Dishonest or fair game?

[zelda]

Earlier whilst playing a heads up game my opponent got disconnected - I decided to sit out until he was reconnected.  A few minutes later I was the one disconnected and I couldn’t get back in for a while - when I finally did it was obvious he had been stealing my blinds as he was raising all my bb’s.  I was incredibly small stacked at this stage as the blinds were 100/200.  I posted this on another forum and I was surprised at how other players thought I should have done what my opponent had done and steal his blinds.  Agree or disagree?  It seems dishonest to me - I went on to win by the way…

[matt674]

It isnt my fault if my opponent chooses to have his dial-up modem provided by outer mongolia's equivalent of BT just because it means he saves £1.20 a week. If they disconnect and the software doesnt allow extra time for reconnection (on pokerstars it does if you are in the money) then i will take his/her blind if offered.

The main reason i switched to broadband from dial-up was to play online poker without the continual disconnections and apart from the occasional time when i wander too far away from my wireless connection box i've never had a problem.

Its just like being in a B&M casino and playing - if the big blind was away from the table for whatever reason (toilet break, smoke break) and everyone folded round to you in the small blind you wouldnt pass on purpose just to give the BB his/her money back so why should you do it online?

[yt]

Unless I knew the opponent I must admit I would steal his blinds. Just the way it is on 't net

[Ironside]

i have always sat out and let my oppo reconect but have many times had people steal my blinds when disconected

disconnects are not just a dial up problem but its alot less of a problem,

i once when playing on a pokerzone tv table waited for my oppo to come back

just after he came back and i won they started showing the game on tv

only for the axxeman to cut to a break when he realised what was happening

2 hands before the oppo came back and i demolished him fair and square

[matt674]

Just the way it is on 't net

Not just on 't net but in all of poker....... take the example in the recent WSOP event when they were down to heads up and one of the two players dropped the "f-bomb". Got an automatic 10 minute sin-bin and his opponent didnt just pass every hand when he was in the small blind to keep it fair.

(ok so he still went on to lose when the sin-binned player returned!! )

Players disconnecting is just part and parcel of internet poker - if you feel guilty about it then find an online site that allows extra time to reconnect when you are playing heads up.

[Robert HM]

I remember RED-DOG heads up in a good priced final on Laddies, his oppo got disconnected so RED slow played and passed the small blind whilst waiting. Impressed.

[RED-DOG]

I'm a 'Do as you would be done by' sort of person

[matt674]

I'm a 'Do as you would be done by' sort of person

So what if it were in a live tourney and your opponent was away from the table when it was his big blind and everyone passes to you in the small blind - would you pass and give the big blind his money back or would you call and take it for yourself?

[Decider]

I was in an STT on Will Hills last week and sitting with 3 players left, I had 7k against 2k and 1k.  I got disconnected, and it took about 10mins to reconnect.  It's very rare, but it happened 3 times that night.  Probably only 5 times in nearly 3 months though.

When I got back, the game had finished and I was 2nd.  I still don't know if they noticed or not, I'm sure they must have, as it changes your status to Sitting Out.  I considered myself lucky not to have finished 3rd.

[mikkyT]

Earlier whilst playing a heads up game my opponent got disconnected - I decided to sit out until he was reconnected.  A few minutes later I was the one disconnected and I couldn’t get back in for a while - when I finally did it was obvious he had been stealing my blinds as he was raising all my bb’s.  I was incredibly small stacked at this stage as the blinds were 100/200.  I posted this on another forum and I was surprised at how other players thought I should have done what my opponent had done and steal his blinds.  Agree or disagree?  It seems dishonest to me - I went on to win by the way…

Very very very honest of you just to sit it out and wait. The vast majority of players including myself would have the opinion of fair game (unless they knew the person). Playing a game whose very nature is one of deception, this is not suprising.

[Mr F]

So what if it were in a live tourney and your opponent was away from the table when it was his big blind and everyone passes to you in the small blind - would you pass and give the big blind his money back or would you call and take it for yourself?

But surely disconnection is beyond your control whereas if you leave the table when playing live you've made that decision?

[Ironside]

I'm a 'Do as you would be done by' sort of person

So what if it were in a live tourney and your opponent was away from the table when it was his big blind and everyone passes to you in the small blind - would you pass and give the big blind his money back or would you call and take it for yourself?

as the bb cards would be mucked at the end of the dealing you would have no option and the dealer will just pass you the chips

[Graham C]

it sucks that you waited and he didnt - did you tell him you waited?  I would have been well miffed, but I dont know if I would have sitted out in the first place as its never happened to me yet.

[Dewi_cool]

I had an occasion last week when in a £15 stt sat for the Crypto 35k , we were down to three, I was Cl with around 6.5k 2nd had 2k and third had 1.5k, the 2nd chip leader got disconnected and as there is a £30 for second the 3rd suggested we stole the blinds form the disconnect, I carried on playing and did not answer the question and in the meantime I knocked him out, however the sit out was still losing his blinds and was down to 1 big blind by the time we were HU, I carried on knowing that he would get his £30, but the abuse I got from the other bloke was unbelievable.

[matt674]

So what if it were in a live tourney and your opponent was away from the table when it was his big blind and everyone passes to you in the small blind - would you pass and give the big blind his money back or would you call and take it for yourself?

But surely disconnection is beyond your control whereas if you leave the table when playing live you've made that decision?

to get disconnected maybe beyond your control (apart from the odd time when someone forgets to put 50p in the meter) but most sites have set rules and guidelines for disconnections (some allow extra time to return etc etc) but it is the same for everybody. If you do not like their policies on how disconnected players are dealt with then you simply dont play there. Once a player has timed out and is sitting out then he/she is not at the table just as in a live game.