Poker Bots Spread In Online Gambling Sites

Poker bots are nothing new, but they have become sophisticated enough to make their presence felt in many online poker sites, according to a recent New York Times article.

What Exactly are Poker Bots?

Just as it sounds, these creatures are highly intelligent computers that have been programmed to play poker and beat their human opponents and the odds. Yet to be stamped out by the law, these tricky things are openly for sale online, available with a simple poker bot download for sums of as low as $129 per year.

So how do you identify them? Online poker enthusiast Brian Taylor was interviewed for the New York Times article, and told them that he began to be suspicious when he realized that three of his regular opponents were acting odds, which led to an investigation that revealed their presence at PokerStars.

Poker Rooms Take Action

According to the report, the bots identified by Taylor were shut down by PokerStars in July. In October, rival online poker room Full Tilt also informed its customers that it was freezing some accounts in an attempt at curbing the bots.

This could be a cause for some worry, but plenty of forms of poker cheating have come before the poker bots and plenty more will be invented in the future. As long as poker sites and poker players stay awake and alert, this latest disruption to this great game won't last.