Will AI and 'Real-Time Assistance' (RTA) eventually kill online poker?

KLEBE7 · Mar 19, 2026

As someone who works in tech, I see how fast AI is moving. Do you think sites are doing enough to catch 'bots,' or will we eventually all have to move back to Live Poker to ensure a fair game?

rsparente · Mar 21, 2026

There are behavioral checks run by poker sites, those will improve as well and eventually keep pace with any bot.

antonis32123 · Mar 23, 2026

Poker rooms don't try really to make players stop using [else tools. At least not the sharks , the pros . Maybe [brt stop the very little fish . Poker is >impossible to beat nowadays with all these AI tools and assistance .

DarkSage · Apr 6, 2026

poker online is already dead, because the poker sites themselves cheat and rigg the RNG.
Nobody trusts poker anymore, it was dead long before AI arrived.
That's is why Poker is currently a very small bubble at any social network, and it will continue to be this pathetic and mediocre bubble. Because that's what poker site's owners decided to do with it. Their greed couldn't wait for the ecosystem to grow as it should have if people could trust it.

People saw Pokerstar get ruined and abandoned because of their manipulation, and what did they learn from it? Did they build more fair and robust RNGs? No. Nope... Never.

They've just made cheating harder to detect, that's all. Now they won't allow you to download your hands anymore kkkkk That's progress right kkkkk

istbno · Apr 9, 2026

Sites are improving bot detection, but it’s still an ongoing battle. They use behavior analysis, timing patterns, and AI tools to flag suspicious play, and many accounts do get banned. At the same time, bots are becoming more sophisticated, so it’s a constant arms race. I don’t think players will fully move back to live poker, but online games will likely become more regulated and monitored. Live poker will always feel safer, but online isn’t going anywhere it will just keep evolving.

Oxinthewater · Apr 9, 2026

Yes, though I agree with the post which says this problem was already present before AI

Oxinthewater · Apr 9, 2026

DarkSage said:
Poker online is already dead, because the poker sites themselves cheat and rigg the RNG.
Nobody trusts poker anymore, it was dead long before AI arrived.
That's is why Poker is currently a very small bubble at any social network, and it will continue to be this pathetic and mediocre bubble. Because that's what poker site's owners decided to do with it. Their greed couldn't wait for the ecosystem to grow as it should have if people could trust it.

People saw Pokerstar get ruined and abandoned because of their manipulation, and what did they learn from it? Did they build more fair and robust RNGs? No. Nope... Never.

They've just made cheating harder to detect, that's all. Now they won't allow you to download your hands anymore kkkkk That's progress right kkkkk

Could you elaborate on what happened to pokerstars? I was away from online poker between 21-25, but was big into stars before then

RENEY444 · Apr 10, 2026

Online poker is dead because the rake is sucking the blood out of the game . RTA makes it way worse .

Poker Orifice · Apr 10, 2026

DarkSage said:
Poker online is already dead, because the poker sites themselves cheat and rigg the RNG.
Nobody trusts poker anymore, it was dead long before AI arrived.
That's is why Poker is currently a very small bubble at any social network, and it will continue to be this pathetic and mediocre bubble. Because that's what poker site's owners decided to do with it. Their greed couldn't wait for the ecosystem to grow as it should have if people could trust it.

People saw Pokerstar get ruined and abandoned because of their manipulation, and what did they learn from it? Did they build more fair and robust RNGs? No. Nope... Never.

They've just made cheating harder to detect, that's all. Now they won't allow you to download your hands anymore kkkkk That's progress right kkkkk

You're a freeroll player. And because of it, you get to play those fun 'freerolls' where you get 6 players to a hand, calling preflop with any two cards. How would you even have a clue about a site's RNG when you're only experiencing them from a freeroller's perspective?

DarkSage · Apr 14, 2026

Poker Orifice said:
You're a freeroll player. And because of it, you get to play those fun 'freerolls' where you get 6 players to a hand, calling preflop with any two cards. How would you even have a clue about a site's RNG when you're only experiencing them from a freeroller's perspective?

