The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and bots in poker is a topic that is being hotly debated in the poker community – after all, it has the potential to fundamentally change the game, both in positive and negative ways. Above all, the training aspect can be seen as positive. If used correctly, AI can ensure that professionals play even better in the future.
However, AI should not be used during the game itself – at least, that is the general consensus. However, if you broaden your field of vision, AI can also be useful during a game, namely as a security solution. Many AI security tools are able to recognize thought patterns of other AIs and can thus be used to monitor games live, like in bigwin casino, and prevent cheating.
When used in the game itself, however, AI tools bring more disadvantages. Most importantly, they put players who rely on their trained skills and past experience at a disadvantage. This undermines the integrity of the game, the element of human psychology, and the unpredictability that makes poker so unique. This is a major problem in online poker, in particular. The anonymity of the internet allows cheaters to remain undetected much more easily.
This poses a serious problem for platform operators, who must ensure the fairness and security of the game. The distinction between the legal use of AI to assist the player and the illicit use for cheating is, therefore, of key importance. While assistive tools that do not make direct game decisions are accepted on some platforms, the use of bots that play autonomously is considered a violation of the game rules and usually leads to a ban.
Legal, Illegal, Not Unimportant
Poker platforms and the gaming community are now faced with the challenge of establishing and enforcing clear policies that encourage the positive use of AI while preventing cheating and preserving the essence of the game of poker. This is easier said than done. However, there are some measures that can help to at least limit the use of AI in poker.
To do this, legality and illegality must first be defined. Poker platforms must develop clear, comprehensive policies that define exactly which types of AI tools and support are allowed and which are considered prohibited. These policies should be easily accessible and understandable for all players. Cooperation with local and international regulators can and should also help to create a uniform framework for dealing with AI and bots, especially in online poker.
Monitoring and sanctioning measures must then be implemented. This will be costly for poker platforms, as they will need to invest in advanced technologies to detect the use of illicit bots and AI systems. This includes pattern recognition algorithms that identify unusual gaming behavior and regular checks of player accounts for signs of fraud.
Ultimately, the established rules and guidelines must be consistently enforced. Violations must be severely punished, and fraudsters must be prevented from gaining access once they have been exposed. This is also easier said than done – because the Internet offers numerous hiding places.
Moral & Ethical Concerns
The topic of AI, in general, is not only a tangible scientific topic but also raises many ethical and philosophical questions. This also applies to AI in poker. For example, the questions arise: Is the use of AI in poker the same as cheating? And if so, where do we draw the line?
“Whenever there are high stakes and a lot of money involved, and there is something that could be used for a good cause, people find a way to turn it into a fraud tool.”
Jason Koon, Professional Poker Player, The New York Times
The key question of whether the use of AI in poker can be considered cheating depends largely on how and to what extent the AI is used. Supportive tools that help players improve their skills or reflect on their strategic decisions are generally seen as acceptable aids. These tools can promote learning and contribute to a deeper understanding of the game without directly interfering with the game. After all, training with AI tools is not all that different from training with experienced poker players – because they, too, have undergone a kind of reinforcement training for years.
However, the use of autonomous bots that make independent decisions and play without human intervention represents a clear crossing of the line into unfair advantage – most experts agree on this. The reason: Such practices not only undermine the basic principles of fairness and competition but also impair the gaming experience for everyone involved. After all, who wants to play against a soulless and almost flawless opponent (at least in 2024)? The use of AI in this context can almost be seen as a violation of the spirit of the game .
Drawing a line here requires a consensus on what poker is all about and how technology can enrich the game without fundamentally changing its essence. This requires clear guidelines and open discussion within the poker community.
Measures Against the Misuse of AI & Bots
Although the discussion about what is fraud and what is not is still quite open, and not all questions have been answered, online poker providers, in particular, are already implementing suitable protective measures. At the forefront of this are AI programs themselves, especially programs from the field of machine learning.
These programs can process huge amounts of data at once and identify patterns that could indicate fraud. This includes analyzing general player behavior and patterns when betting in-game currency.
To be able to do this, such programs must know the playing behavior of real players. They are trained for a long time to do this. Data such as the frequency of calls, checks, bets and bluffs are studied, as is the time that players need on average to make decisions. Deviations from the norm are also of crucial importance.
If a monitoring program detects irregularities in a player’s game that violate or deviate suspiciously from established norms, the player is flagged and placed under surveillance. If suspicions mount, the player can then be punished or even banned from the platform. Of course, all of this must happen in real-time in order to detect fraudulent activity as quickly as possible and protect honest players.
AI programs learn over time. But that applies to good AIs as well as bad ones. So it’s a neck-and-neck race – and it’s hard to say which side will win in the end. However, it will hardly be possible to completely prevent fraud in the future, either.
