Props are generally used to start games and generally are good at short handed play, when the table begins to fill they are generally required to get another table going thus perpetuating the cycle. Props to my knowledge use their own money to play and get a kickback on their rake or some get an hourly wage depending on the table. They live and die by the play of the cards just as everyone else does, the only additional info they have is their experience. As for their need for props, I can only imagine it is to get tables going in games that may be having a slow start. At Party's level it wouldn't appear they would be needed much but what do I know...
Most who try to collude are bumbling idiots and are either caught by the operators and lose their bankrolls and banned or discover eventually that if they lose on their own that they just lose twice as fast with a partner.
If it takes place it is at much higher levels of the game like say 15/30 and up. If you are playing at that level I would hope that you are not a fish and can tell when things aren't sitting well at which point you can change tables or if you feel a couple of people are consistently raising you out of pots and then one of them folding prior to showdown etc... then contact management. Believe it or not, they are very thorough at checking these things out... how often do these people play together, are they dumping chips, are they raising with crap hands etc...
I am currently playing the NL100 ring games and have not noticed any problems with collusion although I'd swear a couple of time people have ganged up to give me huge pots
I think a lot of the collusion worry leaves once you have a big enough bankroll and enough experience to know that you are a winning player. A lot of what looks like collusion at the lower levels is just plain stupid play on behalf of your opponents, or what they call the schooling effect, fishy stuff.
Also stay away from twoplustwo, if everyone starts going there then I'll have to find a different profession
P.S. No I don't play any tourneys (SNG's) unless just for fun, the luck quotient goes way up. Your odds of winning are based on your ability to stay in the game long enough to reap the rewards of those odds, one mistake in a tourney and your out. Still fun to play once in a while and dream about.
wdbaker
Denver, Co
