Is Online Poker Safe?

This is a legitimate question for those of us who play online poker and for those of you who are interested in it but have not yet hit the online poker tables.  While I’m sure some cheating does happen (it happens in live poker, too), I believe that it is generally safe to play online poker.  Here are some the safety concerns people have when it comes to playing poker online and some tips for staying safe:  Cheating Scandals Since most people have heard about the Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet scandals, I won’t go into great detail here.  What basically happened was that someone connected to the companies set up a way to see other player’s hole cards (super users) and ended up winning thousands of dollars before finally getting caught (by fellow online poker players).    So if one of the largest and most popular online poker rooms (at the time) got busted for having super users, how can I be sure there aren’t still super users out there who can see my hole cards?  Frankly, you can’t be entirely sure that it won’t happen again.  However, online poker rooms have a huge incentive to ensure this does not happen on their site: millions and millions of dollars of money.    Should another scandal like this happen, the online poker room would lose most of its player base and with it, millions of dollars in rake.  Is online poker rigged? People are constantly complaining that online poker is rigged.  The most often used argument for poker being rigged are things like:  “there are too many bad beats in online poker” or “I always get set-up hands (i.e. set-over-set or AA vs KK preflop) in online poker” usually followed by the statement “that never happens in live poker.”   I’ve certainly had runs of bad cards where these thoughts start to creep in my mind.  But guess what?  Bad beats happen in poker.  Set-up hands happen in poker.  It’s a mathematical certainty.   And, I’m willing to wager that it happens at the same frequency in online poker as it does in live poker. Collusion Collusion is the act of more than one player working together in a hand.  Online, this typically consists of players telling each other their hole cards in a hand via an instant messenger. This is probably the easiest way to cheat playing online poker.  Fortunately, the online poker rooms have installed software designed to recognize collusion.  Online poker rooms are serious about cracking down on collusion because they will lose players if the online poker room becomes known for not dealing with collusion. Poker Bots A poker bot is a program designed to play poker with little or no input from a human.  If you search the inter-webs you can find all kinds of supposed poker bots for sale.  While I’m sure there are some poker bots that can eke out small wins and crank out tons of hands to get rakeback, I’m not aware of a poker bot that is out there (yet) that consistently beats no limit hold ‘em.   Like with collusion, online poker rooms have software in place to detect the use of poker bots because they can’t afford to lose players if they get a reputation of allowing bots to play on their site. Tips for Staying Safe Here are some basic tips for staying safe when playing online poker: * Play only on a large, reputable online poker rooms because they have the most to lose if they get caught in a scandal, are lax on cheating, etc.   * If you feel that someone is cheating, report it to the poker room.  Be sure to include the hand history and be as detailed as possible as to why you believe there was cheating going on.  An email that simply says “that guy had to see my cards” isn’t likely to get much of a response.   * Make sure you have proper virus and firewalls up to date and running.  \Do not allow someone else to play poker on the same online site you play from your computer or play on someone else’s computer.  Online poker rooms will often flag this as a security issue.  Usually things get worked out and rarely do your funds get confiscated by the online poker room, but it can be a pain in the ass to resolve and sometimes it ends with you no longer being welcome to play at that particular site.   * Practice good password policies (i.e. sophisticated passwords, regularly changing your password, etc). * Create a “poker only” email address.   This reduces the chance of your email being hacked and hackers getting a hold of your password for your online poker account. * Keep only the amount of money you need for the level you are playing and your current bankroll strategy.   * Follow the rules of the online site and don’t cheat.  If you get caught cheating, the online poker room will likely confiscate your funds.  And frankly, you’d deserve it because well, cheaters suck. For great rakeback deals, go to:   http://rakeback.pokernewspage.com/

October 2009 Results

October was a pretty decent month for me.  Overall, I ended up +1,172 for the month -- my first +1k month since January (eeks!).  I am about 15.6K behind my monetary goal for the year which is going to make it impossible to reach.  I'm behind last year's total by $4K so even beating that is extremely unlikely, although that is my new, short term goal. 

