How can you prove you are not being cheated in online poker?

[Poker Orifice]

Well, I asked a question at the end of my post and no one answered it other than the cliche of 'millions of hands needed' to get a grip on variance. Seriously, why?

My question was simple. Every day, all of us witness a player (most frequently the big stack) gain momentum and starting knocking all and sundry out with any two cards. We all (I mean everyone of us) see this 24/7 round the clock -feel free to state otherwise.

As noted, how can Random Number Generation give a player momentum? And then keep repeating that momentum 24 hours a day across all tables...

Well Occum's Razor for me.

The simplest (least conspiracy theory) explanation is that the software is weighted to do so. It would like to keep the MTT on schedule and spark a healthy attrition rate among players. As others have noted before, you could virtually set your clock to how some daily tourneys play down, hit the bubble, then final table. The regularity it risible. And please spare us all the rising blinds excuse, it does not pass muster. Make a direct comparison to live tourneys and note how they can play quickly or slowly.

The things is, I am simply a healthy skeptic, not a losing player - as some cliched poster will always claim about any contrarian poster.

Apart from momentum, I have numerous other issues with online play but so what? I deal with it and accept this is the deck we have to play with - literally and figuratively.

People can opt to play or not and my attitude is limit your exposure.

LOL

 

[Poker Orifice]

Nominating this thread be moved to the 'MEGA' thread. ... sigh

 

[Ranish625]

Can you really truly ever know? Couldn't they just write the program so their buddies win all the big hands?

I am more than sure that some moments in online poker are set up by software developers and there is no getting away from it

 

[DS3]

I think it is very difficult to know, which is why I prefer to only play freerolls and generate money from what I earn in these tournaments. That if I understand that if I ever want to withdraw that money I need a previous deposit. if I'm wrong I hope someone corrects me

This so much. Make gains through free rolls and then capitalize on those gains. Many, if interested in poker, have no option but to play on line. If one is skeptical to any degree limit exposure.

Banks, insurance companies, airlines, utility companies, big pharma, auto companies have all paid tens of billions in fines and settlements for the frauds committed over the last several years. The poker industry has a checkered past.

Its human nature, the corporate world.

If anyone wants to defend poker sites with a born again zeal as though by definition they are a virtuous industry, knock your self out. I'll maintain my healthy skepticism.

 

[fishfood80]

I don’t know. I think it’s just and element of the gambling part of playing online. You just gotta hope the site operators are doing the best job they can in policing the issues.

 

[Scroooob]

The way you are asking this question is impossible. By definition the answer is no

 

[Higgins01]

Can you really truly ever know? Couldn't they just write the program so their buddies win all the big hands?

It's not very likely. The big online poker sites are multi billion companies listed on the London stock exchange. It's just not worth their time and reputation to get involved in dishonesty.

 

[Fivefor]

You will never truly know 100% ever that you are or aren't being cheated.
Same thing playing live even or with people you know.
Whenever money is involved, there will always be some potential for someone trying to figure out how to scam or game the system to their advantage.
Welcome to the real world!

 

[thwenth1983]

yes

Good morning everyone.
It is a very interesting question, in relation to the confidence I have in the sites I play, that when I earn a high amount, the site will really pay me, it is 100%.
Now if you ask me if I think I'm being mistaken about the draw of the cards, I'll answer yes.
I watched a video about how the cards are drawn on a very famous website, but I was not convinced at all, I see the hands that are played in live poker, and I often see a player winning the hand with the second pair , rarely does anyone make a very strong hand, in online poker almost always when i'm in a hand against a villain always the two players hit something like a straight or flush, sometimes I do full and villain quads, finally results that have a probability very small to happen, and that in online poker happen very often.
This causes AA in online poker to lose more times than in live poker.

 

[Szyilard]

I don't think they're cheating. Why would they prefer another player? I've seen my friend at the final table in a bigger tournament. I've been at the final table before. But it was only a $ 16.50 superknockout tournament. I became 7. Even then, they could have cheated so I wouldn't get there.

 

[thaleshpa]

Agree with DizzyDeb717 - you can never truly know.

I take it for granted Random Number Generators have issues as they do not replicate true randomness. Beyond that from the minute I first watched any poker hands on line I thought everything looked suspect compared to live poker.

So I play on line (have no choice), am conservative and 'winning' if you will, but absolutely limit any exposure. As Deb noted, poker is rife with cheating which simply mirrors life in a broader sense.

I am fairly philosophical about it all and I do not quite go full conspiracy in that individuals are targeted personally. However, what I sense is players are profiled and then placed in streams- that when the cards hit the tables (for numerous reasons) one will find winning and losing seats.

A member called Deuce Parade recently contributed to a thread with a great post pointing out the EA Sports (FIFA Soccer) now track players ability and then 'level the playing field' so weaker players stay engaged on line....and of course EA Sports increases their bottom line in the process. Further to this they keep building your profile from successive visits. He then posed the question if they had the computing power to do this why would others not take advantage?

I agree and as I have said before if we actually knew how easy it was to weight card distribution in a subtle, virtually untraceable manner we would be shocked.

So I'll finish with with this. We have all played on line a million and one times to see a 'big stack' gain momentum. Day in and out this happens - strikingly obvious in MTTs. If Random Number Generation was truly random, how could any individual player enjoy momentum for an extended period?

Yet we witness players with miraculous momentum tourney in tourney out.

The deviation from True Randomness can also be so random that we can consider any faulty generator random, as long as it is not rigged. We don't need true random to play, just random enough so people don't abuse it.

 

[charly11719]

Hi all! I am from argentina and two months ago with the quarantine I started playing online poker
with fictitious money since in Argentina we do not have a lot of money and we cannot put in the account either. i win a free tournament for real silver and Last night I played my first 0.25 spin and go. I won the first, the second was for a prize of 2.50 I lost whit A J double pair on the flop against a K 6 straight on the river. then the third spin and go of my life was for 1.25 I lost again in an unusual way. and so he also lost the 4th. I feel many doubts because I just started to play

 

[dominisantus]

I believe that of course you cannot be sure, but the large rooms do a lot to combat fraud, you just don't need to think a lot about it and get hung up on it. Think about your game, about leveling up your skill, and the game will be fun.