Oh, so your argument is that only freerolls are rigged? kkkkkk Paid games are not.
Is that it? kkkkk The amount of players per hand only makes it easier to spot the cheating...

Plus, I don't discuss "if it is or not rigged" anymore. I'm already certain of that, for at least a few months now.. But just out of courtesy, let me reverse your question:

If you can't download the hands you play, several scandals have already been revealed in different ocasions, you see bizarre hands on daily basis rate, and you never did nothing even near a serious statistical analysis to test it, how could you ever have a clue about online poker's legitimacy?

(Spoiler alert: you can't.)

Thanks, bye..

Poker Orifice · Apr 14, 2026

DarkSage said:
Oh, so your argument is that only freerolls are rigged? kkkkkk Paid games are not.
Is that it? kkkkk The amount of players per hand only makes it easier to spot the cheating...

Plus, I don't discuss "if it is or not rigged" anymore. I'm already certain of that, for at least a few months now.. But just out of courtesy, let me reverse your question:

If you can't download the hands you play, several scandals have already been revealed in different ocasions, you see bizarre hands on daily basis rate, and you never did nothing even near a serious statistical analysis to test it, how could you ever have a clue about online poker's legitimacy?

(Spoiler alert: you can't.)

Thanks, bye..

I didn't say only freerolls were rigged. (nothing is rigged in my opinion).
If you were to read my post again, and try to understand it you'll see exactly what I meant.
Anyways, I'm going to have to put you on my ignore list. There's absolutely no value for me to read, respond or have anything to do with a rig___d (unless they are very new to the game and are asking for info., help, etc.)

Enjoy yourself playing in the games where you get 6 players to a flop, all of them calling no matter what the preflop action is.

Luvepoker · Apr 17, 2026

KLEBE7 said:
As someone who works in tech, I see how fast AI is moving. Do you think sites are doing enough to catch 'bots,' or will we eventually all have to move back to Live Poker to ensure a fair game?

I think it's always something that we have to be concerned about but I don't believe that will be of issue long term the sites know if they don't do something about it and do their best to stop it poker will never be allowed online and it'll just die. I have never played online poker and felt I was being ripped off , bot or anything else. The one thing I will say is the only time I have ever felt and knew I was being double teamed and cheated and the dealer knew it was at the world series of poker circuit event in Las Vegas. very obvious to collusion that was going on and it was unbelievable that nobody would do anything it. And if you're interested it is one of the big casinos who still have a poker room and major Events

Slonoptah · Apr 29, 2026

I think it's unlikely that AI will be able to kill online poker because AI lacks the human factor needed in poker.

puzzlefish · May 8, 2026

We just had a thread/topic on these forums a couple days ago about an AI bot that played undetected on 888 in 2022-2023 as part of a research project. It was a winning player and looks like it did not get caught by 888. That topic got deleted BUT it shows that this technology is already here and while the particular group behind it claimed that they retired it and did not release the source code, I have my doubts. How many other active projects like it are there?

Online poker is going to keep going as long as there are accounts grinding away and keeping the rake and fees flowing. It doesn't matter if the players are human or AI. It's just slowly turning into a technological arms race and I doubt that sites will be able to stop AI in the long run.

thwenth1983 · May 9, 2026

Good morning!

I started playing poker in 2018, and since then I’ve always heard people talking about bots, cheating, and all kinds of conspiracy theories. But honestly, until today, I’ve never seen any major poker site where someone could consistently use bots without eventually being detected.

The reality is that 99% of poker players are honest people who just enjoy the game. Of course, there will always be that 1% trying to be smarter than everyone else. Anywhere there’s money involved, there will always be someone attempting to cheat.

But poker sites today use extremely advanced technology. These companies make huge amounts of money from poker, casinos, and online betting, so they invest heavily in security and anti-cheating systems.

