Once A Cheater, Always A Cheater

This weekend I played in GP DC. As my team dwindled down the ranks, I couldn't help but notice one team climbing.

If you don't know who Alex Bertoncini is, that's okay. That was once me too. I remember the first time I met Alex. Four years ago (2014), I was at a random SCG in Ohio and wasn't doing well in the tournament. I decided to go out to the bar with three people who seemed to know me, even though I didn't know them. Among them was Alex. I found him to be super nice and personable. We kept in contact for a few months following the tournament. Around this same time, I moved to Las Vegas to be with my then-boyfriend. When he discovered I was talking to Alex, he becomes agitated, told me he was cheater, and that I should stop talking to him. I have never liked people telling me what to do; that fact paired with Alex's charisma made it hard for me to believe him a cheater. Alex gushed charm. He's hard to dislike. If I thought he was a cheater, I would have no longer liked him. I pressed on.

Shortly after, I was talking to another friend of mine who said I didn't have to take anyone's word that Alex was a cheater- I could see for myself. He linked the article he wrote. I saw a critique of this article saying we are taking one person's word over another's. In that article is the infamous "two Explores." Other links no longer exist, but I have dug up the Kira cheat video. After Drew's article, Alex was banned until 2017. After his ban was lifted he immediately cheated (here is a video detailing this). That was his third ban. Now he is back on the scene and from what I have witnessed, cheating again. **Editor note: I could spend all day posting the videos of his prior cheats. You can Google them and get many results. If you have never heard of Alex, I encourage you to do so.**
In the last round of the GP, I happened to be watching a match that was close enough to Alex's match that I could see the entire match. I didn't intend to watch his match, but when I looked over to see how it was going, I could not help but notice how Alex was shuffling his cards. Most of us learn early in Magic, either from an opponent telling us or intuition, not to look at your deck when you're shuffling. I watched closely as Alex would lift his cards and almost fluidly peek and look away from the cards he was bridging. While doing this, he would joke, talk to his teammates, and pause shuffling anytime his opponent would watch. I wanted to be sure before I called, I judge. I observed the behavior 4/6 times. I was sure and had a judge observe. He started shuffling...once- he didn't do it, twice- he didn't do it. I started to get nervous the judge would see, but time three (and the last time before he presented), he glanced at his deck again. I whispered to the judge, "that's the behavior I observed." What happened next is truly unbelievable. His opponent did not cut his deck! Alex played one drop, two drop, three drop. Sure people can curve out, but his three drop happened to be Goblin Chainwhirler, a fairly unbeatable card on turn 3. They go to game three, and I happen to notice a judge watching Alex shuffle. **Note: Some arguments "pro-Alex" I have gotten is how closely judges watch him, but until I called a judge no one was even close to observing his match.**

By this time, a friend had joined me, and I explained to him the behavior I exhibited in game two. He watched and saw the same behavior, and I thought the judge watching could as well. At this point, another judge had passed by me, and I commented again. He must have taken the accusation more seriously because he quickly got the head judge for me to tell my story to. Before leaving, the judge asked a question that I think is a very important point to this whole story. He asked, "Why don't you think his opponents noticed?" Team tournaments are a cheaters paradise. Your opponents are distracted. They are either talking to their teammates or trying to see what is going on in their match. I explained to the head judge when the shuffle cheating happened, his opponent was covering his mouth (and therefore his face and eyes) with his hands, so Alex's team could not see what he was saying. As I said, I only saw the behavior 4/6 and then 1/3 times. When Alex's opponent was paying attention, Alex was mindful of shuffling correctly. The HJ took note and walked away to speak with the other judges. I went back to watching Alex shuffle. Without fail, he looks while shuffling. The judges were still watching. I thought we had him.

After game three, the HJ pulled him aside, and they started discussing. They spoke for about ten minutes, then Alex came back. Nothing happened. If this were anybody else, I could understand the judges giving him the benefit of the doubt, but this is seasoned cheater Alex Bertoncini. Think about how many game rules violations he has used his charisma to sweet talk his way out of. He has been caught cheating three times and banned, but he has cheated many more times.

In closing, I have two messages, one to the judges and one to the players. To the judges I spoke with at GP DC and observed this behavior: please reconsider what decision was made. A cheater that is caught cheating, but not punished is only encouraged to cheat again. Judges who will be at tournaments he will be at in the future: have one person dedicated to watch Alex. That might seem costly and ineffective, but it is not as costly as the blind robbery that is taking place otherwise. Players: if you are paired against Alex and there is not already a judge present, call a judge at the start of the match. Request they stay from start to finish. As a player, it is hard to watch your opponent every second of every round, and if you give Alex even a second, he will cheat you.

In the future, maybe WOTC will consider a lifetime ban for multiple-time offenders, but as of now, this cheater will constantly play among us. We have to be diligent. Share your stories, whether they are big or they are small. Don't brush them off. Don't let the time he fumbled his cards at an FNM slide; it matters. It all matters.