Online Poker is Not Biased Towards a Fixed Outcome
If you've ever played online poker, you might have experienced some immense losses, and maybe you even questioned if the game was being manipulated. After all, how often can someone lose with aces or a set if it's not rigged, right?
The answer to this question is quite simple, as poker is a highly volatile game, and anything can happen with the turn of a card.
Players who participate in live poker tournaments can attest that crazy situations happen there too. However, the swings aren't as apparent since fewer hands are played per hour.
Now, if you're still unsure about the legitimacy of online poker, let me discuss seven reasons that prove it's not rigged.
7 Reasons to Prove Online Poker Isn't Rigged
First and foremost, I want to emphasize that I have no vested interest in defending the integrity of online poker. In fact, if it were rigged, I would be one of the first to expose it.
After thoroughly analyzing all the data and playing this game for years, I can confidently say that online poker, when played on licensed and regulated platforms, is not rigged. Here's why.
1. Vetted Poker Sites
Major online poker platforms like PokerStars, GGPoker, or Partypoker undergo rigorous scrutiny from regulators such as the MGA, the UKGC, and others. These companies must fully comply with their licensing terms, one of which is providing a fair playing environment.
To ensure this, the regulators test the software these platforms use before they launch and throughout the licensing period. These operators will even pay for additional audits from third parties, who post their seals of approval on their websites to instill trust in players.
2. Random Number Generators
Each prominent online poker room utilizes one of the available random number generators (RNGs) from a handful of companies. These platforms use RNGs to produce cards, beginning with initial hole cards and extending to those on the river.
Although it may appear that you knew a card would come, this is not the case. Instead, you were hoping it would or wouldn't be drawn. The real truth is that every card on poker sites is as random as we can make it using current technology.
RNGs are not genuinely random but rather shuffle through billions of numbers before stopping on one to produce a card.
3. Player Hand Analysis
If you still don't believe me that online poker isn't rigged, I strongly encourage you to inspect the statistics for yourself. Poker tracking software such as Poker Tracker or Hold'em Manager allows you to log all your hands in a database and analyze them.
Over time, you'll notice that losing with aces or a set is not as common as you might think. Similarly, you'll observe patterns in statistics like how frequently flushes hit or how often you lose with three-of-a-kind. Moreover, extensive hand analysis from experts has led to the conclusion that there's no nefarious activity taking place on major online poker sites.
4. Revenue Dependence on Player Base
Online poker rooms depend on their player base to make money. If word leaked that their platforms were rigged, they would lose credibility and, subsequently, their entire business.
While these sites collect rake, they would risk losing a significant amount of revenue by risking their reputation for a slight increase in rake.
5. High-Quality Software
The technology behind online poker platforms is of very high quality. Cheating at poker would require sophisticated software, and it's highly unlikely that such excellence would include a backdoor to manipulate the game.
Moreover, the resources needed to develop, manage, and maintain malicious software that simulates fair play would be substantial. It's far more economical for online poker operators to simply collect rake.
6. Global Poker Networks
Major online poker sites are available worldwide, with players from various regions using their platforms. It would be exceedingly difficult for one operator to rig the game for all these players without raising suspicions or being discovered by the regulators or competitors.
7. Ample Supervision
There's always someone watching over online poker rooms. Regulators and even other operators monitor their activity, which further reduces the probability of them manipulating the game.
In conclusion, the available evidence suggests that online poker is not rigged. Instead, it's a highly volatile game where players have an equal chance of winning or losing, regardless of the hands they're dealt.
If you don't trust the hand histories you have or don't have a sufficient number of hands to analyze and you don't believe the gaming regulators, then just take a look at some of the big winners in online poker.
Many well-known poker players consistently win at online poker and have been doing so for a long time. If you examine their results and even some of their hand history databases, it's clear that online poker games are fair.
6. The Operators Charge Rake
All online poker sites charge rake from their players, bringing in millions of dollars every day. Since rake is taken from every game and every tournament, these sites don't need to tamper with the games in any way.
The main argument is that online poker is rigged to generate action. However, this is unnecessary because there's already enough action in poker as it is. In fact, it's more advantageous for operators when games continue uninterrupted and players don't lose too much money, as they would in a highly rigged game of poker.
7. It Doesn't Matter Who Wins
For online poker operators, it doesn't matter who the big winners are or if there are any big winners at all. The most important thing is that the money keeps flowing, and people keep returning to play. This wouldn't be possible if the games were unfair or rigged.
Since the operators don't care who wins or loses, it's hard to imagine how some players are consistent winners while others are consistent losers if the games were rigged. The truth is that the games aren't rigged, and the top players usually come out on top in the long run, while less skilled players tend to lose money.
If you think online poker is rigged due to all the seemingly unfair beats you see, consider the number of hands you play online versus live poker. Players tend to play hundreds of hands per hour in online poker compared to only a few dozen hands in live poker.
This means it's only natural for there to be 10 times more big hands and bad beats in an hour of online play compared to an hour of live play. Most poker hands come down to 70/30 or 60/40 situations, so it's not difficult to lose several of those in a row.
We also tend to remember the beats and forget about our wins too quickly, making the games seem more rigged than they really are. It all comes down to how many hands you play and how fast you go through them, as this is the factor that affects how many bad beats you suffer and how many crazy hands you'll see more frequently.
Is Online Poker Rigged?
No! Online poker is not rigged and there's no evidence to suggest otherwise.
Online poker is monitored and the software used to deal cards at major sites is 100% random. Countless successful players serve as proof that the games are fair and not rigged. If you still think online poker is rigged, try improving your gameplay instead. This will bring you better results and less devastating beats in the future.
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