Implicit Collusion ( poker )


A situation can arise in which the leader in a pot would prefer that one or more of his opponents fold because, while he has a positive expectation on his bet, he is not a favorite against the field. In implicit collusion, all opponents come to an independent agreement--that is, without consulting among each other--to all play in such a way as to minimize the chance of the player with the best hand winning the pot. For example, in a hold 'em tournament, a small stack may go all in and get called by one or more players with larger stacks. Those players collectively have a better chance of beating the all-in player than any does individually, and they may check
down the hand till the end, that is, with no one making a bet that might drive anyone else out. The all-in player may have the best hand and be the favorite against any one of the others, but collectively, the remaining players have a better chance against the all-in player, and if they all understand--even though nothing is ever said to that effect--that all will check
the hand down, that is implied collusion. In another example, a bluff may have a high chance of success against any one opponent, but against multiple opponents have no chance at all. In low-limit games, with their many players remaining at the end, a bluff against the field has almost no chance of succeeding. Again, this involves implied collusion among the players. They may not be aware of the situation, but it does exist. Similar situations arise in other games.