CHEATING AT ONLINE POKER (Online)

There are several ways to cheat at poker in the online environment to gain an unfair advantage:

Collusion - When playing online poker, players at the same table can communicate through an instant messaging system or over the phone to share hole card information. In doing this, they can play best hand forward, whipsaw (a way to cheat at poker in which to players use betting to trap opponents), as well as push players out. Obviously, sleight-of-hand cannot be used to cheat at cards as done in the casino and private game environments. As previously mentioned, other ways that collusion can be used to cheat at cards is playing soft or dumping chips to keep a partner alive in tournament play.

Bots and Database Applications: Another way that a player can cheat at online poker is using software that gives the play statistics of those that are playing against him. By typing one's opponents into a purchased database, past histories are provided to give the card cheater an edge on strategy. Another way a player may cheat at poker in the online environment is pulling the plug. By disconnecting the internet, he can take advantage of situations to save himself from having to call the bet (but still taking his hand to showdown). On top of this, some players employ computer players (also known as bots) to take over their account and play for them.

Account Hacking: Yet another threat in the online poker environment is account hacking. This is a major problem because your account is no different than a bank account. All a thief needs is your account name and password and he can access the money, dump it is a game, etc., and you will not be able to recover the losses. Because your account is connected to an email address, there are crafty ways for this to take place, and anyone having a considerable amount of money in an online account should be aware of these threats and how to prevent them.

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