Top 6 Ways to Protect Yourself from Being Cheated Online
5 minutes
Posted by: Ivan
For as long as the game of poker has existed, so have the cheaters who’ve tried to scam their way into quick money at the expense of honest poker players.
From card marking and bottom dealing to colluding in games, there are many ways poker players try to cheat in live poker. But, with the rise of online poker games, this unfortunate trend has also found its way onto the Internet.
And, when it comes to online poker, it’s much more challenging to avoid cheaters and stay safe. That’s why you should do everything you can to ensure you have risk-free poker sessions.
Here are the top six ways to protect yourself from being cheated online when playing poker.
1. Pay Attention to Collusion
As mentioned in the intro, collusion is a form of cheating prevalent in both live and online poker. It relates to two or more players working together in the same online poker room to increase one player’s winning chances.
The most worrying thing about this is that it mostly happens in online rooms with higher limits, so you must be careful about such things when playing for bigger pots.
While it does sound intimidating, collaboration isn’t that hard to spot if you pay attention to the game and regularly play on the same sites.
If certain players are constantly moving chips around, forcing a particular player, or never busting each other out, something shady might be going on.
Remember, if you suspect any collusion at the online table you’re playing, don’t shy away from reporting it to the poker site. Reputable poker and gambling sites like LV BET kazino online invest a lot of time and effort into making their games fair and safe.
It’s also best to take some time away from the particular site or room and wait for the air to clear out to avoid risking any money.
2. Learn to Tell When You’re Playing Against Bots
Playing online poker brings about a unique issue that you should always be conscious of. Some online poker cheaters actually utilize bots to enhance their chances of winning more money.
This problem has become alarmingly prevalent in the online poker landscape. Employing bots to increase winning rates is undoubtedly cheating, and there’s no place for it in the competitive landscape of online poker.
What’s particularly worrying about this is that today’s poker bots are significantly more sophisticated than those a few years ago and are harder to tell apart from real players.
Most poker sites are actively dealing with such issues, but some cheaters can slip under the radar. Hence, it’s vital to always stay vigilant when it comes to this.
Luckily, there still are ways to tell whether or not you’re going up against a real player on the other side.
If your opponent is playing excessively long sessions without taking breaks or playing an unrealistic number of tables simultaneously, you might be playing against a bot.
Additionally, if you’re playing a low-stakes game, and your opponent is still making near-perfect decisions every time, it’s likely a bot.
3. Examine Your Hands
One of the most convenient aspects of online poker is that all of your previous results are readily available to you. This makes it great not only for improving your long-term game but also for reviewing any past outcomes that didn’t sit right with you.
You can focus and examine specific pots and poker hands to determine any irregularities or suspicious behavior on your opponent’s side.
Again, if you see any sudden changes or strange results that might indicate cheating, don’t think twice about reporting it to the site and investigating it further.
4. Avoid Getting Ghosted
Ghosting is another issue that can affect you in both live and online poker. But, in the online world, in particular, this can be a tricky thing to avoid.
In simple terms, ghosting is when a more skilled player advises another player to provide them with an advantage over their opponents.
To avoid falling prey to this form of cheating, keep track of any sudden behavioral changes or any new betting patterns.
If a player has been betting the same way the entire night and suddenly starts beating everyone at the end of your session, this is often a telltale sign that there’s ghosting happening right in front of your eyes.
While you can never fully protect yourself from getting cheated online this way, you can do things to minimize the damage it can cause you.
Even if you’re not fully certain that ghosting is going on, you should still keep this in the back of your head. Stay focused, flexible, and carefully observe any betting changes to stay one step ahead.
5. Keep Your Device Safe
Although this one doesn’t apply directly to the game, it’s equally important when playing online poker.
Cheaters are often unscrupulous and won’t hesitate to employ underhanded tactics to steal your money or throw you out of the game. This even includes attacking the device you’re playing on.
When playing online poker, threats can come in many shapes and forms. This includes viruses, malware, keyloggers, or even DDoS attacks.
The best practice to protect yourself from being scammed and cheated online is to have a good antivirus, consider using a VPN, and be careful of the things you click when communicating with other online poker players.
6. Set a Loss Limit
Ultimately, sometimes you can’t do anything to prevent cheating until it’s too late. But this doesn’t mean that you’re doomed to lose your entire bankroll and can’t do anything to stop it from happening.
For this reason, you should also always have a loss limit when you will stop playing and walk away.
Set a loss limit at ten to fifteen percent of your entire bankroll. If you blow through it, stop playing. Doing so will ensure you keep your money no matter if you’re unwittingly cheated or are just having a bad session.
This is especially convenient to have if you’re in it for the long term and want to develop proper bankroll management habits.
