Online poker has entered a new era. Where once it was purely about reads, instincts, and grinding, it’s now increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, sophisticated bots, and a tug-of-war between innovation and integrity.
Here, we will explore how each of these forces is shaping the modern online poker experience.
The Rise of AI in Poker Strategy
Artificial Intelligence has had a profound impact on poker, not only through game-playing machines but more so through player-facing tools like solvers and training software.
Solver: A solver is a software tool that uses game theory to calculate the mathematically optimal way to play a poker hand. It shows ideal betting frequencies, hand selections, and strategies based on specific scenarios.
Training Software: Training software helps players practice and memorize optimal strategies by simulating decision points and giving instant feedback on whether their choices match GTO (Game Theory Optimal) play.
Players at every level now use solvers like PioSOLVER, GTO+, and Simple Postflop to study hands with mathematical precision. These programs simulate optimal plays (GTO strategies), allowing players to find leaks in their game and improve.
But AI goes further. In January 2017, Libratus, an AI developed by Carnegie Mellon University, competed against four professional poker players—Jason Les, Dong Kim, Daniel McAulay, and Jimmy Chou—in a 20-day tournament comprising 120,000 hands of heads-up no-limit Texas Hold’em. Libratus emerged victorious, outperforming the human players by over $1.7 million in chips
Building upon the success of Libratus, researchers from Facebook AI and Carnegie Mellon University developed Pluribus, an AI capable of competing in six-player no-limit Texas Hold’em games. In 2019, Pluribus played against elite professionals, including Darren Elias and Chris Ferguson, in thousands of hands and consistently outperformed them, marking the first time an AI defeated top humans in a multiplayer poker setting.
These breakthroughs aren’t yet being deployed in casual online play, but the underlying technology now informs solvers, hand review software, and, worryingly, real-time cheating tools.
2. Bots and Real-Time Assistance (RTA)
As AI becomes more accessible, the darker side emerges: bots and RTA software are now significant threats to online poker.
Bots, programs that play poker autonomously, can now mimic human behavior effectively. They follow GTO strategies, vary their timing, and sometimes even lose hands deliberately to avoid detection. Some bots run on virtual private servers (VPS), playing hundreds of hands an hour without rest.
More insidious is Real-Time Assistance (RTA), a form of cheating where players use solver outputs while playing, giving them perfect decisions in real-time. This isn’t just unethical; it’s illegal under nearly every poker site’s terms of service.
How Gaming Platforms Responded
Several poker rooms now release public reports detailing the number of bots and RTA users banned.
| Platform | Bans (2022–2024) | Refunds Issued to Players |
| GGPoker | 5,800+ | $1.2 million |
| PokerStars | 34,000+ | $3.1 million |
| Partypoker | 21,000+ | $1.7 million |
These numbers are both reassuring and concerning: reassuring that sites are taking action, but concerning because of how widespread the abuse is.
3. Fair Play Technology: AI vs. AI
In response to growing threats, platforms now fight fire with fire. They’re deploying AI-based detection systems to scan for abnormal behavior. These tools evaluate:
- Betting patterns and statistical anomalies
- Mouse movement and click timing
- Multi-tabling behavior and playtime consistency
According to a 2024 industry whitepaper by EvenBet Gaming, modern detection systems now boast up to 99% accuracy in identifying bots and collusive play. Tools like iovation and FraudForce are also used to identify device fingerprints and connection patterns.
| Detection Method | Accuracy Range |
| Behavioral Analysis | 85% – 92% |
| Device Fingerprinting | 90%+ |
| Solver Pattern Matching | 95% – 99% |
Some sites also use hand-history audits, cross-referencing multiple players’ actions to detect potential collusion or shared RTA sources.
4. Regulatory and Ethical Evolution
As the tech arms race escalates, there’s growing pressure on regulators and platforms to create ethical and legal standards for the use of AI in poker.
In jurisdictions like the UK and New Jersey, regulators are pushing platforms to enforce clear disclosure rules. In Germany, licensing requires periodic software audits. Meanwhile, many US states now explicitly ban any use of third-party tools during real-money play.
Some poker sites now display a “security rating” to highlight their level of protection against bots and RTA. A few, such as GGPoker and WPT Global, have implemented whistleblower bounty programs, offering up to $10,000 for proof of cheating.
The next few years will be defined by the continued arms race between cheaters and platforms, and players must stay informed to protect themselves. As recreational players become more aware of these developments, expect to see more transparency and innovation in fair play systems across the board.
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