Our world is more connected than ever. The internet and its advancing technologies have allowed us to communicate, make purchases, and even play poker online—all in the comfort of our homes or wherever we use enabled mobile devices. But as the benefits have advanced, so has the risk, as internet dangers are becoming increasingly astute. The potential threat of AI and hacking in online poker is a real concern, and players must be cautious and vigilant to protect themselves from potential cheating. By staying informed and being proactive, players can play a significant role in maintaining the integrity of online poker.
Seeing Cards Before They’re Dealt
The immediate thought that comes to mind when considering that a poker game could be compromised is that some parties could know the card values before they are common knowledge. This would give players in the know a distinct advantage over the rest as they could prepare better for the upcoming situation. So, could it happen? There’s every possibility, but poker sites (and all gambling sites by extension) pour thousands of dollars into ensuring that games stay fair and meet regulation requirements. They are constantly improving their security measures to stay one step ahead of potential AI or hacker threats. If they don’t do this, they’ll lose their legal status to trade. Any AI or hacker who achieves this will be quickly detected and removed from the site entirely, probably with their IP blocked, so they can’t sign up again.
Seeing Other Players’ Cards
Another big concern is that AI and hackers on poker sites would be able to peer at other players’ cards, again providing a significant advantage to themselves as they know the strength of different hands and can act accordingly. While news stories have broken about players doing this, the instances are few and far between.
This tends to occur on the more low-budget sites, so if you want to be more comfortable with a reduced AI threat, then here are the community’s picks for the best real-money poker rooms.
Manipulating the Upcoming Cards
Another fear is that AI systems could be used to read what cards are currently out on the table and then use that information to help the user who has set the bots to win. It will tamper with the virtual deck so that the software will always favor a specific player, no matter the strength of their initial hand; the software will only bring out cards that help them and hamper others. It would be nearly impossible to implant this code into reputable firms; however, smaller offshore operators might be subject to this kind of tampering due to their lack of regulation.
AI Multi-Seat
One of the biggest problems facing online poker is that AI profiles can now be set very quickly by online poker users to sit at tables and act on behalf of players who want a hand up on the opposition. Since another player controls these bots, they share their hand information, indicating what cards are in play.
Theoretically, an antagonistic player could take up four seats (or more) at a table with their profile and three bots feeding them information about their assigned hand, enhancing their chances of winning against the other human players.
Your Financial Information is Easier to Hack
While you should be concerned about the fairness of games, it is also important to remember that you are divulging your financial information on these sites. While multiple security layers hide the coding in games, ensuring that any page where you are entering and submitting your sensitive information is paramount. While hackers and cyber criminals might want to cheat at poker, at the end of the day, they just want your money and will be able to do that much more directly by stealing from your account instead. Only gamble where you feel comfortable to do so.
Be Careful Who You Bet With
There are hazards out there. However, any reputable mainstream poker or casino site regulated by US or UK standards will make every effort to ensure that these problems do not happen, or if they do – accounts perpetrating them will be dealt with. However, the same cannot said about many offshore sites that lack proper regulation or industry standards. Sites that rely heavily on cryptocurrency transactions are invested in technology usage and might also utilize AI capabilities to rig games. It’s not to say that all of these sites do that, but there is undoubtedly an increased likelihood when it comes to these sites.
