Cheating; I am usually against it. Some of my friends hate to play golf with me. If there is any kind of bet on the line, I make sure to state the rules of the game in appropriate situations. As a kid, most of my buddies looked to me when an interpretation of rules came up in any sport we were playing. I was, and am, a geek for the rules of the game.
Now, if you want to go out and kick your ball away from a rock or root and we don't have a nickel on the outcome, go ahead. One cheating one's self does not bother me at all. Like Ty Webb, you can always measure yourself against other golfers by height.
I was silent last week though. It had been brought to my attention that one of the players in our game regularly cheats. I sat beside him and watched what he was doing. We play with two decks and shuffle behind the deal. So, when I was dealing, the player behind me was shuffling for the next deal. After my deal, I was to cut the newly shuffled cards and slide them to my left for the next deal. The cut rule was put into place a few weeks ago after not having one for years. I thought it was due to another player that always riffled the cards when it was his deal. there have been no cheating allegations with him as far as I know. The rest of the players just do not like him reshuffling cards he is getting ready to deal.
Now, I knew the real target of the new procedure. His cheating was obvious as soon as I paid attention. He would pick up the deck and slap an edge on the table with the bottom card facing towards him. He deals a criss-cross variant that puts all the cards in play. The way he deals the game allows him to put the bottom card in his hand or on the board. Playing hi-low, he can stick an Ace in his hand or an Eight on the table. It is not a big cheat, but a cheat none the less.
The question is, what to do about it. My inner rule-geek demands I speak out. The banker in me says, 'Shut up, he's a regular depositor. Don't drive him away." A very good player was found cheating in this game a few years ago and was banished immediately. Should a bad player have the same consequence? Not only is he a bad player, he is one that can actually bear the costs of losing in this game if the others' statements are to be believed.
I don't countenance cheating when money is on the line has been the rule of my life. Now, I appear to have changed because money is on the line. In golf, the better players give strokes to the weaker ones. Am I just giving him a couple of strokes here?
6 comments:
It seems I've heard others speak of these situations and the outcome is always this.
If he's cheating, and you say nothing, you are in essence cheating too.
Not sure if I agree, but I can see some of the reasons to believe it.
Rough spot.
Is he the type you can pull aside and shoot a warning at him without him going ballistic?
I'd say if the quick warning doesn't work and he's still base dealing a couple of weeks later you have the right to pummel his cheating ass out of the game.
I have a golfing friend that cheated when we were playing golf (no money was on the line). But because he did that, how could I be certain that he wouldn't do that when money was on the line? So I never bet money with him on the course.
If it's poker, I couldn't play with the guy. Either he's got to go or I've got to go.
You should speak to him one-on-one instead of calling him out in front of everyone. That way he is put on notice that people know and it must stop immediately, but you may not lose him as part of the game.
If you call him out in front of everyone, that's it for him.
TripJax had good advice. Aside might be best if you don't want him out of the game. And you can always tell him that others know.
As for me, I would say bye bye. Home games are supposed to be fun. I can't have fun when friends cheat.
Actually, he got called out by another player soon after who was in the middle of big loss and was getting ridden pretty hard by the perpetrator. There hasn't been another word spoke of it, and the action has stopped.
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