Don’t Fall Victim to These Online Poker Scams

Poker is more than just a card game. The top poker pros like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey are internationally famous, and poker has every bit as much right as snooker or darts to be classified as a sport. Poker enthusiasts in the US would be unlikely to argue with that contention given the coverage devoted to the World Series of Poker by networks like ESPN. What’s more, the internet age has made it a lot easier for novices to take their first tentative steps learning to play poker.

Unfortunately, getting to grips with how to play poker online USA is not the only effect that the online age has had on the US poker scene. While it’s one of life’s great joys to play poker, not everyone plays fair. In short, the internet has made it easier for poker scammers to cheat. Here are some of the common scams to which every honest poker player needs to be alert.

Multi-Accounting

As the name suggests, this scam involves players opening multiple accounts in different names so they can occupy multiple seats around the table at the same poker game. One of the biggest problems with multi accounting is that there is a minority of quite experienced players who still think it is not a big deal. That stems from the early days of online poker when multi-accounting was seen as a harmless way to fill tables and reduce variance. Today, there is no place for it and poker sites have stringent checks to verify the identity of players.

Tracking software

Tracking software per se is a useful tool for poker players at every level and can be used to identify weaknesses and common errors to tune up strategy between tournaments. You can even compare your own performances with those of other players. The trouble comes when players misuse it during tournament play itself. Pro players can use a head up display (HUD) to provide data on every other player at the table based on every single hand they have ever played in tournaments. When you see how easily players can get comprehensive histories on other players, you can see why they multi-account to play with a new identity and zero history.

Ghosting

Imagine playing in a tennis tournament at your local club, reaching the final and then stepping back to let Serena Williams play on your behalf. Chances are the other finalist would have something to say about it. That is ghosting in a nutshell and when playing poker online, it is harder to detect or prevent. With conferencing apps like Zoom and Skype it is easy to draft in an expert adviser without anyone knowing.

Collusion

Collusion is the oldest poker scam in the book and has become no less a concern in the 2020s. To be effective, collusion takes a lot of preparation and practice. In short, it’s not worth it at low stakes games but can be lucrative for unethical players at high stakes games.