Online poker is not rigged. Online poker is rigged. Swinging like a pendulum between the two possibilities?
Well you're not alone. So many people have these thoughts. Particularly if they're new to the world of online poker or if they've suffered a string of bad beats…
We're going to go through a few different things you should know so you can come to the conclusion that online poker is not rigged. Or maybe you'll decide online poker is rigged. Read on and start forming your own opinion…
Of course there are a huge number of people on the internet who are shouting, “online poker is rigged” at the top of their keyboards. But is it?
Well, if you go to a reputable site like bet365 (bonus code bet365 here if you're new to the site), poker games are so highly regulated there's pretty much no way online poker is rigged there. Being regulated by a body like the United Kingdom Gambling Commission or the Malta Gaming Authority means these sites have to comply with the laws and regulations in the jurisdiction they're licensed in. And there'll be regular audits too.
Speaking of audits, some companies have also signed up to eCOGRA. This is a third party auditor, who perform extra checks to guarantee fairness.
But how do you know every game is unhackable? Well because regulated sites use licensed Random Number Generator software. These algorithms help poker rooms to spit out cards from a virtual deck in a pattern that's so complex it would be impossible for anyone to predict what's coming out next.
However, unregulated sites are a different story. The question of if online gambling is rigged on an unregulated site is trickier because there are no checks and balances. So if you want to be extra safe, make sure you play on a regulated site.
Okay, so if you're playing on a regulated site, you might well draw the conclusion that online poker is not rigged. And we think that's a pretty safe bet.
But if you want to ensure that online poker is not rigged on your site, there are some things you can do before you play.
The first thing you should do is to check if the site has the proper accreditation and regulation in your jurisdiction. You should be able to find that when you scroll to the bottom of the homepage and check out the site's boilerplate. Then cross check that with the regulatory authority on their site. They should have a list of license holders there.
That's all well and good before you sign up. But what about when you've already been playing for a while? How do you know online poker is not rigged then?
In that case, use a poker tracking software to review all the hands you've played at that site. SOmething like Hold'em Manager or Poker Tracker should work well. But please keep in mind, it'll only give you decent resents if you've played in excess of 20,000 cash game table hands.
Of course variance and standard deviations are a big part of poker, but if you see yourself losing a lot more than expected, it might need further investigation.
And what about individuals cheating on the sites? Well regulated online poker companies work hard to prevent bots, teams of players colluding or people using banned real-time assistance tools. So if you're playing at a big brand who has all the accreddition in place, rest assured online poker is not rigged there.
All players at bet365 must be of legal gambling age in their jurisdiction to play. For those in the UK and Ireland, minimum gambling age is 18 years old. Always gamble responsibly. Visit Gamble Aware for practical tips on responsible gambling and how to get help for an addiction.
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