at the husband for trying to stack the chips 🤣

[@LTdrumma]

lol, Bicknell and Foxen are not just decent, they are separately two of the greatest players in poker today. Look up GPI

[@dddd2870]

did you step on a rake?

[@gustavoc6812]

Phil Hellmuth wouldn't go broke pf. JJ would be too little for him

[@BluffytheVamp]

Gustavo C this may be a troll, but I truly think you're right. Players of that caliber probably wouldn't go broke

[@blakecannon6963]

It’s tru tho. It’s not good enough for Phil pre flop. I had. JJ pre flop against AJ We got it all in pre flop and sure enough I finish 11 out of 130 peeps. Ace came on the river. I should’ve played it smarter. I made the initial preflop raise all in like an idiot. And I thought about how Hellmuth would’ve never went all in. In that position. I’m a dumb ass Donk.

[@todds1278]

Great personality Doug. Enjoying your videos. New subscriber!!

[@ImIllITeRaTeAnD]

Here's a good general rule - you have 0 reasons to trust a gambler.

[@Johnrl21]

There's really nothing you can do. Too much subjectivity in each situation.

[@chitwnblr]

Ha, I guess Crypto Nick finally got to Doug. Lesson learned

[@DD_Dietriech]

The guy was just trying not to piss off his girlfriend. He's gotta sleep next to that later

[@dank5007]

“That” 💀

[@BriKuz]

So, in smaller stakes, my wife and I go for blood against each other... but in tournaments, I'm really curious to see how we would play against each other on a final table...

[@brood415]

When the ad for the video is Daniel promoting his masterclass LOL

[@bradr2832]

Great topic! Just yesterday a family of 3 asian folks came in and sat down at the same table, they went 3 ways to the flop the majority of the time. I just got up and left.

[@bradr2832]

In my opinion, soft play is collusion. I don't really care about intent.

[@Saracinderallasushis]

Brad R For sure.

[@smithjohn3080]

It's collusion 100%. Softplay is a word made up by the anglers like these 2 "innocent" "christian" poker players. I'm seeing a trend with these Christian poker players, they tend to be the biggest liars and use their "faith" to protect them from the true realities. Example of Christian Poker Player lie: "more rake is better" Go actually rake a yard for once Daniel without a camera making it a marketing stunt, actually put in some true hard work in your life and YOU DAN NEGREANO will know raking sucks... all types so in no way on this world is more rake ever better. Oh and btw Danny CanadiCan NegreanO gambling is a sin, so see ya in hell for eternity Brother Daniel 🤘🤘😎🦉🤣

[@mattcoffee1269]

Do u point out caucasians in your stories????? Hmm?

[@jacobdrukman1949]

but there is no way you can prove it as some people are just bad players

[@lalalolo5666]

1) get notified about video 2) like video 3) comment on the video 4) watch video

[@AndreasFroehliPoker]

Fouad Lahoud nice

[@DarrenSemotiuk]

5) Rub all the likes this comment receives on ... you know

[@rockybullshite927]

Decker Poker, if you ever happen to be bored and want to get some heads up action on Starz, hit me up! I practice there sometimes to keep me sharp for when I play for real! The nuances of getting people to fold free money are complex, but absolutely doable!

[@Seb726Laviolette]

So a #2 and #25 on the gpi tournamemt rankings is just maybe decent players? Loll

[@Demondoink1]

They are live tournament players so not likely to be very good.

