Late December I started becoming decent ‘poker buddies’ with ADZ124 (Matthew Mara). We talked over aim a fair amount and I began to trust him. Late one night, ADZ124 and JDredd were sitting at 100/200, ADZ was sitting out. I sat down not particularly wanting to play heads-up, I had no idea who JDredd was (usually a sign I should play in the game). Before I made a decision to play JDredd heads-up or not, ADZ messaged me over aim that he will play if we swap 50%. I had never swapped with ADZ before, but did not particularly want to play a heads-up match so I accepted the 50% swap. I have never done this before, haven’t done it since and will never do again. I acknowledge it is unethical to swap with a player in the same game.

We played 3 handed for a little, I was down and ADZ was even. After getting a feel for JDredd, I felt confident that I would do well in a heads-up match against him. I told ADZ over aim that I think I have a better edge heads-up, but that he could still keep 50% of the action if he sat out and let me play JDredd alone. He accepted, sat out, and left his computer. I then lost more during the heads up match. The losses from 3 handed and heads up totaled 72k.

This was over 3 months ago, and ADZ seems to have no intentions of paying his debt ($32k). He has shown a “What are you going to do about it” attitude. He claimed I tilted and/or I was colluding with JDredd, and therefore he is relieved of his debts.

Below is our most recent aim conversation, the last time we discussed the matter. (The acutal screen names have been edited.)

Mezmerize: hi
Mezmerize: are you ever going to pay me my $32k
Mezmerize: b/c i'd like to get it asap
Mezmerize: ?
ADZ: i told u from the begining u wudnt get it asap
ADZ: im owed 105 k + too ya know
ADZ: and i just lost 200k
Mezmerize: u are just scaring me
Mezmerize: dodging me on aim
Mezmerize: etc
ADZ: no im not
ADZ: last time we talked
ADZ: u told me to stfu
ADZ: so i was like **** this
Mezmerize: i hope u can see why i am frustrated
Mezmerize: from my view
Mezmerize: u basically told me
Mezmerize: that u were unsure if u were going to pay
ADZ: i told u from the beginning
ADZ: i wasnt gona pay u rite away
ADZ: and u said it was ok
ADZ: didnt u?
Mezmerize: yes but it has been a long time
Mezmerize: i can understand a few days
Mezmerize: even a week
Mezmerize: longer than that just seems like a delay
Mezmerize: i know you have the money
ADZ: trust me im owed over 100k and i dont like it either
ADZ: but wat am i gona do
ADZ: harass the guy?
ADZ: havent got `1 penny yet
Mezmerize: so you are paying me 100% though
ADZ: yes i just want to collect the 105k im owed 1st too to protect myselkf
Mezmerize: i hate that you paying me is delayed by you being owed money that i have nothing to do with
Mezmerize: in my eyes i should start charging you a vig
ADZ: good luck
ADZ: collecting
Mezmerize: exactly
ADZ: ya exactly
ADZ: u cant ****ing do anything
ADZ: so dont say stupid ****
Mezmerize: reputation is everything
Mezmerize: how does this not destroy ur reputation
ADZ: cuz u coulda easily been colluding
ADZ: u dont tell me ur on tilt
Mezmerize: but i wasn't
ADZ: when u clearly are
ADZ: and u do things
ADZ: that i ask u not to do
ADZ: before u do them
Mezmerize: that has nothing to do with anything
ADZ: that end up costing money
Mezmerize: the fact is
Mezmerize: you owe me 32k
Mezmerize: and you are not paying
ADZ: AND
ADZ: u make me sit out
ADZ: so u can HU
Mezmerize: btw
Mezmerize: 1 week please
Mezmerize: or i am going to try to destroy your reputation
ADZ: ok
Mezmerize: sorry to say but money is money
ADZ: good luck
ADZ: to you
Mezmerize: k
Mezmerize: i hope you come to your senses
ADZ: ok
ADZ: good luck to you
ADZ: lol
ADZ: 1 week
ADZ: or u ruin my reputation
ADZ: i will remember that 1
ADZ: halarious
ADZ: so which other players do u cullude with
ADZ: do u think u worry me?
ADZ: if so
ADZ: ur halarious


I obviously should have come forward sooner, and I hope that some of you will not make the same mistake as me.

dude it is horribly unethical to swap 50% with another guy in a 3 handed game.. are you kidding me????? this is straight up collusion and stars should handle it as such

1st......Someone post the popcorn pic

Blah Dat moose.

