You have often heard that poker is a gentleman’s game. It can be qualified as many things, but the truth is that it is a game that allows you to make a reading of others and their way of approaching the game. And that says a lot about a person, or at least that’s what some defend.
The reality is that, as in any game, there are rules and a way to break them. For you to be aware of the “tricks” that some people can do and that are more than reprehensible, we have prepared a brief list of the most common and less pleasant online poker cheats to see.
Most common poker cheats
Traps in poker can be made many, some more crude, others more disguised. But these have earned their place as the top 10 most popular. Are there any poker cheats on this list that you know about?
- Collusion. The term refers to a joint illegal action carried out by several players. In any form of poker and in all types of games, cooperation between players to carry out any kind of cheating is strictly forbidden. Usually, these actions are carried out to the detriment of a third party, or to undermine fair play to the detriment of several players.
- Ghosting. In poker jargon, “ghosting” is understood as “ghost image”, and is a concept linked to consensual impersonation. It occurs when a player resorts in a given round to another player, who plays the hand for him in order to use his skills for his own benefit in exchange, presumably, for a partial return of the winnings. Due to the characteristics of this trick, it is one of the traps that are born in online poker and cannot make the leap to live poker, where it is impossible to take the role of another player.
- Angle shooting. Of all the poker traps, angle shooting is one of the worst because they are blatant traps that are made with the sole purpose of annoying opponents. The worst of all is that we are talking about traps that are born of negligent attitudes adopted on purpose, seeking to destabilize the game to try to get some benefit. For example, unnecessarily but deliberately lengthening the reaction time when speaking, concealing cards or hiding them in a malicious way… bad practices that annoy everyone and that are branded as cheating, with the consequent prohibition applied in the main poker rooms.
- Chip dumping. Another trick that is more or less frequent in poker. Traps like this are the ones that have led platforms to enhance their anti-cheat tools, since it is based on a deception perpetrated by the player to intentionally lose a hand, transferring his chips to other players. All this, of course, by prior agreement, breaking all the rules of poker. The goal is to share the profits, making the loser really come out on top thanks to an off the record pact.
- Using bots. The mother of all traps in online poker is the use of bots. They are forbidden, since we are talking about replacing a human player with a machine that can exceed, by far, the mathematical capabilities of the player. It breaks the whole essence of the game and its use is punishable by expulsion in practically all online poker platforms.
How to avoid cheating in poker
Looking for a room where you can play poker without cheating is something legitimate, laudable and even necessary. The continuity and permanence of poker rooms are based on respect for the rules, something that is also guaranteed by the rooms thanks to their increasingly advanced security resources.
But there is a reality that we must accept: as individual players, there is little we can do to prevent cheating in poker. That is to say, it all depends on the room you play in, its resources and its approach to the permissiveness of negligent attitudes. Almost no room lets one pass, and they are usually quite intransigent with cheaters, something that ensures that you can not only enjoy games with organic traffic, but also respect the rules of the game and the essence of it.
Thus, the best way to avoid cheating in online poker is to play in a room that precisely guarantees fair play by analyzing the games and expelling cheaters. The more advanced the security and fair play resources are, the better the user experience will be and the easier it will be to avoid cheating in a poker game.
How to cheat in poker
BUSTED! We know that the whole subject of cheating in poker arouses curiosity, but how would it be possible, in the hypothetical case of wanting to cheat, to do it without penalty?
Well, the truth is that we are sorry to spoil your illusions, but it is going to be complicated. More than anything, because nowadays the analysis tools are so advanced, and contemplate so many assumptions, that it is difficult to think of a feasible way to circumvent their filters.
Over the years, poker cheating has become an art for many because of how difficult it is to carry it out. It is practically impossible to apply any of the poker cheats we have discussed and come out unscathed.
It is best not to even consider how to cheat at poker. In the long run, it will greatly benefit you to flee from any temptation related to cheating, building an impeccable reputation and improving your own game through dedication and training.