[@SuperIClaudius]

My wife and I play in a monthly home tournament with friends. Usually around 10 players, with three cash places, and everyone knows our relationships. We take pains to be aggressive against each other, no holds barred. I even knocked her out of a tournament once. BUT, sometimes you just CAN'T HELP IT. In one tourney, she and I got down to just one opponent against us. She was really short stacked. I was the chip leader and began with Ace-9 suited. She opened with a bet of three quarters of her remaining stack and I impulsively made a "Oh shit, don't do that!" face looking at her. She saw it and to her credit immediately voiced her displeasure. The other guy saw it, too. She pressed her bet ting as the hand unfolded and I eventually mucked when my hand didn't develop. She won the hand over the other guy, showing she had Kings. So no harm, no foul. Kind of. Entering the tourney, we actually really needed the winnings for sudden car repairs and I have to admit that was on my mind when I made that face at her. I knew better but, as said, I just couldn't help it. We ended up taking first and second place cashes and talked it over on the way home and she again told me how upset it had made her and I was really bothered by the incident as I, too, pride myself on my integrity. It reinforced my genereal feeling that I am flatly uncomfortable playing at a table with my wife. SO, the point: I don't believe that you can just lay aside the rest of your life when you find yourself in that situation and whether intended or not, a certain measure of collusion will seep in. If nothing else, at least respect as well the fact that others at the table will not believe otherwise, so don't resent their suspicions. And try not to make any eye contact with your significant other, and certainly don't make faces!

[@marinecor23]

You should start doing the occasional polka review. Just so you can call yourself "Doug Polk Poker and Polka"

[@jonniheinisto9825]

Im 45 seconds into the video and damn dude you know how to act :D :D :D

[@mikegern3397]

honestly that intro had me peeing myself...

[@jonniheinisto9825]

HEll yeah Doug is one funny dude.

[@josephfraire4096]

Jönni Heinistö lol no acting done here he's just talking. And moving his hands.

[@rockybullshite927]

Doug has definitely realized his Equity off of the felt!

[@bellmeisterful]

Fell down the stairs? You got punched out huh Dougie.

[@ChielReemer]

I'm sure soft playing/collusion happens more often without it being noticed. Especially amongst top players who have a stake in each other and end up at the same table close to or after the bubble. That's why I would prefer a rule obliging players to make their stakes transparant, but this would of course be tough to enforce, if not impossible. Still, I'm sure it happens, even if not consciously. Staking (which is actually what we are also talking about here, because the couple obviously have a stake in each other's success) actually muddies the water considerably. Or am I missing the point here? Please tell me if so.

[@mikebenge2853]

Thanks for the vid Mrs selbst

[@DOGMAFREE1]

Your humor got me to sub to your none poker youtube channel!

[@Mo_Ketchups]

I love Polk’s poker ethics. Keep fightin the good fight, brutha. ✌️

[@Birdbussa]

Yeah admirable

[@affiliatestud]

shoot, my friends try to take every $$ i have when i play with them :)

[@GameBoyGuru555]

Couples playing together even in a cash game is a joke

[@jerrylopez1294]

How is this any different from when 2 players swap a % in a tournament? Wouldn't they be incentivized to soft play each other? I think its the same thing...

[@drewberry8945]

Yeah they should but, My friend and I swapped 20% but the hand came his 10-10 vs my KK and the flop came K-10-6. He wasn't very happy after I stacked him.

[@AxelAlexK]

Best thing that can be done is to keep potential colluders on separate tables as long as possible, and call them out hard and pass word around to the community if they do obvious colluding. Make final table hole cams standard in as many casinos as possible to keep players honest. If this wasn't recorded there would have been nothing at all to keep these 2 players honest.

[@VicVega611]

Did you run into Daniels brother?

[@RSD4rkMayhem]

If he did he wouldn't be alive to make this video.

[@NanoMalo]

AaronMotyka33 exactly what I thought

[@MrRodzilla]

6:30 hes thinking if she is going to still cook for him if he wins the pot and gets all her chips

[@borntobe4419]

Love playing w buddies for decent money, and friendship is always put on hold till cash is collected. Survival of the fittest

[@faismasterx]

There will come a point where your friendships will be tested. This is about money after all. Anger and envy always seeps its way in. I never play against people I call friends. Business and friendship should be separate.

