It has been said that the best defense against poker cheating is to never play with strangers. The flaws in this logic however are:

1. Should the friend of a friend be considered a stranger and not allowed at the table?
2. What is to say that an acquaintance/buddy is not a poker cheat?
3. What about the honest poker player who doesn't cheat and just wants in on a game?

It is at the discretion of the House as to whether or not strangers are invited to games. To deny entry to strangers still allows friends of friends at the table, still allows acquaintances/buddies to cheat, and denies honest players from entering in on a game. Therefore, awareness of the fundamentals of poker cheating is still important. Excluding strangers, however, provides many honest players with a greater sense of ease.