ShareThese days, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been sparking a lot of conversations about how it could affect the future of different industries. Well, for the online poker industry, many would agree that the use of AI is quite a game-changer.
Without a doubt, AI has significantly advanced over the last few years. It’s now capable of predicting player behavior and decisions based on probability and logic. It now also allows computer programs to play poker even without any input from human players.
That said, it’s become a tool that could make online poker gaming more challenging for some players out there. That’s especially the case for those who enjoy regular online poker games.
AI Analyzing Player Behavior
Poker is generally a fun strategic game that involves skills on how to read the other players on the table. Players will have to rely on their intuition and sense of other people to somewhat predict or at least have an idea of how their opponents will proceed with the game.
That’s a skill not everyone has, but now, AI is being used to analyze, identify, and even predict behaviors of the poker players. With that ability, it can also suggest the best possible strategies that someone could use to improve their chances of winning.
It wasn’t long ago when a professional poker player from Germany was accused of using software that helped him solve the games he was playing at online casinos including poker games.
According to a report from PokerNews, Fedor Kruse used a program called Real Time Assistance (RTA) which showed users like him a game-theory optimal strategy that could help him identify the next best moves based on the hand he has.
This game solver is a computer program that uses algorithms to solve the games he’s playing. He was being shown the best strategies for each situation.
In the report, his roommates explained that Kruse had a double PC set up which was “designed to fool mouse-tracking systems.”
He used one computer for the solver or software while the other was where he was playing real money games. The use of RTA is not allowed at US online casinos.
Kruse has already denied the allegations, but when the online gambling site where he played investigated the incident, they did find evidence of cheating.
This resulted in them confiscating Kruse’s account balance of over $1.2 million. He’s now also banned from the site.
The Use of AI in Ensuring Game Fairness
With all that being a possibility, now comes the question of whether AI can be used for something good instead. Well, it could be, especially in the world of online gambling. Online casinos are also using AI to ensure fairness in their games.
Since AI can gather and analyze player behavior, they can then use the data they get to recognize exploitable tendencies in someone’s gameplay. If they do encounter a player being suspicious, they can then proceed with an investigation and look for evidence of cheating.
AI is also being used to ensure the security of the casino players. Other suspicious activities can also be detected like if someone else, who isn’t the account holder, is trying to withdraw the money.
Online casinos can also use AI to determine account behaviors that could be related to fraudulent activities like identity theft and even money laundering attempts.
Besides security measures, AI can also be used to provide personalized customer service. AI-powered chatbots are quite commonly used to provide helpful tips and advice to customers.
Being able to track the players' behavior can also help operators better understand what their customers like most. Because of that, they get to find a way to offer services that are tailor-fitted to each customer.
Conclusion
All in all, AI has significantly impacted online casino games, including online poker. The ones we mentioned above are just some of the most common ways that casino operators are using AI tech to run their businesses.
However, casino players out there, know that the use of AI could negatively impact your gaming experience. While it could be tempting to use software like RTA, it’s simply not worth it. Once you get caught, all your winnings will likely be voided and you’ll be blacklisted at most if not all, online gambling sites.
Know that winning real money games online like poker will always require strategy, intuition, reasoning, and some luck. Anyway, a win will always feel better if it’s genuine.