Also you come off almost as bad as ADZ imo

I agree it's unethical but ROFL at ADZ accusing Mplz of colluding/tilting. Tilting shouldn't affect his obligation to pay 1/2 regardless of whether or not it happened and I bet it didn't. Furthermore, it's even more ridiculous that ADZ is not going to pay until he collects on money he's owed completely not involving Mplz...My 2 cents.

its straight up blatant collusion 100%. Playing 3 handed against 2 guys who have 50% of each other????? Cmon, this is ridiculous, I have never emailed stars to report anybody in my life but I have already emailed them about this. I cant believe this guy mezmerizeplz was dumb enough to post this... If you are gonna cheat try not to get caught, let alone admit it in a public forum.

How would you feel if you are JDredd?

i think the only person whose rep is ruined here is mezmerize. everyone already knew adz was a sack of **** and i doubt anybody's too surprised that somebody who acts the way he does all the time would skip out on a debt.

but swapping 50% in a 3 handed game is waaaaaaaaay more unethical than multiaccounting MTTs, sharing hole cards over IM, or any of the other unethical things which people always complain about. it's straight up teaming up to steal a guy's money and this is truly appalling.

Mezmerize, you say you acknowledge it's unethical. Did you realize this at the time? If not, what revelation came to you that made you realize "hey, teaming up 3-handed on a guy might be wrong?" If so, why are we supposed to give you a pass or believe that you won't do it again (you knew it was wrong then but did it anyway, what's changed?).

Obviously Emil thinks what they did is unethical, he's just saying that ADZ's arguments for not paying up are ridiculous and stupid, which is obviously true.

i emailed stars about your collusion as well.

thank you and have a merry christmas

72K/2 = 36K

trainwreck

yeah you both pretty much look like ******s here.

this is all pretty ****ed up

lol, you picked a pretty dumb place to complain

you might as well go into a cop bar to complain that some dude you delivered a kilo of coke to still hasn't paid you

"lol"

dictionary.com defines collusion as:
"a secret agreement, esp. for fraudulent or treacherous purposes; conspiracy"

If two people in a 3 handed game swap 50/50 and don't softplay/share hands/share advice with each other, then how is it any different than playing in the same 3 handed game without the 50/50 swap? The purpose here is to reduces variance without any fraudulent or treacherous will.

I agree that the 50/50 swap is unethical and unfair to the 3rd player, but please don't accuse my friend of collusion, as it simply is NOT the case. Its just as unethical and unfair to the third player if the two other players are friends and the 3rd is unaware with or without a 50/50 swap.

edit: this is p3achy_keen

this post is so LOL

wow adz is such a dick.. and well mesmerize although did something unethical, its not that uncommon of regulars playing soft against eachother because they either show respect and doesnt want to tango or are friends and tries to stay out of eachothers way when multitabling. but obviously for jdredd it sucks.. but wow, adz saying he is oweed 2 and blames mes for going on tilt has nothing to do with anything. he made a deal and its time to cough up. thats way way more unethical and deserves a in person beating more then anything else. those are the people who deserves to die in my opinion.

my 2c.. lol

lol this post was the biggest mistake you've ever made, right above swapping with adz and expecting to get paid. but the poker community thanks you for doing it!

by the tone of your post you don't even come close to realizing the gravity of what you did

Epic fail. I still stand by my post though, the ADZ thing needed to get out in the open, and believe what you want but I didn't change my plays nor consider what I did collusion.

ADZ seems like the biggest piece of **** ever (pokerwise too for that matter), and I thought that before this post too.

dude this is not a joke. what you did is serious ****. its really scary that you don't see how big of a problem this is tho its reassuring that the rest of this board does

It is collusion if they in the slightest way change their play knowingly that thet have 50% in the other player. It is like staking a guy in a tournament and softplay him if he is shortstacked to gain a surplus together compared to not softplay him.

Since they are both good players there is no doubt they will adjust and take advantage of the 50/50 deal.

1) You should have never joined up with a punk like ADZ for that much money. That was your biggest mistake.

2) It IS simply collusion and not fair to the third player in the game. If you cant see that then your just a cheat who doesn't know it.

3) Re-read #1

TRAINWRECK!

SELF-TRAINWRECK!