Is it possible that online poker has been manipulated? Is Online Poker Legitimate? Is online poker safe?

August 18, 2022

If you play poker online, you’ve probably felt uneasy that the games are sometimes manipulated. This conspiracy claim first surfaced a few years ago, and it’s still unclear whether operators are conducting the rounds to make you spend more money.

The truth is that it sometimes seems like operators manipulate their games to encourage players to deposit and wager more money by connecting rivers, turns and flips with their hands. It increases the size of the pots, which increases the size of the rake, which is beneficial to the operators. However, are you aware that operators win little and lose a lot because of this?

Is online poking a scam? – Why is rigging harmful to operators?

Theoretically, operators could only manipulate cash games, not sit-and-go or tournaments. These have a predetermined cost that a participant must pay to participate. And so many people participate in competitions. However, rigging tournaments won’t make operators money, so why risk their image for a slight increase in revenue?

In addition, you know that every game hand has rake caps and that once the pot reaches a specific size, it doesn’t matter how big it gets afterwards. As an output, operators have no incentive to take additional action if it has no impact on their bottom line.

Now that we’ve established why rig operations don’t provide a meaningful benefit to operators let’s analyze one more example. Do you believe they have a chance to manipulate the games even if they get greedy and want to do this?

Why is it practically impossible to rigg poker?

We’re not sure if you’ve heard of the RNG phrase, but if you’ve ever played at an online casino, you’ve probably heard of it and know what it means. The Random Number Generator (RNG) is a device that deals cards randomly in poker and is designed to produce only fair and unexpected results.

Recognized audit firms assess all gambling operators for randomness and fairness, and they have seals of approval from these companies that guarantee that all gaming results are fair.

As a result, if a poker site tampers with game results, it risks losing its operating license. It is one of the reasons why the results should not be manipulated. Another problem is that, even if the RNG is still tampered with, it can result in significant discrepancies between what’s happening on the table and the expected frequencies. As players watch the database tracking software, these inconsistencies will be noticed, and massive scandals could follow. Aside from the threat of losing its license, the poker site may also lose its reputation, so gamers may never come back to play poker on that site.

How can you feel safe playing online poker?

First and foremost, you must select an online gaming site worthy of your trust. It will be supportive if you choose an online poker site that is legally registered and regulated, preferably by two or more reputable third-party game regulators, to feel safe. Then check whether the games use a random number generator (RNG) and how often that RNG is tested. Ensure it has been audited by reputable auditors such as eCOGRA or iTechLabs. Check that the poker site is SSL secured and cannot be hacked by third parties. Data, game results and your money can be hacked and tampered with by third parties.

Another thing to remember is that if you lose at poker, you are not generalizing and associating it with global injustice. Just because you’ve been lucky today doesn’t mean someone has tampered with the cards or the outcome. And if you play on an online poker site and lose confidence in it, switch operators and keep the above points in mind.