Here is specific results:
NL50
Hands:  38,047
bb/100: 4.23
Profit: $804.30

NL100:
Hands: 14,586
bb/100: 0.07
Profit:  $9.90

PLO:
Hands: 3,063
Profit:  - 71.74


Next month I hope to put most of my volume in at NL100.  In talking to my coach at the end of September, it would appear I've sealed a major leak (lack of cbetting).  I have noticed that since my move to NL100 that I've been playing a little more timid than I would like so I'd like to open up a bit more -- especially from the C/O.  I need to make sure I cbet when I steal nearly every time and I need to find more spots to double barrel. 

September 2009 Results

Another "meh" month for me.  It started off well and then just kind of leveled off.  Poker + Rakeback + bonuses I made a whopping $401.55. 

Here is a breakdown:
50NLFR:  
Hands:  37,129
WR:  1.24ptBB/100

10PLO:
Hands:  5,107
WR:  - 15.49 (lol!  imma PLO fish, but its fun to play)

Advantages of Playing Online Poker

There are many reasons why people play online poker, but for me there are several key advantages to playing online poker vs. playing live poker:

* You get to play poker without having to interact with people in real life. For those of you who have played poker live, doesn’t it suck when you have to sit next to that homeless looking guy who smells like he hasn’t showered in days?

* No physical tells. People aren’t going to get any physical tells from you like seeing you sweat, seeing your eyes dilate, or seeing your hands shake as you put the chips in the pot. The counter to that of course, is that you don’t get to see any physical tells from your online opponents, either. In a future column I’ll write about some of the online tells that are available to you.

* No waiting for tables. In live poker, there are a limited number of tables at the stakes you want to play and you usually have to put your name on a list and wait for a seat. In online poker you can usually sit down and play right away and the times where you have to get on a waiting list, you don’t have to wait long for a seat. Additionally, you have a lot more flexibility to table select online vs. live poker where you have to play at the table they put you on.

* There are a larger variety of stakes you can play online. You can play with blinds as small as 1c/2c all the way up to high stakes games. With live play, the smallest no limit Texas Hold ‘em stakes you are likely to see is $1/$2 blinds and there may not be many high-stakes tables running. It is a great advantage to be able to start learning the game playing for pennies rather than playing for dollars.

* Multi-tabling. You can only play one table at a time in live poker. In online poker, you can play up to 24 tables at once. I will write a future column about how to multi-table effectively in the future, but the main advantages to multi-tabling are that it increases your hourly rate and reduces variance.

* Hand histories/note taking. In live poker, you only have your memory of how a hand went down unless you are that nerdy guy who brings a pencil and pad of paper with you and writes down hands. Most online poker rooms write hand histories to your hard drive or keep them available for you to access online. Additionally, most online poker rooms have a note taking function so you can quickly jot down notes on how your opponent played a hand.

* Not having to do that pesky simple math. Math is a big part of poker. As simple as it sounds, when playing live it is sometimes difficult to remember the size of the pot, who raised what amount, etc, while at the same time trying to figure out what you are going to do when the action gets to you. With online poker, it is right there on your screen.

* Rakeback/bonuses. Rakeback is money you get back from the rake from certain online poker rooms. Additionally, poker rooms offer potentially lucrative bonuses for playing on their site. While a live poker room may give free drinks or comps for playing, the rakeback/bonuses online poker rooms provide greatly outweigh those.

* You don't have to tip the dealer when you win a pot.  If you are winning your fair share of the pots, this can have a significant impact on your hourly rate.

* And my favorite advantage to playing online poker: you can play in your skivvies or your birthday suit if you are so inclined. While the dress code for playing live is fairly lax, I’m fairly certain that you wouldn’t get too far showing up to a casino in nothing but your tighty whities.

If you already play online poker and were bored with the first installment of this column, I’ve accompanied this column with a little eye candy – Tiffany Michelle. She’s a poker professional who also happens to be fairly hot.

Until next time, good luck at the tables!

Having another rough month.  It appears my goal of 20K this year just ain't gonna happen.  Oh well.  Keep on keepin' on.

July Results

Yucky. Started the month off with an 8 buy-in downswing in NL100. Withdrew to go down and start over @ NL25. With bonuses and rakeback, I ended up a whopping $224 for the month. Woo-hoo!

May Results

I played 35,350 hands this month. I ended up $482.35 for the month (including rakeback).