Poker Bot Collusion
Automated poker-playing software, or teams of human players sharing hidden information, used to gain an unfair edge at online poker tables, often undetected until a room's security team investigates patterns.
Also known as: poker cheating ring, online poker bot
Last reviewed: 5 July 2026
Poker bot collusion covers two related forms of cheating at online poker: bots, which are automated programs that play seats using scripted or AI-driven decision-making at a speed and consistency no human can match, and collusion, where two or more human players at the same table secretly share their hole cards via a side channel (chat app, phone call) to make coordinated decisions that disadvantage other players at the table. Both violate every major poker room's terms of service and are considered fraud against the other players whose money is effectively being extracted through an unfair information or execution advantage.
Detecting bots and colluders is difficult because sophisticated operators vary bet timing and add deliberate 'mistakes' to mimic human play, and colluders can appear to be playing independently. Reputable poker rooms run statistical detection systems and investigate reported patterns, refunding affected players from confiscated funds when cheating is confirmed, but detection is imperfect and much collusion likely goes unnoticed, particularly at smaller or less-regulated sites with minimal security investment.
Examples
- A poker room bans a cluster of accounts after detecting statistically impossible timing correlations between their raises across thousands of hands.
- Two players at the same table use a messaging app to share hole card information, consistently folding around each other's strong hands to extract more value from other players.