One of the main problems players are facing when they access online poker rooms is the use of bots, computers posing as human players. These bots are used to generate huge payouts and while they can benefit those behind them, they are a problem for regular poker players at various sites. It is important for players to learn how they can recognize a bot when they are playing on any online poker game and avoid playing against them. Unfortunately, many players have turned to the use of bots to play their games for them and while many sites have worked hard to prevent bots, they do show up quite often at leading poker rooms or online casinos that feature top paying poker games.
People who use bots are looking to generate profits the easy way and this is becoming a huge problem in the world of online poker. For those that are looking to play the game as it was designed and make their own decisions, playing against a bot makes it almost impossible to win a hand, so one needs to know how to spot these and avoid them when they access top rated poker rooms and casinos online.
How to Spot a Poker Bot
Humans have a natural way of knowing that something is wrong. Some players may be sitting at a poker table playing the game and one player seems to keep winning no matter what. This can raise suspicions among other players and may indicate that is bot is in play. One way to determine if that player is actually human is to engage in chat. Simple comments complimenting a hand or a basic question. If that player remains mute, it is a good sign that it is a bot.
However, just because a player doesn’t engage in chat, it does not always mean they are not human, so there has to be other ways to determine if that player is real or not. Many of the reputable poker sites operating already have methods in place to identify a poker bot, but these are not always a guarantee, so some will slip through.
Players have to realize that bots do not always win and it is actually possible to beat them once another player catches on to the method of play and the patterns of play being used. The moves of a bot will be calculated on the hand itself and can actually be readable by experienced players.
How to Beat Bots
It may not be possible to weed out all the poker bots that are found at any site at a given time, so players have to learn how they can beat the bot to even the playing field once again. Most players will simply choose to leave the table and find another table to avoid the bot, but some will want to take the bot down and prove a point. See some great mobile poker apps.
Here are a few ways in which a bot can be identified:
- Ongoing use of the same bet size
- Repeated use of lines
- Same timing on all decisions made
- Does not respond to any chat
- Will join new tables quickly
Once a bot is identified, players will want to study the patterns and ways of playing, making it possible to read how the bot will play and ultimately defeat it. While this does not happen often, it is possible, though most players will simply choose a different table and report the bot to the site.
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