How Can You be Cheated While Playing Online Poker?

Millions of people around the world enjoy playing poker. For many, the most convenient way to play is to jump online, either in a regular table game against others or in a tournament that has been setup. Being away from the other players and acting remotely for yourself has led to small openings for those who wish to cheat.

This is of course very disappointing, and something that needs to be eradicated. It is also something you can look out for while you are playing. What you have to remember here is that poker puts you against other people. For example, when using betting offers to bet with bookmakers, you are going up against a company, one that is regulated. When you are playing poker, you are against another person, one that may be willing to take a risk and cheat.

Here are five ways in which that could happen to you:

Ghosting

This is something that has taken place in the past in big live poker events, though online it is even harder to solve. Basically, ghosting is when another player is giving the player in the game advice on how to play.

In online games, this can happen via Skype, TeamView where a remote person can view the other persons screen and other ways. It usually only happens as the tournament gets to a close, and there is a decent pot at stake.

This is believed to be the most common form of online poker cheating. It doesn’t give a player a huge advantage, but does mean there are two opinions of the hand going up against your single opinion.

Bots

Some people may never have heard of bots. These are software programs that perform tasks. In many ways, a computer is the ideal poker player, which is why bots have become so popular in the game.

When you are playing poker, you are making decisions based on maths and what gives you the best probability. A bot is programmed to know the probabilities, and for that reason although they may not win every time, they can play the perfect game every time.

Cracking down on bots is incredibly difficult, especially because they are now being programmed to replicate human actions. Seeing a player at a table for a very long time may well be the best indicator of having a bot at your table.

These are programmed to play the best hands and know when the odds are in their favour, making them incredibly difficult to play against as a player.

Multiple Accounts

This is something that poker sites are trying to clamp down on, but if people get through the checks and have multiple accounts to use on the same site and in the same game then it is going to cause you some real problems.

With multiple accounts, players can sit at the table and play multiple hands against you. This increases their chances of winning, and they can use various tactics to try and push you out of the game by raising stakes with one specific player in a bid to try and make you fold.

The good news for players is that poker sites do not want people with multiple accounts as it harms them because they people can claim multiple bonuses. For that reason, you know the poker sites are working hard to cut these people out.

Collusion

In the past, this has taken place in physical games, and it has now continued onto the online game. Players share their hands with each other, and how they want to play the game. They work together to see which of them has the best chance of winning, raise the pot to get other players involved and then hope that their strongest hand wins the game.

This can be done via a phone call, using a program like Skype or other methods. Both players will work together to try and ensure that the pot is as big as possible and that one of them has a strong chance of winning.

Viewing Hole Cards

This has been left until the end, because it is very rare although it has happened in the past and is something to be aware of. A general player account allows you to see your cards only. However, a super user account, such as those used by dealers and other people who run poker sites, can see the cards of everyone at the table.

With this, a player will know when to fold, when to play on and can work out the game perfectly, because what you think is secret information is actually visible to another player.

It is very rare, but make sure you are aware of this.

• Want poker news as it breaks? Join the Poker News and Gossip Telegram channel!