Casino software providers and iGaming operators must be committed to ensuring fairness and preventing online poker cheating. Most serious gamblers want to have fun playing online poker for real money. Unfortunately, not all players have genuine intentions in a gambling world with numerous opportunities to win substantial amounts of money in online poker games.
As a skill-based game, poker requires adequate training to master the rules and know how to defeat other players at the table. However, it takes time to perfect the skills and play the game like a professional. Due to the amount of effort and thinking involved, some players decide to cheat, hoping to win the prize without being caught. Poker platform operators should put preventive measures in place to thwart cheaters. They must also implement effective strategies to improve fairness and build trust.
Cheating in Poker Is Not New
The history of online poker can be traced back to the 1990s, with the first online poker rooms, like Planet Poker, emerging in the late 1990s and more poker rooms gaining popularity in the 2000s. However, cheating in poker games started long before anyone thought it would be possible to play casino games online. The sad reality is that some famous professional poker players have been caught using illegal methods to gain an edge over other players at the tables.
Some players use sleight-of-hand techniques or collude with other players to cheat in live games. They may also sneak a peek at other players’ cards, doing everything possible to make sure no one notices. Such practices have caused scandals and led to players being banned from casinos. Furthermore, lawsuits have been filed against some poker players and casinos.
Cheating at online poker is also not new, and it’s quite alluring considering that players can play anonymously. From multi-accounting to ghosting, internet poker players can use various techniques to beat even the most experienced gamblers. For these reasons, online poker room operators must know how players cheat and use effective ways to prevent cheating.
How People Usually Cheat on Online Poker Platforms
Understanding how cheating in online poker happens is essential. Players can use simple methods to gain an advantage over other gamblers in a poker room. Moreover, there are sophisticated and hard-to-detect techniques. Either way, it’s easy to prevent what you know might happen. Most players use the following methods to cheat in online poker games.
Multi-Accounting
One of the simplest ways to cheat in poker involves creating and using multiple player accounts in online poker rooms. This is commonly known as multi-accounting in the iGaming world. Multi-accounting cheats can use two or more accounts to play cash games or join online poker tournaments. This is an unfair practice because, unlike other players with one account, players with multiple accounts can see more hole cards and continue to play in sit-and-go tournaments if one of their accounts is eliminated.
Superuser Accounts
Superuser Accounts, also known as root users, are poker players who gain access to the systems used to keep gaming platforms running. While legitimate administrators may have these privileges, some players can obtain them through hacking. These individuals can access system files, install additional software, or alter the accounts created by other players. Their actions can have devastating effects on the experiences of other users and can severely damage the operator’s reputation.
Collusion
Collusion happens when two or more poker players collaborate to gain an unfair advantage over the gamblers in online poker rooms. This cheating method can benefit players who want to share information about their cards. Collusion also involves deliberately losing to other players (chip dumping), soft play to give other players an unjustifiable chance to win, and sharing hole cards via 3rd party communication channels.
Using Poker Bots
Some poker players leverage the power of software and computer technology to cheat in poker. Using poker bots is one of the easiest ways to cheat and beat other players in poker rooms. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), poker bots are computer programs designed to play poker games without the help of a human being. They make autonomous decisions and can play for longer periods than human players.
Real-Time Assistance
Real-time assistance (RTA) software is another AI-based method players can use to improve their gameplay in poker games. It provides gamblers with real-time information, teaching them the best way to play their poker hands. When playing real-money poker, cheating online with software-powered assistance is considered unethical, which is why players who use this technique deserve to be banned from casinos.
Ghosting
Ghosting is another widely used online poker cheating method. Despite its simplicity, this is one of the most difficult cheating techniques to detect as an online casino operator. Ghosting entails getting help from someone else who can see the player’s cards. For example, an inexperienced player can closely work with a professional poker player and share hole cards for assistance.
Best Practices to Prevent Cheating on Online Poker
Preventing cheating in poker is crucial for online poker casino operators to maintain a high level of integrity in the industry. It’s always better to prevent practices with potentially devastating effects than wait for the worst to happen. If you let cheats thrive, players will lose trust in your poker platform and software. The most unfortunate and frustrating situation is dealing with serious allegations, scandals, and costly lawsuits.
Fortunately, you can prevent the most common forms of cheating by taking the right steps. The recommended prevention methods include using high-quality software, ensuring fair gaming, providing safe payments, and employing strict registration and verification procedures.
Randomness in Poker Games
Partnering with a reliable poker software provider is the key to ensuring randomness in the games you offer. Reputable online poker platform developers offer games from trustworthy game providers. Such companies develop their games using random number generators (RNGs). As the name implies, the work of RNG software is to ensure that all game outcomes are random. Neither the operator nor the player can manipulate game results. With RNG-powered poker games, the cards are always shuffled and dealt in each game round, making sure that no player is more advantaged than the other.
Fair Play and Anti-Cheating
Fair gameplay is another important consideration. This includes offering fair games with unbiased outcomes, as mentioned above. It also involves creating and using advanced computer algorithms and innovative software to detect cheating in poker. Moreover, casino operators can ensure fairness and integrity with randomised card-dealing methods.
Another helpful technique is to implement tools for analysing player behaviour. By employing robust anti-cheating mechanisms, poker room operators can quickly identify suspicious behaviour and questionable practices that help certain players win games using unfair tactics. Once such cheats are detected, the operator can ban them from the casino.
Transactions Security
To combat cheating, online poker platform operators must facilitate safe payments. The first step is to choose trusted gambling payment gateway providers with bank-grade security systems. All payment systems must use reliable data encryption technology to prevent unauthorised access to players’ transactions. For instance, all safe online poker platforms utilise Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols to protect data.
Additionally, the best poker sites follow anti-money laundering (AML) guidelines, monitoring all deposit and withdrawal transactions. This includes paying attention to players who deposit large amounts of money regularly and withdraw without using their funds for real money gambling.
Authentication and Verification
The entry point to a poker site may have loopholes that must be sealed to prevent online poker cheating practices and financial fraud. If there are no robust account verification procedures, players can open multiple accounts and use them to join poker rooms as different users. Likewise, superusers can abuse their power and interfere with other players’ accounts.
One effective way to address this problem is to verify player details. Secure poker websites perform known-your-customer (KYC) checks by asking players to submit verification documents. It’s crucial to authenticate each player’s identity before they are allowed to withdraw winnings.
How to Improve Fairness and Anti-Cheating on Your Own Online Poker Platform
Providing a fair poker gaming experience is vital for an operator to maintain a positive brand name and retain players. Gamblers who enter your poker rooms should be confident that nobody will interfere with game outcomes. As an operator, you must employ the right strategies and use effective anti-cheating tools to offer a reputable poker platform. Here are some helpful tips to improve fairness and thwart poker cheats:
- Choose a reputable poker platform provider
- Offer licensed games from leading developers
- Host RNG-powered online poker games
- Use sophisticated software to detect suspicious player behaviour
- Employ third-party auditors to test your website
- Use KYC checks to prevent multi-accounting
- Utilise multi-level authentication methods
- Facilitate encrypted transactions with safe payment systems
- Limit casino bonuses to one account, device, user, and IP address
- Use software to detect poker bots
Preventing cheating on a poker platform will benefit players and the operator. Besides improving your reputation as an operator, the most important thing is to give each player a fair chance to play and win while providing a safe gambling environment. This should be easy if you know the most common forms of cheating and use the recommended prevention methods.