Since the inception of online poker, critics have been skeptical of the fairness and random shuffling of online poker sites. While many newcomers believe online poker is rigged or unfair, it is exactly the opposite that is true. When playing on a trusted poker site, online poker is actually safer and more secure than playing at a home game or even a casino.
I think the number one reason why new players think online poker is rigged is because of the amount of hands you get to see. When you’re playing in a home game or in a casino, you will play about a fourth of the amount of hands that you’ll play in the same amount of time online. This makes a huge difference when it comes to bad beats, which is why players think they are getting screwed. If you’re seeing four times the amount of hand you normally see, you’re going to win four times as many big pots, and you’re also going to have four times as many bad beats.
Many new people to online poker don’t understand how big the poker industry actually is. Online poker is a multi billion dollar industry, with some of the bigger poker sites making over $300 million per month! The revenues that the top poker sites make, is greater than some of the most recognized companies in the world. What reason would they have for trying to rig a game? They would get caught eventually, and the whole company would go under. The risk is certainly not worth the reward.
To make you feel even more safe when playing online, you can check out the security companies that monitor the random shuffling of online poker sites. These government regulated security sites monitor all of the top online poker rooms, so you can be sure that these poker sites are safe. The security of playing online doesn’t end there either. If you are worried about collusion and people being able to see your cards, you should keep reading. While collusion was prevalent in the early years on online poker (1998-2000), this problem has since been almost completely eliminated. Poker sites now have formulas in place that will pick up on the actions of two people at the same table who are working together. This is actually very easy to detect now for an online poker site. While were on the topic of cheating, do not be fooled by people who say they can see your hole cards, or have software that will tell you the what card is coming next. Many marketers are advertising programs like this on Google, and they are all scams! None of them work at all. If you really could see someone’s cards, would you tell other people about it? Of course not! You would just sign on to a poker site and mop up thousands of dollars a day on your own. Overall I think there are way too many features in place at online poker sites for anyone to beat the system. Online poker is very safe and secure, and you should feel comfortable playing poker online at any reputable site.
By Justin Goff
Justin Goff is an online gaming journalist. You can find more of his online poker writings including a Chan Poker review and info about poker sites for Americans