A few weeks ago, eagle-eyed poker fans claimed to have spotted a cheating device in use during a live game. The device is a modified smartphone that can remotely read hole cards. The story was discovered by Elie Bursztein, who posted it on the Hacker News website. It has taken the poker community by storm.
The device is said to have special scanning cameras as well other poker cheating hardware. The phones contain a small chip which can scan the markings found on a deck. The markings, which appear as black spots on the card when illuminated with IR, can be used to determine a player’s suit and value.
The chips are then transmitted via a hidden transmitter to the cheater’s computer or other smartphone. The device then analyses the data and reports back to the cheat, revealing which cards each player has. The cheat may then use various methods, such as culling, palming or mucking to switch the cards and trick their opponents. A card cheat may also deal “second deals”, giving a confederate or opponent a good card.
Some cheaters have even found ways to rig poker online. They are harder to spot but still violate the rules at online poker sites. One method involves a group of people who play under aliases at the same site, and communicate in secret via instant messaging. The team members decide how to play a hand after discussing which cards they have. This type of collusion can be hard to detect but can lead to huge profits if executed correctly.
Bots are programs that simulate human play in poker. These programs are based on mathematical models and they often make better decisions over large samples than humans. Most online poker rooms do not allow bots and they can ban you permanently.
The most recent scandal in the world of poker involved a woman named Robbi Lew, who shocked the poker world by going all-in on a Jack high hand during a live game at the Hustler Casino Live. She vehemently denies cheating but many fans believe that she was helped by a device which vibrated her hand to tell her when she had a good hand and told her she should call bluffs. Daniel Negreanu, one of the top poker coaches, believes Lew made a mistake because she was overwhelmed at the time. However, the controversy has raised concerns about whether it’s okay for poker players to use hand assistance apps. They can help players to make quick calculations and do probability-related math, but they also give players a unfair advantage. It’s unclear if these devices will ever be fully banned, but it is certainly a source of much debate among poker enthusiasts.