[@phreakyeggz]

As far as collusion goes, these two are the best case scenario. You're right about many more situations that are undisclosed who owns a piece of who. These two offering the short stack a chop shows class. They probably care more about the titles than the money. Professionals, for sure

[@justinmorgan3216]

this is what everyone is missing he knew that he would have two opponents and they offered him the chop

[@ianforsyth2692]

You know, I'm still bothered by this video years later. I think they're a cheating family. They've even colluded on ACR, and now one of them is approaching the WSOP 2024 final table. They should be banned, and they're should be consequences in spite of any talent that they have.

[@TheMichellemoran12]

Lol doug....the list of people who want to punch you in the face is sooo long! I am just looking forward to the investigation discovery episode about you (when you pass from unnatural causes.) It'll be a real whodunnit! Anyways I'll tell your tale to anyone who will listen!

[@squizill]

I cant believe you let Alec Torelli break your nose, good try Daniel but we know the truth!

[@JaggerPoker]

Luke Schwartz give you that back hand?

[@joelker41]

Played in an event where a bf/gf were on the final table and didnt ever call each other's raises pre flop. The worst part was when we were 3 handed between me and those two and one flopped AJ to top pair top kicker vs a flopped set of 9s and blinds were getting super high. Like 20 BBS effective level of high because they didn't play vs each other. No bets went in. They went to showdown. I called over the tournament director and there wasn't anything he could do. I go out with AQ vs A10 from one of them they hit their 3 outer and immediately chop the rest of the money.

[@carmencastro1787]

There is nothing they can do player complained abt me n my man n we both played diff tables until we made the final table

[@williamfrederickiii1683]

I agree with your suspicion about the low bets, but they are also probably reading each other on a whole different level. He may have picked up that she was very worried about him having trips, and he just wanted to keep her in at all.

[@edstrangeway3831]

that's collusion

[@paulmartinez9833]

One question when you fell down the stairs was alcohol involved

[@tbc10851]

Looks those bitconnect boys tracked you down

[@thegreatestalive]

there some dangerous people in crypto bro :)

[@StoicTrader]

bruh your videos are hilarious, LMFAO

[@scottbutler7775]

I’ve been in multiple tournament and cash games where my opponents knew each other (owned a piece of each other/where related to each other)and played soft (it’s obvious) and it happens all the time. So unless we start having every player when they enter lost their family, friends and business partners at the beginning of every tournament and cash game and create an independent review board who will evaluate each hand played then people need to shut up. I hate collusion too. But to cry about a couple but ignore best friends who own a piece of each other is hypocritical and pathetic.

[@Spotted_in_vegas]

This is a daily thing happening here in Vegas, specifically at Casinos where locals play, friends playing against friends, sitting at a table like that you’re best off taking your chips and calling it a day, the most annoying thing is that they text each other when in a hand, you’re best off playing at a Casino with a high volume of people where it is less likely people know each other

[@trixmtll1393]

Right after this video. Google Who punched Doug Polk?

[@Alanaboo912]

She looks so pissed that he bet lol

[@matthewmcclain1316]

"Is this fucking real, do you have kings" 😂 she's so mad

[@qaikodiateo8449]

Doug i really like the idea of asking the fans about this one however i really don't think you will get an answer on how to stop possible collusion, the reason being is that the couple can say really anything to be let off the hook if they want- they can just say they played it that way to have it as apart of their arsenal of tricks and moves at the table and even though generally speaking given stack sizes and short handed play that would be an incorrect move you can't argue against a playing style whether it's legitimate or not- EVEN IF this is indeed collusion there are to many scapegoats. with all that said though i really do hope someone can come up with some kinda of answer however how do you prove collusion in a game where you are free to do almost any move you like (except checking back the stone nuts on the river correct me if I'm wrong) EVEN IF there is super obvious cheating lets say they check down every heads up hand between them- how can you protest it? it's a legal move and what would be the parameters of any one individual hand where you can't do that?

[@balloe3466]

That intro had me cracking up :,-). Loved that more rake is actually better on Russia Today hahahaha