Is Using PokerSnowie Cheating?

Many of you have already heard of Game Theory Optimal (GTO) and poker software that is based on that exploitable strategy. Several poker softwares exist for those who want to step up their game. There is GTO Range Builder or GTORB, PioSolver for the serious poker players willing to spend big , and now a more affordable solution for the low-stake players called PokerSnowie.

You may even have considered whether or not to try PokerSnowie but you’re not quite sure if it’s the right thing to do. What if poker sites decide to ban such software like some of them did with the notorious HUDs? What if I use it and get banned for cheating, you may wonder? What if it isn’t any good?

Well banning such poker software isn’t likely to happen at all and getting a ban for using GTO softwares is unlikely too. Why? To answer those questions - including if PokerSnowie is good for your game or not - let’s first try to understand the software and what constitutes cheating in poker.

What Is PokerSnowie Anyway?

PokerSnowie is an AI No-Limit Hold’Em training tool. Basically it’s a self-learning machine that uses its playing experience and applies it versus a human player. In the past, you may have heard about some computer softwares that learned the game of backgammon by playing with the best backgammon players in the world. PokerSnowie is that kind of software - they call it an artificial neural net. The interesting thing is that nobody teaches the artificial neural net anything, it learns from experience. In our case, nobody taught PokerSnowie concepts like hand odds and pot odds and even hand strength, it had to learn the hard way by playing at first really randomly and bad thus losing a lot and gradually adapting and figuring out by itself what are the winning and unexploitable strategies. Of course, this whole process took time and a lot of playing experience but the program eventually improved to the point it can actually give decent advice to human players.

So what can you do with this software? First of all, you can take quizzes, practically play against him in order to improve your GTO thinking process at the poker tables. You can also import hand histories and analyze tough spots or even evaluate certain situations where you aren’t quite sure if a strategy is balanced or not. But fixing your past mistakes doesn't sound like cheating, it sounds like coaching.

What Constitutes Cheating In Poker?

That’s a tricky question because we all have different concepts of what is cheating and what is not. Some of us even think the notorious HUDs are cheating - some online poker operators agree - while others think script seating and data mining are actually legit. The point we are trying to make is that there won’t ever be a universal, balanced opinion of what constitutes cheating in poker. But we can at least state the obvious.

For example, using poker bots is cheating, we can all agree on that - including the online poker operators. Using different software that can decide in our place what is the best thing to do is also cheating. It’s basically like using a bot right? So to be a legit poker game, we must be able to make our own decision and use our own brain without software suggesting what to do real-time in one situation or another. That’s a fair statement right? Aha, you may say, PokerSnowie does the exact same things we listed so far in this section and branded it as cheating. Well not so fast. There is a catch that makes such software perfectly legitimate.

PokerSnowie Is NOT Cheating

The most important aspect of the AI training tool is this: IT IS NOT REAL-TIME! You cannot use it while playing online poker. In fact, PokerSnowie cannot run if programs like PokerStars and Full Tilt are also running. Those two poker sites must be closed in order to use the neat tool. So it’s just a training tool meant to hone your poker skills by analyzing your game pre- or post-session NOT in-session. It doesn’t play for you. And since training is allowed in most life situations, why wouldn’t be allowed in poker? This is why the online poker operators can’t ban such programs - they can only stop them from running during your time on their site/network. While the room is closed, you can do whatever you want including playing with PokerSnowie. Be advised though: while the software may not run with PokerStars/Full Tilt opened, it may run with other poker networks/rooms opened but you are in danger of breaking the rules and become a cheater so just close it whenever you feel like testing your skills against real opponents.

Word of Caution: GTO Is NOT Max Value

Yet PokerSnowie isn’t the ultimate poker opponent by a long shot. It still has flaws that can get you in trouble at the poker tables. And most importantly, it is GTO software, the kind of software that helps you play balanced and optimal. Optimal though isn’t necessarily the best strategy especially when playing against emotional beings, it’s just unexploitable. There will be times - for example, against bad players - where you will have to play exploitable thus sub-optimal in order to extract max value so don’t expect a GTO software to teach you that.

Already many poker players on 2+2 forums doubt the PokerSnowie strategy and its effectiveness at the tables. While it may have some value at the micros and maybe the low-stakes, don’t just take its word for it. In other words, PokerSnowie may seem like the Deep Blue of card games but you still have to figure the game out for yourself.

What do you think about the software? Have you used it so far? Did it do any good? Share your experience with the poker community by commenting below.