Author: horse-racing-free-tips

They’re worse than poker sharks. They’ve taken over online poker rooms everywhere. In fact, they’re most likely sitting next to you at the table right now. They probably have most of your chips. Emotion doesn’t get in their way. Neither does greed, exhaustion, or fear. Their tells are nil and, try as you might, you cannot put them on tilt. They’re poker bots, and rumor has it, they’re fleecing you bare.

Poker bots are computer programs set up to play on behalf of (and instead of) an actual human being, according to a consistent and, presumably, proven strategy. Hearing of the possible presence of these borderline cheaters in your online poker rooms could be enough to make online poker players question whether to sit down at the online poker tables at all.

So let’s start there. In a word: yes. Of course you should keep playing poker. As we’ll explain, these poker bots are far from foolproof and even farther from unbeatable. Secondly, online poker rooms are in the process of making it harder and harder for a poker bot to even get through their virtual doors (think: cyber-bouncer).

You see, here’s the thing: there are countless poker bots. Countless programmers with dollar signs in their eyes have tried and are trying their hand at pitting technology against humanity. There are so many different types of poker bots to choose from, new ones cropping up on online poker rooms all the time, that it leads to but one crystal clear conclusion:

They can’t all be unbeatable. This is both a caution against relying on them and a consolation to those players who fear being unwittingly pitted against them.

What about a table with more than one seat occupied by a poker bot? If you think it hasn’t happened, doesn’t in fact happen all the time, then you’re kidding yourself. In an instance like that, some poker bots have got to lose. In fact, in each hand, only one can win.

In truth, each bot is only as good as its programmers. And to be clear, that’s programmers with an “s”: there’s the guy or gal who built the program and you, the user, who must determine the parameters (or settings) by which the poker bot will play. That’s two human variables affecting quite directly the actions of the poker bot. So, let us ask you something: Why not just play the darned game yourself?

Another thing to realize is that poker is not suited to mechanical play. It’s a human game. Sure, a poker bot can’t be put on tilt, but neither can a poker bot read a tell nor spot a bluff. It’s questionable at best how beneficial a poker bot can be to one’s game. You’re probably just as well off improving your game the old fashioned way: practice practice practice.

But this threat may not be a threat for long. You might think, why should the poker rooms care, since poker bots make just as much money for online poker rooms as real people? The answer: the real people are getting restless. And at the risk of having their flesh and blood customers retaliate against poker bots by boycotting online poker itself, the online poker rooms are starting to take notice of the problem.

Already, may online poker rooms are instituting software that identifies when a player seems to be using too much of a pattern in their play. It’ll be a tricky road, since distinguishing poker bot play from human play is a tricky and therefore risky business. Nobody wants to make false accusations or, worse, take erroneous action, like blocking an innocent user’s account. But they’re working on it.

As a new form of competition arises — namely: who can build the better bot? — we’ll find more and more online poker rooms hosting bot-only tournaments (don’t laugh, some already have). Hopefully, an increase in this practice will encourage poker bot enthusiasts to create a niche for themselves (surely a profitable niche for the online poker rooms) and leave the rest of us ordinary folk to play against other flesh and blood human beings.

If you are new to online sports wagering or looking for a reliable online sportsbook you have come to the right place. Online sports wagering and casino gambling have increased at an exponential rate since the birth of the internet. Unfortunately there are a large number of unscrupulous online sportsbook sites and virtual gambling operators whose only business is swindling money from the recreational sports bettor. Thankfully there are plenty of legitimate online sportsbook wagering sites from which to choose.

In order to pick an online sportsbook that will fit you best you need to evaluate your betting history to determine what sports or bet types you wager on the most. If you have not bet on sports before you will most likely wager on sports you enjoy watching.

The most important question to ask before deciding to deposit money at an online sportsbook is do they pay. You can start your research by visiting the many sports betting forums that have appeared with the advent of internet sports betting. Do not make the mistake in thinking that every sportsbook who advertises at an online sports gambling discussion group or sportsbook forum is legitimate. Many so called watchdog websites are nothing more than internet portals whose owners have not opened an account, placed a wager and successfully completed a withdrawal from the advertisers on their sites. You are better off seeking the opinions of the forum posters by either posting questions or using the forums search feature to investigate sportsbooks that interest you.

At this point you should make a list of online sportsbooks that focus on sports you like to bet or are compatible with your wagering style based on what you have learned from forum posters.

The next step is to start eliminating online sportsbooks under consideration that do not offer either reduced juice, opinionated lines or substantial sign up and reload bonuses. Beware of any online sportsbook that offers all three incentives they may be scams and most likely will not be in business for long.

Most online sportbooks regularly offer a cash bonus in order to attract new business. The online sportbooks that offer larger then normal sign up and reload bonuses are targeting recreational bettors and they typically are not interested in acquiring professional gamblers as customers. Nearly every online sportbook offers a standard bonus equal to 10% of your initial deposit but there are a number of quality online sportbooks who have sign up and reload bonuses of 20% or more.

Some sportsbooks provide gamblers with the option of wagering at reduced juice versus receiving sign up and reload bonuses. In my opinion every sports bettor needs at least one reduced juice sportsbook in their arsenal. Traditionally sportsbooks require sports bettors to wager at -110 where you risk $1.10 to win $1.00. Reduced juice sportsbooks allow you to wager at less than -110 usually -107 to -105 or risk $1.05 to win a $1.00. It might not seem like much of a discount but it definitely adds up over time.

It is highly recommended that you have at least three fully funded online sportsbook accounts even if you only wager on one or two sports. It is very difficult to be a profitable sports bettor without the ability to shop for the best line.

With a little forethought and research you can ensure your funds are safe, benefit from promotional bonuses and win more on every wager by utilizing reduced juice sportsbooks.