Online Poker Tools will help improve your play. Online Poker
Cheats may improve your play. Online Poker Tools are legal to use at
Online Poker Rooms. Online Poker Cheats are illegal and when detected
your account will be closed, your money seized.
Online Poker Tools defined
An
Online Poker Tool is any device that a player uses to assist or help
play Online Poker. Online Poker Tools conform to the Terms and
Conditions of the Online Poker Room. Technically, a pad and calculator
could be an Online Poker Tool. Most Poker Tools are software that is
used before, during, or after play.
Online Poker Cheats described
Generally
speaking, an Online Poker Cheat is any Software/Program that when
utilized, breaches the Terms and Conditions of your Online Poker Room.
Most reputable Poker Rooms' Terms and Conditions provide a description
of banned practice, as well as a citation of specifically banned
software. Online Poker Robots are a subset of Online Poker Cheats.
Where is the Cheating Line?
Where is the cheating line
between Online Poker Tools and Online Poker Cheats? The line exists
where your Online Poker Room sets it. Although Cheat creators like to
argue about it - for better or worse - the Poker Room holds all the
chips on this issue (pardon the pun). When you initiate an account with
a Poker Room, you agree to their terms and conditions. What they call a
cheat, is by default a cheat.
Cheats tend to fester in three areas - data mining, card prediction, and automated play.
Data
mining - is where a Software/Program assimilates historical information
for use during or after play. In general, it is okay to use
information saved from hands you've played in. For hands that you
haven't played in, the use of Cheats to gather historical information is
illegal. The process of repetitive data mining is done by Robots.
Card
prediction - some programs insist they have broken the code on the
random number generators used by Poker Rooms. Statistically speaking,
this is unlikely. These Programs are illegal.
Automated play -
any Program that takes the player out of the loop of play (where the
program plays a complete hand without a player click) is illegal.
Automated players are often called Robots.
How Prevalent are Online Poker Tools and Online Poker Cheats?
Any guessing on the prevalence of Tools or Cheats can at best be described as a ballpark guess.
Online
Poker Tools are growing at a rapid rate, and because of their legality,
their growth is unchecked. It is estimated that 17% of Online Poker
Players use Online Poker Tools.
Online Poker Cheats exist in a
fast moving battle zone. The battle zone exists between their Creators
and the Poker Rooms. Once a Cheat achieves popularity, Poker Rooms
respond and install counter measures. It may be estimated that less then
1% of Players are attempting to use Online Poker Cheats.
Conclusions
The Online Poker Player has many options
available to improve their play. These options include Online Poker
Tools and Online Poker Cheats. The decision of Tools or Cheats is not
too dissimilar then the choice that athletes have to improve their game -
Vitamins or Steroids? For most of us who play to improve their games,
for leisure and fun - Online Poker Tools adequately fit the bill! Of
course there are those few out there that will continually explore the
shadows for a 'perceived' temporary edge. For those few, Online Poker
Cheats come and go.