Introduction
Although you may already know what online poker is, and most of you are probably already playing it, let’s start from the basics. Online poker is an Internet-based game that imitates classic (real) poker, but it doesn’t have the same rules and principles. However, it became immensely popular, and it is quite logical why. It is an appealing thought to hang out in bed (in your pajamas, of course) and to be able to play online. Who wouldn’t like that? Moreover, many of us spend most of our day on the Internet (most of the times doing nothing). It was only a matter of time before some of us put the two interests together and started earning real money from games and not just tokens and bonuses.
As we’ve already mentioned, since the game is online, it is different from regular poker. Online games are exclusive because they run on software and it is something that holds the game. If you find a way to cheat the software, that practically means you can alter the game’s code. Many online poker sites are vulnerable to these kinds of operations. However, most of them are pretty secure and protected, so you can’t hack them easily.
When we are talking about hacking and “cheating the system” in general, there are more things worthy of mentioning than just winning the game. Firstly, hacking or any non-authorized access into any computer program is illegal, and it is considered a criminal act. However, the art of hacking itself is not necessary a bad thing. Some professionals work as hackers for the government. However, they are working to catch the “bad guys.” Anyway, there are ways to cheat the online poker software, just like there are ways to do everything else on the Internet nowadays. In this article, I am going to give a brief explanation on how you can do that and what that means. However, you need to keep in mind that if you are thinking about cheating the software, you need to know what the possible consequences of your actions are before you attempt such a thing.
Breaking the System
Nothing in this world is indestructible, therefore, in theory, everything that one human can build, another can tear apart. The simplicity of cheating in the classic poker game is that you can easily get caught while doing it (sooner or later), and the ways of detecting fraud are improving day by day. On the other hand, when it comes to online poker, things get complicated, it’s harder to catch someone who is cheating, but it is also super-hard to hack the game itself. However, people are geniuses when it comes to this kind of stuff. For instance, the most popular type of cheating in classic poker is the so-called Collusion. It happens when two or more players work together, but no one knows that they are on the same team. Usually, they have the same bankroll. You can apply this on online poker as well. There, players can use instant messaging or phone calls to communicate, and that kind of cheating is highly prominent.
There is a real risk that online poker software may be faulty. That can be a severe problem for both the website and the company if the software of their game is vulnerable to hackers. The main flaw of online poker software is that it can be manipulated from the outside and that there are ways in which the players (or hackers) can access the game code. One of the holes in the game’s security that’s a frequent target for hackers is the shuffling of the cards. We know that in online poker every combination of cards should have an equal possibility of appearing. However, hackers often manage to change those odds in their favor.
Though many algorithms can be used for shuffling, some of them which were tested by companies that take care of the game software in online poker are seriously flawed. Furthermore, the shuffling problem in online poker games is real, and the results showed that it doesn’t even deliver an even distribution of shuffles.
Experienced poker players (who play the odds on a regular basis) can take advantage of the loopholes in the game software. The websites that are not properly developed are easy targets for all hackers. On the other hand, online gambling sites that have high-quality games and lots of users are super-protected, and breaking through this type of website is harder than you think. Besides, it’s not just about the site — it is mostly about you as a player.
However, the real question at hand is: “are YOU able to cheat the software?” Well, that primarily depends on your skills as a player or a hacker/programmer. If you want to beat the system (correctly), you need to possess at least one of these qualifications. Otherwise, you should at least try to master the game of online poker and then win big.
Software Abuse: Cheating or Hacking?
Cheating can mean a lot of things. Sometimes, people are not even aware that they are cheating. If you don’t know the rules of the game, you can make a wrong move, and other players interpret that as cheating. However, cheating at online poker can mean a lot of things — from playing with someone you know to hacking. I want to focus more on the latter because this is not cheating, it is an illegal activity and a criminal act. The websites that support games such as online poker have extremely secure software. One can’t easily break into it, and that is a fact. Although nothing is 100% safe (even military databases are vulnerable to hackers), you need to know that this action is time and energy-consuming unless you are a super-hacker, in which case, I apologize. Also, you should pay attention to game updates. If you find that the software has a flaw that you can take advantage of, you need to know that this is not going to last. As soon as you start abusing it, they are going to realize that something happened. After that, it won’t take them long to fix the software and even make it better and stronger. If you are hacking websites in order to win games, you are just helping them improve and fix their software flaws.
However, I know that cheating is super-exciting and that it has always been present in games, but you should distinguish between deception in the game itself and software hacking. Anyhow, cheating is a bold action that one takes in order to win the game in a dirty way. On the other hand, hacking is often considered as a form of cheating, but it is also a personal attack on the website of a company that hosts the online game. This means that a hacker may even be able to access all the users’ personal information, their payment details, company information, and much more. This is a much bigger problem then just cheating at the game.
Summary
To sum up, I know that when it comes to hacking and “programming” talks, things can sound a bit confusing. However, it is highly connected with cheating the game. Therefore, you must know the difference and what can actually happen if you “cheat” online poker software or any other software in general. If you want to do it and you entirely trust your hacking abilities, you should keep in mind that you are going to be able to do it just once per website. After that, there is no way that you are going to be able to enter the same site again. The only chance that you have is to try other weaker online poker websites. My warm advice when it comes to these topics is that you should try to play the game instead and enjoy its benefits. If you want to try to cheat, there are many ways you can do that without going into the hacker waters. After all, those are muddy waters, my friend.