In the same way AI can be used to try to bypass systems, there are also very sophisticated AI tools designed to detect suspicious behavior, bots, RTA, collusion, and unfair play. So on large and reputable poker sites, the probability of this becoming a real widespread problem is practically zero.

Sure, there may be one account here and there trying to abuse the system, but those accounts are usually detected and removed very quickly.

anbu210 · May 13, 2026

AI and RTA are definitely a serious threat to online poker if not controlled properly.
Real-Time Assistance gives unfair advantages and can damage trust in the games.

But most major poker sites are already investing heavily in detection systems, security teams, and bans.
Poker has survived bots, HUD debates, and many other challenges before.

I think online poker will survive, but strict anti-RTA enforcement will become more important than ever.

TeUnit · May 13, 2026

This might be a bit of a hot take, but I think it already has. Sites like Ignition, ACR, and BetOnline - have been bot havens.

It seems like ACR cant go a week without one of their sponsored pros getting caught on live stream using RTA.

You cant even tell what you are playing against on Ignition, no huds, no sharkscope, no names, no chat, not even poo flinging.

Some players/bots were multi tabling BetOnline sngs non stop for days.

marco198121 · May 13, 2026

Artificial intelligence can be used by both sides. You're making it seem like only the players have access to it, but they are very small compared to the technological power of famous poker sites like GG, 888, etc. In other words, AI will also be used by them to prevent this.

Pabloro10321 · May 13, 2026

I like to think of it as something that poker sites improve over time, so this kind of thing isn't a problem.

Magallaneroy · May 13, 2026

Online poker is still alive, it is difficult for everybody to play otherwise, so I don't think IA will kill online poker.

Lodestone · May 13, 2026

Slonoptah said:
I think it's unlikely that AI will be able to kill online poker because AI lacks the human factor needed in poker.

Libratus annihilated some of the best players heads up. Pluribus dominated in 6max and these were almost a decade ago. Poker is so solved that there isn't even any point competing anymore the ACPC was dropped in 2018, 6 perfect GTO bots competing is a waste of resources and pointless. There is 0 'human factor' required. Poker is math, and computers are good at math. The real question is how much resources are required and what the risk of getting caught is as far as actually cheating on sites goes.

Lodestone · May 13, 2026

TeUnit said:
This might be a bit of a hot take, but I think it already has. Sites like Ignition, ACR, and BetOnline - have been bot havens.

It seems like ACR cant go a week without one of their sponsored pros getting caught on live stream using RTA.

You cant even tell what you are playing against on Ignition, no huds, no sharkscope, no names, no chat, not even poo flinging.

Some players/bots were multi tabling BetOnline sngs non stop for days.

Bot sellers and users know all of the easy targets. They literally publish lists of where the high and low risk places to play are.

For people wanting a fair game, the places listed high risk for them are the places you want to play. Completely unsurprisingly Ignition is low risk for cheaters. You nailed it with your list, all 3 are preferred sites for cheaters. The surprising one here is GG. I would think they'd be at the top with the other big market cap guys.

And if you don't trust the cheaters to be honest (fwiw in this context I'd expect the info to be reliable since they have nothing to gain from someone using one room over another), there is plenty of other evidence.

Will AI and 'Real-Time Assistance' (RTA) eventually kill online poker?

KLEBE7

Enthusiast

rsparente

Rock Star

antonis32123

Legend

DarkSage

Rock Star

istbno

Visionary

Oxinthewater

Visionary

Oxinthewater

Visionary

RENEY444

Legend

Poker Orifice

And Still...

DarkSage

Rock Star

Poker Orifice

And Still...

Luvepoker

Lost in the twilight zone

Slonoptah

Enthusiast

puzzlefish

👆 the guy who's opinion you would trust on this!

thwenth1983

Visionary

anbu210

Rock Star

TeUnit

Legend

marco198121

Rock Star

Pabloro10321

Visionary

Magallaneroy

Rock Star

Lodestone

Rock Star

Lodestone

Rock Star

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