Soft play
Going easy on a particular opponent — checking down a strong hand against a friend, or not betting when you normally would — which cheats everyone else at the table out of the chips that player should have lost. Explicitly banned in tournaments.
Frequently asked questions
What is soft play in poker?
Deliberately not playing your best against a specific opponent — checking down a hand you would normally bet, refusing to raise a friend, or warning them off a pot. It can be arranged or simply instinctive between people who know each other.
Why is soft play against the rules?
Because every hand that is not fully contested transfers value from the other players to the pair involved. In a tournament it affects the whole field's prize equity, which is why rulebooks treat it as a form of collusion even without any agreement.
What are the penalties?
Tournament rules commonly provide for chip penalties, time penalties or disqualification, and forfeited chips may be removed from play. Intent is hard to prove, so floors usually warn first — but repeated patterns between the same two players get acted on.