It’s essential to mention that players find it extremely hard to identify potential cheating in online poker compared to the live poker rooms or a traditional casino. All you can see when you go online is user names and avatars, essentially doing away with any person-to-person interaction. This allows several players to play incognito or with aliases without giving away their true identities.
Online poker was initially developed as a simple online gambling sport for entertainment and quick cash rewards. However, its reliance on gaming software has encouraged players to for widespread exploitative practices. Recent times have seen online poker sites step up their security measures to eliminate cheating effectively.
Vigilant Measures
The internet is filled with many poker sites that employ a dedicated team of poker experts and programmers. These professionals are assigned the job of scouring the platform for identifying unscrupulous accounts. Here’s a detailed breakdown of some standard online poker cheating methods that can help you protect yourself.
Online Collusion
Firstly, it is worth mentioning that online collusion is arguably the most common scheming method that players use for cheating in online poker. Like traditional live settings, you could fall prey to multiple opponents who have already paired together to play against you on purpose. To put it simply, online collusion allows opposition players to share card information among them to gain an advantage over you.
If you are a first-timer, you must realize that this type of cheating is tough to spot- especially if you are playing on not-so-popular poker sites. But if you ever notice that a set of players are always playing together, you must be proactive and report them to security.
Online Ghosting
If you are new to poker and lack the necessary awareness to spot cheating, you must learn about online ghosting. This is another top form of cheating that involves players consulting midgame with a better-skilled pro. You could also cross players who have left their account midgame to allow another person to fill in their place during the critical stages of the game.
Some believe that ghosting is not cheating. However, the behavior is unethical and should not be tolerated. It is essential mentioning that live settings and poker rooms don’t allow ghosting since venues implement a single player per hand policy. Moreover, players are strictly prohibited from consulting or seeking help from other players.
Online Poker Bots
Thirdly, you could be playing against PokerStars bots in online poker. There has been a massive uproar among the poker-playing community to banish bots. However, the threat continues to plague the online gaming scene as of now. Poker bots can play against real-life players using artificial intelligence and infinite pre-determined calculations for a comprehensive understanding.
More and more players are choosing online PokerStars bots since they don’t run out of energy or lack the concentration to play multiple tables simultaneously. Moreover, they seldom experience any downswings or tilt, making them a dangerous threat to the game.
If you want to learn more, you must approach the folks at Poker Bot AI.