Robot software used to cheat at online poker is a major headache in the gaming world. Used deceptively by players who can’t beat the game on their own, AI online poker bots are not only unfair, they are unethical and illegal when cash is involved. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped some poker players from buying bots in the hope that it improves their game.
When playing online poker, it’s important to be able to spot when you’re up against an AI program. But how do you spot a bot in online poker?
Speed of play
While online poker is usually played considerably faster than live table poker, there are times when it’s just too suspect to be a real player. A human player takes time to make decisions. Not only that, but the time taken will vary considerably at each instance. AI software is more likely to be set on a routine timer, enabling it to make faster decisions and be consistent with the time taken on them. Therefore, if your opponent consistently takes exactly the same amount of seconds to decide on plays during every single turn, it is more than likely you’re playing against a bot.
Time will tell
A major tell that a player is using a digital bot is the length of time that they spend at the online poker table. Software that helps players make decisions is said to be offering Real-Time Assistance (RTA). Such technology can be automatic or might rely on manual input from the user. While lots of poker players will happily spend hours at their game, there is certainly a limit to what’s humanly possible. If someone is playing online poker consistently for days on end, without taking time for sleep, there is a high chance that there is an AI program at work.
Industry software
While there are a number of tells to look out for that help identify potential poker bots, there are security systems designed to detect AI programs during online poker sessions. Many of the major poker websites, such as https://ggpoker.com, have specialists who are employed to identify any suspicious play and will reimburse players who have fallen foul to AI bots.
Multiple tables
Although online poker has an advantage over live poker in that it allows gamers to play multiple tables at a time, there is a limit to what a human being can juggle. While there are highly proficient professionals who are masters at multi-play, there are only so many games that a human can balance while maintaining a consistently high standard of play.
Unresponsive
Try to learn what signs to look out for when it comes to communication in online poker. AI technology has yet to fully grasp the complexities of human speech and language and is limited in its ability for a spontaneous chat. If you suspect there is a robot at your table, try interacting with them and see what kind of response, if any, you get. Of course, not every poker player will respond to online chat, particularly if they’re playing multiple tables, but lack of social communication can be a tell that a player is not human. If you’re still not satisfied that you’re playing against a real human, alert a site moderator.
Conclusion
Unlike a human player, AI software lacks the ability to apply reason to situations, operating instead on encoded algorithms and mathematical concepts. This results in the carrying out suspiciously fast and consistent actions, which can help to identify them. While there are certainly accomplished poker players who can work multiple tables at once while maintaining a high quality of play, trust your instincts if something doesn’t seem right. Becoming aware of such tells during online poker games should hopefully help you to spot these bots in the future.
