Signs of Cheating

It is often said that playing online poker in internet poker rooms makes players more vulnerable to cheating. Whether it is the case that more cheating goes on in an online poker room is open to debate. It is true that most people who play online poker will lose, but it is also the case that they will probably lose when playing in a traditional casino. While no one argues that cheating does not go on in online poker and that collusion between players is easier on the internet, it can also be argued that online players are more likely to blame others in onlne poker than they are in the bricks and mortar world.

There are several reasons why online poker players might be inclined to blame their own misfortune on the actions of others rather than themselves : Online poker players often fail to concentrate on their game as much as they would at a casino, the numerous distractions of the online poker environment mean that people are tempted to multi task while playing with corresponding effects on the quality o their results.

Other characteristics of online poker play can lead to poorer results than in traditional casinos, the rate of play is much swifter with online poker, the number of games played per hour is quicker than in the bricks and mortar world so if you are on a losing streak the cost of this will be exaggerated in the online game.. Online poker players are also more likely to lose their self control when playing online and burn through their money. In the real world games the peer pressure of being surrounded by other players who may criticise or disapprove of poor playing tactics can be a restraining factor on poor or sloppy play and help you limit your poor results.

Collusion.

Nonetheless cheating does occur in online poker games and probably the commonest form of cheating is collusion. Collusion can involve two or more players at your online poker table swapping information with each other to the detriment of fellow competitors. Opinions differ as to the effectiveness of collusion in online games although most agree it is probably most effective in short handed games where it is easier to cheat two or three players than the eight you will get in a full ring game.

Online poker rooms are very sensitive to the problems of collusion and do employ a raft of measures to scrutinize for suspicious playing patterns and possible abuses. Nonetheless if you think that Online collusion might be taking place in the online poker room in which you are playing you should report your suspicions to your poker site so that they can investigate it. If your suspicions are confirmed