Poker Bots Investment Opportunity?

Update: Detailed and well researched analysis of this "investment opportunity" has been posted on flushdraw.net site; check it out if you are looking for more info on this topic.

Online poker bots have been a thorn in the side of many players. There have been rumors and limited evidence of the bots’ presence on several poker networks. While some platforms give more attention to dealing with bots, others seemingly turn a blind eye and let the ‘computer players’ run wild at the tables.

In midst of all that, someone came up with a ‘clever’ idea to start a company running bot rings on various platforms and guaranteeing a profit for those who decide to invest. A thread appeared on 2+2 linking to the page and for obvious reasons I will not be linking it in this article.

From a legal standpoint, this is a very vague area. Poker bots are not exactly a priority for lawmakers, and while most online rooms do prohibit these programs in their T&Cs, as already mentioned, many of them simply don’t care enough to effectively enforce the rules.

The ‘company’ describes itself as an automatic system for gaining guaranteed passive income from online poker. They further elaborate as to how no poker experience is needed and that no risk is involved as these robots, as they call them, have been making money at online poker tables for more than 3 years.

Is this legit?

It's a funny question to ask about an enterprise, the backbone of which is basically a scam. Bots are not allowed online, and the fact that some people are able to get away with it doesn’t make it any better; except for those profiting from it.

But let’s overlook that fact for a moment and see how likely this offer is to be what it claims and whether or not it may be just a quick money grab from naive (and greedy?) potential victims. According to the information found on the site, these bots are supposedly everywhere, including iPoker, 888poker and even PokerStars.

Profit is guaranteed, and this is a big red flag. Every business opportunity that hypes up the guarantee of profit and never mentions any risks involved is likely to be a shady operation. Considering the nature of poker and how hard the games have become in general, asking people to believe that there is a bot ring that can guarantee a profit is a stretch to say the least.

Testimonials

There is a very encompassing part of the site containing ‘testimonials’ from current and previous users. While written testimonials are mostly one liners (or written in Russian), the videos are super funny. These are supposed to be accounts of real users, but it seems, somehow, that most of them have the same story.

These ‘users’ have found the site either by browsing for alternative income opportunities or were referred by a friend, and they all seem to be so grateful because they have more time to spend with their friends and families. Which is nice, but is also bogus as hell.

All of these videos have a clear marketing pitch targeting the values that society holds in high regard - friends and family, quality time, living a nice life without stress. All the videos end with this same pitch and it is rather obvious they were scripted.

Causes for concern?

If you are a poker player, this can be an upsetting find. Not only that people are botting, but that they are moving it up to almost a corporate level. That can’t be good. However, all things considered, this is more likely to be a Ponzi scheme attracting more and more users with their regular, small payments, while amassing funds from the unwitting investors.

Bots exist, this cannot be denied, but it is not very likely that this ‘company’ is actually in possession of a botnet running close to 600 robots.

The only people who really need to be concerned are the ‘investors.’ This scheme is obviously a disaster waiting to happen and when it all comes tumbling down, there will be many unhappy people whose money is gone for good.

However, from a player’s perspective, it is hard to feel bad for people who lose their money trying to fund a network of robots that are really bad for poker. So, word to the wise, if you happen to run into this site, save your money and move on.

Photo: Tom Fisher