Editing Cheating in poker (section)

==Online specific==
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2020}}
Online play has allowed for new methods of cheating while other methods based on physical objects such as cards or chips are impossible.

One new form of cheating is the use of [[computer poker players|bots]]. These are programs that play instead of a real human. Though their accuracy and their ability to win are disputed, their use normally violates the rules of online cardrooms, so using them is, by definition, cheating.<ref>[http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/room/tos/ PokerStars.com: End User License Agreement]</ref><ref>[http://www.partypoker.com/about_us/game_fairness/unfair_advantage.html PartyPoker.com: PartyGaming’s Unfair Advantage Policy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016204347/http://www.partypoker.com/about_us/game_fairness/unfair_advantage.html |date=2007-10-16 }}</ref>

Collusion in [[online poker]] is relatively easy and much more difficult to immediately spot if executed well. Cheaters can engage in telephone calls or instant messaging, discussing their cards, since nobody can see them. Sometimes one person may be using two or more computers to play multiple hands at the same table under different aliases (since many broadband plans offer customers multiple [[IP address]]es, this can conveniently and cheaply be done without the likelihood of immediate detection). Such tactics can give cheaters an advantage that is difficult to work against. Online poker cardrooms keep records of every hand played, and collusion can often be detected by finding any of several detectable patterns (such as folding good hands to a small bet, as it is known that another player has a better hand).  Users who frequently sit at the same tables will be flagged by poker rooms and their play will be closely monitored.  Often, such users will be warned they have been flagged, in an effort to deter collusion.

Another online method of cheating is "multiaccounting", where a player will register several accounts to their name (or, perhaps more commonly, to non-poker-playing friends and family members).  This might be done to help enable the collusion previously mentioned, or perhaps to simply enable a well-known player to play incognito. Another common motive for multi-accounting is to facilitate chip dumping and other methods of equity maximization in online tournaments. A major difference between cash games and tournaments is that tournament winnings tend to be much less consistent over the short to medium term. Because tournaments tend to pay prize money only to the top ten percent of entrants on average and tend to pay the majority of prize money to a very small number of top finishers, in tournament play even the best players are prone to relatively long streaks of overall net losses (or even no winnings at all) between sizable wins. Therefore, for high-stakes players who specialize in tournament play, multi-accounting is one possible means to allow a player to play more entries in major tournaments than they would otherwise be able to, potentially multiplying the player's earnings and, just as importantly, making earnings more consistent over a shorter period of time. This risks a large win by a hitherto unknown "player" attracting scrutiny from the host (and other players), especially if the winner has no known previous poker experience but does have clear ties to a better-known player. In addition, some sites now offer multi-table tournaments where the same player can enter multiple times under their own name, so as to reduce the incentive to multi-account.

Another concern is [[datamining]]. This is the systematic collection of hand histories, enough of which can be used to profile opponents using specially designed software.  Two or more players may agree to share their individual hand histories amongst themselves; alternatively some websites offer large quantities of previously-played hands (even millions) for a fee.  Using software to analyze one's own histories is generally accepted. Acquiring histories of hands in which a player did not participate violates the rules of most cardrooms.

Poker software, like all software, cannot be assumed to be reliable. It is always possible that a person is exploiting the software to win money from victims. The software may even contain a [[backdoor (computing)|backdoor]] which allows a person, perhaps an employee, to view cards. [[UltimateBet#2005.E2.80.932007_cheating_scandal|Absolute Poker]] was engaged in such a scandal along with site consultant and notable poker player [[Russ Hamilton (poker player)|Russ Hamilton]]. As of 2007, [[Ultimate_Bet#2007_cheating_incident|Ultimate Bet]] faces a lawsuit with allegations of employees exploiting the software.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna21381022 Online poker cheating blamed on employee], by Mike Brunker, at [[NBC News]]; published October 19, 2007; retrieved November 25, 2018</ref> The user agreement of the two online poker sites owned by [[Tokwiro Enterprises]], ''Absolute Poker'' and ''UltimateBet,'' state they reserve the right to cancel an account if a player plays "in a professional sense" (and not for personal entertainment only).<ref>[http://www.absolutepoker.com/support/userAgreement.asp AbsolutePoker: End-User License Agreement] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018025915/http://www.absolutepoker.com/support/userAgreement.asp |date=October 18, 2007 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.ultimatebet.com/user-agreement Ultimatebet.com: End User License Agreement] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011075553/http://www.ultimatebet.com/user-agreement |date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref> This is not a standard prohibition. For example, it is not in the end-user agreements of the three largest online cardrooms: [[PokerStars]], [[PartyGaming|PartyPoker]], and [[Full Tilt Poker]].