The perks that come with playing poker online – the accessibility, excitement, and high-quality entertainment – also come with some potential downfalls. One of the major issues online poker venues have been dealing with over the years is the appearance of poker bots.
Over the years, online gambling venues had to find a way to outsmart bots, which threatened their online casino login rates, and even utilize this controversial tool to make the online poker experience even more enjoyable. How have bots affected poker over the years? And what does the future hold?
The History of Poker Bots
About two decades ago, two scientists from Carnegie Mellon University began researching poker Artificial Intelligence, trying to build the perfect software that will beat all human opponents. It took them more than a decade of trial and error to teach their AI software all the ins and outs of the game, but eventually, in 2017, their software Libratus faced off against four professional poker players, who ended up losing $1.8 million to the new poker AI.
Even though this poker bot was eventually successful in beating real-life players, it didn't cause the same issues as the army of Russian poker bots that took over the industry a few years back. The Bot Farm Corporation, based in Sibiria, offered bot services to anyone who was willing to pay.
That meant that any player who wanted to cheat while placing bets online could easily do so provided that the online venue in question didn't have sufficient protection against outsider bots.
The Russian students behind the successful bot corporation managed to create the perfect bot that won just enough without raising suspicion.
The appearance of those bots had the potential to scare people away from online poker platforms, thus crumbling the industry. Think about it: if you know you might face the perfect opponent, why would you even bother placing your own money on the line?
Those who might feel less inclined to place bets online due to the existence of poker bots are probably recreational players, who are not necessarily ready to take too many risks. If that happens, professional online poker players might not have enough players to compete against, which means that the online industry might be in danger.
How the Poker Industry Deals with Bots
To prevent players from using bots illegally, most online poker platforms invest heavily in systems that can detect bot-like behavior. The algorithms used by those venues try to detect suspicious behavior by players – like a perfect winning streak or a mechanical gambling pattern – and ban those accounts.
Online venues are very strict about players not using bots or any RTA systems, as they try to keep things as fair as possible. While it is not a perfect system, many online venues manage to deal with the issue impressively well.
But many online venues found a way to utilize poker bots to actually make the online gambling experience more realistic and enjoyable, using "house bots". Those bots, which are supposed to have zero access to other player's personal information, are there to help populate poker lobbies when the poker tables are relatively empty.
That means that players can enjoy a round of poker at any time of day, even when the rest of the world is dead asleep. This is an important feature especially for new poker rooms, as it creates the illusion they have a healthy player base, encouraging others to join the website as well.
In Conclusion
Poker bots can be described as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they can potentially damage the poker industry if players or operators abuse this technology. On the other hand, poker bots can help create a lively and fun environment at the poker tables at all hours of the day.
In the end, it all comes down to balance. If poker operators manage to use this tool wisely and without overstepping any boundaries, poker bots might actually change the poker world for the better.