Online Poker Vs Bots
Poker Bots are out there, so now what?
The truth of the matter is that you have probably been playing against a poker bot at least some of the time when you play online poker at most of the cardrooms. As far back as 2004 MSNBC was writing about the proliferation of poker playing robots on internet cardrooms. The burning question then (and now) is how strong are these poker bots? A poker bot capable of playing at the 'master level' as the Vex bot talked about in the MSNBC article does (but only in heads up poker) could make it a money losing proposition to play when they are playing. On the other hand, a bot that plays badly would be something you might even want to pursue and put on your online poker 'friends list'.
Poker Bot Beats The Professionals At 6-Player Texas Hold 'Em Six-player Texas Hold 'em has been too tough for a machine to master — until now. A bot named Pluribus crushed some of the world's. Poker bots are computer programs that play poker online. One of the most popular bots is the program Polaris from the University of Alberta in Canada. This bot was able to win the majority of heads-up fixed limit Texas Hold’em cash games against poker professionals.
So, for the purposes of seeing what's available online in the poker bot realm, and also how dangerous these foes are, I'll list the major poker bot programs that are online now and give at least a rough summary of what playing against them will be like. Finally I'll talk about how the online poker rooms are responding to poker bots (some don't seem to care much, some are very aggressive in keeping them out).
Throughout this article there are links to the sites that provide the poker bots mentioned, but I (and this site) are not affiliated with any of them and do not receive any income from them. The links are there so you can gather more information on them if you are interested.
The Major Poker Bots That are Playing Online Poker Right Now
Poker Bot Download
War Bot
This bot works on many current poker rooms and claims to avoid detection.
They say 'WarBot steadily earns money in micro-limits games with the average win-rate of about 5 big blinds/100 hands SAFE Powered with many stealth-features to avoid being detected.'
Poker Snowie
This is considered to be one of the best training bots, and isn't designed to automate play on online poker rooms. Poker Snowie uses a neural network and is considered one of the most advanced bot players available, but so far it hasn't be used to automate play at online poker rooms.
Shanky Technologies Holdem Bot
Holdem Bot is a top tier bot which does play online poker for real money. Generally this bot and others like it are used for the purpose of clearing bonuses and not trusted at higher stakes.
Online Poker Room Policies Regarding Poker Bots
Using a poker bot that automatically makes actions for you is against the terms and conditions of all online poker rooms, however the enforcement of that policy varies from room to room.
What is a Poker Bot?
A poker bot is a computer program developed to play againsthuman opponents online. They are despised by most players as people hate theidea that they are playing and potentially losing, to a piece of AI.
Why Would Anyone use a Bot?
Everyone likes free money. The idea of developing a programme that automates playing and allows you to have fun while it plays, and wins money is appealing. The reality is, that whilst some bots may have capacity to win at micro stakes levels, they are likely to be used primarily to clear rakeback and bonuses on websites.
How Good is a Bot?
Bots are likely to be programmed quite basic. They’re unlikely to be profitable beyond very low stakes due to the inherent complexity that is involved in poker. They are programmed to work purely on mathematically theorems so whilst they are not burdened by tilt, ego or personal battles with opponents, they are not as observant or creative as a person is. Software has been created that was able to beat professionals but this is very rare and we are a long way off this ever being used online.
Are Poker Bots Legal?
Poker bots are illegal to use on all websites, however, developing and selling them is fine. You are unlikely to play against one but there are a few traits that distinguish them from your opponents; identical timing for decision making, deathly silent in chat box and repetitive use of same line in a hand e.g. check raising turns frequently.
Beating Bots
Online Poker Vs Bots Hack
Anyone who developed a poker bot to play well has to be a very strong player in the first place. They must have been a winning player at decent stakes. In order to develop a poker bot strong enough to win, the person must have spent thousands of hours developing the strategy behind the bot’s decision making.
Beating a bot can be quite simple, if you have identified you are playing a bot in the first place. Most bots will be sensitive to different bet sizes based on the coding. They may have been coded to call 3 bets for 8bb but not 9bbs. This type of leak is very exploitable. Once you have found the chinks in a bot’s armour, they are actually easy money as you can just repeat the same moves and they are very unlikely to adjust like a person would.
Online Poker Bots For Sale
Conclusion
Poker bots are so rare that you need not concern yourself with their existence or them taking your money. The ones that are around are unlikely to be very profitable and are used purely for rakeback purposes. They are also illegal. Remember to report any signs of bot usage to the website you are playing on.
Featured Photo by Franck V @franckinjapan