Soft play in a cash game

Question

I was playing in a cash game and feel like i have been the victim of soft play.

When playing in a game there were 2 overly aggressive players constantly betting and raising pre flop, this isnt too big if a deal and have played against similar big stack aggression before, the part of the game that made me want to question the integrity the game i was in was what happened when one of the 2 players lost a large pot, the other player would seem to just pay them off to equal stacks, all of these points and the checking down with nobody else in the hand is excusable but in one pot i saw someone call a river bet and instantly muck before the other player showed down, surely this in itself is a blatant chip pass and against the rules, to call a bet to not win the pot or gain information must count as soft play surely, can anyone clarify, i don't want to go in and accuse players of cheating if i'm not correct.

any opinions are appreciated and is this act in itself enough to prove cheating? thanks for the advice

Answer 1

I would not use the word cheat. Not follow the rules is not always cheating.

Call the floor if bets are not paid out properly.

As for instantly muck after a call that may not be against the rules in a cash game but it is highly irregular. You could call the floor.

Personally I would just not play there. Sounds like regulars that gang up on visitors and the dealer allows it.

Answer 2

You need to talk to the shift supervisor away from the table. Sure it is cheating, but no proof enough for anything to happen with a ruling. So the supervisor may or may not do anything about it. But if he has had complaints before, your complaint will help the house in a future action to 86 the players.

The dealer is not going to help here, it is not part of the job to call customers cheaters or determine if customers are playing in collusion. If you suspect it you need to get proactive with the supervisor. If a dealer suspects it they need to take it to the supervisor and not confront a player.

By all means get out of the game.