Play enough Tichu on BGA, you’ll eventually run into a partnership talking privately to cheat. Passing is blind and communication about what’s in your hand to your partner is against the rules of the game and therefore against BGA’s Terms of Service:
PASSING SUCCESS
Randomness or coincidence is not a plausible explanation for passing that consistently defies convention and probability to substantially improve the partner’s hand. Non-cheaters never break combos such as trips and straights—worsening their own hand—to pass a low or mid to their partner. Yet, this is a move cheaters do consistently when they can complete a long straight or bomb for their partner.
Of course, combos also result from chance. In fact, 50% of all passes between non-cheating partners will result in some combo, at minimum a pair. Same odds as a coin flip. Tossing 10 times and getting 10 heads has a probability of 0.1% (or 1 in 999) the same as passing a card that gives your partner a combo 10 of 10 times. Understanding this, when you see partners having extraordinary passing success like 41 of 41 over a series of games, you know the probability of it occurring by chance is 0.00000000005% or 1 in 2.2 trillion.
Taking it a step further, while 50% of all passes between partners results in a combo, there are usually several different potential combos that could be made. Among non-cheaters, the best possible combo is made only 17% of the time. For cheaters, that number is usually 100%. The probability of 41 of 41 is 0.0%, with at least 126 extra zeros to the right of the decimal.
The conclusion in such situations is unequivocal: the players are cheating. The most common denominator among those who do this is that the players are friends in real life. They have incentive (ELO, winning), opportunity (they know each other), and little to no risk of consequences.
Baseline probabilities are from millions of hands publicly available in BSW gamelogs (http://tichulog.brettspielwelt.de/).
DISCLAIMER
Cheaters in free online card games is the least of worries for most us. People are victimized by many things from the most banal and corporate to the horrific. In the grand scheme, what happens on BGA isn't all that important. However, people play games to relax, release stress, satisfy competitive urges, make friends, etc. It may seem harmless to cheat against anonymous strangers online for ELO or whatever, yet, what cheaters do is fundamental selfish, exploiting non-consenting others and depriving them of fair play. Don't be a cheater.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT CHEATING
1. Review the cards passed to opponents and each other
Cheaters rarely miss an opportunity, their passing beats the odds and provides the exact card needed whenever the other has it. Keep in mind, some bombs/combos will occur by luck, especially when high cards are passed. Instructions on how to quick navigate game replays for review can be found on this page.
2. Give each player a public red thumb
Go to each profile and click > I want to avoid this player > Yes, everybody should avoid this person > This player is Kingmaking / engaging in team play).
If your play was not recent, or you want to block someone preemptively, you won't be able to select this option. Instead, give a private red thumb (I want to avoid this player > No, this is just my opinion). Both ensure you can’t end up at a Tichu table with the blocked users.
3. Report both players to the moderators
Go to each profile and click Report this Player at top right. Click Start. Click X is using multiple accounts to boost ELO. Click: The accounts play against each other to cheat the ranking systems. From there, answer four questions. It’s best to prepare answers in a document and then copy and paste into reports fields.
REVIEWED PARTNERSHIPS & TABLES
Click ANALYSIS for more info. Follow step 2 above to preemptively block each so you won't unwittingly play against them.
[/list] *
*Moderation Edit: please do not use the Forums to call players out by name, this is what the Moderation Reports are for. The Forums should remain a general discussion.
The most obvious indicator is what cards partners pass to each other. Talking secretly allows players to pass what they know will improve their partner’s hand the most and make optimal game play decisions. The passes—often low and even breaking their own combos—wouldn't make sense if their partner's hand was unknown.VIII. Fair Play
BGA will not tolerate any cheating and/or lack of fair play, whether through the use of cheating software, analysis of communication protocols or code, use of multiple Accounts, collusion with other Users, leaving the game before its normal end, use of game blocking tactics in order to force other Users to quit, or the use of obscene or foul language, etc.
PASSING SUCCESS
Randomness or coincidence is not a plausible explanation for passing that consistently defies convention and probability to substantially improve the partner’s hand. Non-cheaters never break combos such as trips and straights—worsening their own hand—to pass a low or mid to their partner. Yet, this is a move cheaters do consistently when they can complete a long straight or bomb for their partner.
Of course, combos also result from chance. In fact, 50% of all passes between non-cheating partners will result in some combo, at minimum a pair. Same odds as a coin flip. Tossing 10 times and getting 10 heads has a probability of 0.1% (or 1 in 999) the same as passing a card that gives your partner a combo 10 of 10 times. Understanding this, when you see partners having extraordinary passing success like 41 of 41 over a series of games, you know the probability of it occurring by chance is 0.00000000005% or 1 in 2.2 trillion.
Taking it a step further, while 50% of all passes between partners results in a combo, there are usually several different potential combos that could be made. Among non-cheaters, the best possible combo is made only 17% of the time. For cheaters, that number is usually 100%. The probability of 41 of 41 is 0.0%, with at least 126 extra zeros to the right of the decimal.
The conclusion in such situations is unequivocal: the players are cheating. The most common denominator among those who do this is that the players are friends in real life. They have incentive (ELO, winning), opportunity (they know each other), and little to no risk of consequences.
Baseline probabilities are from millions of hands publicly available in BSW gamelogs (http://tichulog.brettspielwelt.de/).
DISCLAIMER
Cheaters in free online card games is the least of worries for most us. People are victimized by many things from the most banal and corporate to the horrific. In the grand scheme, what happens on BGA isn't all that important. However, people play games to relax, release stress, satisfy competitive urges, make friends, etc. It may seem harmless to cheat against anonymous strangers online for ELO or whatever, yet, what cheaters do is fundamental selfish, exploiting non-consenting others and depriving them of fair play. Don't be a cheater.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT CHEATING
1. Review the cards passed to opponents and each other
Cheaters rarely miss an opportunity, their passing beats the odds and provides the exact card needed whenever the other has it. Keep in mind, some bombs/combos will occur by luck, especially when high cards are passed. Instructions on how to quick navigate game replays for review can be found on this page.
2. Give each player a public red thumb
Go to each profile and click > I want to avoid this player > Yes, everybody should avoid this person > This player is Kingmaking / engaging in team play).
If your play was not recent, or you want to block someone preemptively, you won't be able to select this option. Instead, give a private red thumb (I want to avoid this player > No, this is just my opinion). Both ensure you can’t end up at a Tichu table with the blocked users.
3. Report both players to the moderators
Go to each profile and click Report this Player at top right. Click Start. Click X is using multiple accounts to boost ELO. Click: The accounts play against each other to cheat the ranking systems. From there, answer four questions. It’s best to prepare answers in a document and then copy and paste into reports fields.
- Please list here the BGA accounts owned by the same person: Provide the user names and profile links.
- Which games involve cheating?: Include a link to your game table and any others played that support your accusation. More evidence is useful.
- Please explain what makes you think the same person owns all these accounts?: You don’t know if it’s two people or one person with two accounts, so note that. Then explain your reasoning behind the report.
- If you would like to include additional information to your report, please type it below.
REVIEWED PARTNERSHIPS & TABLES
Click ANALYSIS for more info. Follow step 2 above to preemptively block each so you won't unwittingly play against them.
[/list] *
*Moderation Edit: please do not use the Forums to call players out by name, this is what the Moderation Reports are for. The Forums should remain a general discussion.