Cheaters¹⁸

The good player never cheats—he never needs to.

In friendly and private poker games, most players consider a cheater less honorable than a thief because a thief robs from strangers, but a poker cheat robs from his friends. The normal emotional impulse is to banish the cheater from the game… or worse.¹⁹ The good poker player, however, resists acting on emotions. He views any cheating situation objectively and then acts in his best long-range financial interest.

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^{18For more details and information about amateur and professional cheating see Chapters XXIX-XXXI.}

^{19Stronger emotional reactions against cheaters are common. Some reactions can result in physical violence, even mayhem or homicide.}