Last time, I discussed online poker cheating software. This time, I’ll cover a growingly more sophisticated way to cheat at online poker, poker bots.

I’ve done my fair share of research into online poker bots. As a computer geek by nature, I was intrigued at how well they actually work.

What I quickly found, was that programmers and marketers are making big money, but not from their own bot. They’re making money off the people searching for terms like “online poker cheats” and “how to cheat at online poker”.

In this article, I’ll discuss online poker bots, how to get one for yourself, and why I believe poker bots are good for online poker.

It’d be a lot cooler if you did…. (make money that is)

Yes, I’m going to squash the hopes and dreams of easy money from online poker cheating right from the beginning. Think about it. If I had an online poker bot that I programmed to make one big bet per hour, I could easily make six figures per year at a 10/20 table. If I could run multiple bots and/or multiple tables, I could make six figures in a month.

Now why would I sell this bot for $25, $100, $1000, or even $10,000? I wouldn’t. I’d sit back and allow my bot to work on multiple poker rooms, while I went scuba-diving in the Bahamas.

So, if there are online poker bots that actually make money, they are few and far between, and trust me, they are not going to be readily available to any Joe Schmoe who wants one.

So do you still want to know how to get a poker bot of your own?

How to get your own poker bot (and not get scammed)

If you plan to buy a poker bot of your own, make sure you get a good one. I don’t mean one that makes money, because (as I already mentioned) you are not going to find a poker bot that generates profit straight out-of-the-box. Some sites like PokerBot Pro promise big money, but are quickly found out to be scams.

The most established and reputable site I’ve found to purchase a poker bot is WinHoldem. Here, you can purchase a license for as little as $50 (without auto-play), and $100 for the Pro edition (with auto-play).

Winholdem also has the most interesting poker bot forum that I’ve found. I quickly realized while browsing their forum, that most posts are about getting the bot programmed and working. You won’t find many success stories, but you will find a few ambiguous posts about people “being happy” with them.

So can online poker bots make money?

I think they can, but not without a TON of work programming, tweaking, testing, and learning about poker. To create a successful poker bot you have to do the following;

1. Learn C++ programming language

2. Have enough money to test the bot over thousands of hands at micro stakes

3. Patience to spend hours/days/weeks testing and reprogramming

4. The aptitude and willingness to learn poker by studying regularly

Even if you are willing and able to do all of the above, you still have to do a number of complicated procedures to avoid detection. You risk having your poker account(s) shut down and all the money seized. If having a poker bot still sounds like fun, be my guest!

So why are online poker bots GOOD for poker?

Ian Ayres over at the NY Times wrote an interesting article about poker bots where he claims that “Bots won’t kill poker. They’ll just drive it off line.” I believe this statement is false, at least anytime in the near future. Perhaps in 5-10 years when Artificial Intelligence becomes a mainstream reality, poker bots may become something to worry about. I’m sure online poker rooms will continue to adapt their security to ensure players’ safety. So as of right now, I believe bots are actually GOOD for poker. Why, you ask?

When people buy these online poker bots, they have to test and re-program and test some more. What’s better than having a poker bot donk off its entire stack to you repeatedly? I say the more online poker bots, the merrier!

Final thoughts on poker bots

While the prospect of creating a moneymaking poker bot may sound exciting, I believe you are better off just learning poker on your own. This way, you can make money legit from both online and live poker.

So if you are thinking that buying a poker bot equals easy money, forget about it. If I were to purchase one, it would be as a hobby only. But if someday, I seem to magically disappear from GCP, you’ll know. I’m probably out scuba diving in some tropical location, while my poker bot pays the bills.

What are your thoughts on online poker bots? Discuss your thoughts in the comments below, or in our own poker bot forum.

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