Are Poker Bots a Threat to Online Poker?

How Concerned Should I Be About Online Poker Bots?

The majority of the world’s adult population are hard working people. Day in, day out, entering the work force to make ends meet. I can’t even imagine how many times people have thought, if I just had a robot here to do my work for me, I could be sleeping, fishing, watching TV, etc. For most of us, that’s not an option. For unscrupulous online poker players, it’s a reality.

Poker bots have become a bane to the internet poker realm. They threaten the integrity of the games—some would say the future of the entire industry.

What is an Online Poker Bot?

A poker bot is a software program that – you guessed it – plays poker online. It is, for lack of a better description, a sophisticated calculator. It’s capable of reading cards, computing odds, and making decisions (fold, call, bet, raise, etc.) based on those odds.

The intelligence of a poker bot is determined by its creator, and in that regard, they aren’t all that sophisticated. They base all pre-flop decisions on the probability of winning a game with the hole cards provided, then continue to calculate the probabilities as 3-5 community cards are played.

Are Poker Bots a Threat to Online Poker?

Based on the above information, you might think that poker bots are fantastic players, and that you’ll have no chance beating them. After all, chess bots are incredibly intelligent, beaten only by the greatest masters of the game. But unlike chess, there are so many unknown variables in Texas Hold’em.

Yes, mathematics is a fundamental aspect of all good poker strategies. It tells us that a player dealt Pocket Aces at a 10-player table has a 31.67% chance of winning at the onset. But math is not the only weapon in a skilled player’s bag of tricks.

These software programs don’t have the ability to deviate from their programming. They don’t know when to maximize bets, r when an opponent is clearly raising with the nuts. They can’t read a bluff, nor can they make one. They have no sense of intuition or psychological awareness.

In truth, for a moderately skilled player, poker bots are not that difficult to beat. What can be difficult, however, is recognizing them.

How to Recognize Poker Bots

These duplicitous little programs aren’t so easy to pinpoint. More often than not, human players are accused of being poker bots simply because mathematics rules their decision making process. Players like this can appear quite mechanical from a distance. But bots also exist, and if you think you may be up against one, here’s some clues to look for.

• Timing: Bots take the exact same amount of time to bet or fold each hand.

• Equal Bets: Unless folding, most bots will open with the same bet size, regardless of hand strength.

• No Chatting: Bots cannot chat.

• Sitting Out: Bots are generally programmed to sit out when there aren’t a specific, minimum number of players at the table.

• Re-Seating: Bots will instantly re-seat when the required number of players join.

Just because a player displays these traits doesn’t mean they are a bot. A lot of players are anti-social, prefer large tables and always make snap decisions. If you detect a potential bot, keep an eye on them for hand range and see how well they’re actually performing. It could be that, even if it is a bot, you’ll have more than enough skill to beat them.

Last but Not Least, Poker Bots are Banned

I couldn’t possibly end this piece without mentioning that online poker bots are not allowed. Every reputable internet poker operator has a clause in their terms of service that prohibits the use of bot software. Some are better at detecting and deterring them than others.

Most sites employ counter-measures to prevent and/or identify bot usage. If you’re frequently met with a pop-up window asking you to input a captcha or answer some personal question, you know the website is pro-actively countering bots. Poker rooms can use software of their own to monitor bet sizes and account activity to expose bots, as well.

While poker bots can be effective against certain types of players, don’t even think about going out and getting one. Not only are they expensive, there’s every chance you’ll be caught. If that happens, your account is closed, you’re banned for life, and, in most cases, your account balance confiscated.