Online poker isn’t just about winning money, it’s also a lifestyle. With its accessibility, convenience, and the allure of potentially life-changing winnings, millions of players from all corners of the globe now log onto virtual tables every day including myself.
However, like anything that has real money at stake, online poker has its fair share of not so favorable practices. One such practice that has gained popularity is “ghosting.”
And we aren’t talking about Halloween ghosts either. To help you understand this, we will dig deep into the depths of ghosting in online poker, so that you can be aware it is something that could be happening depending on the poker site or app you’re playing on.
What Is Ghosting?
Okay, so what you came for. Ghosting in online poker refers to a deceptive practice where a player receives illicit assistance from another individual during a poker cash game or tournament. This helper is often referred to as the “ghost” or “ghost player.”
Ghosting can happen in various forms, but the essence remains the same: a player is receiving real-time advice, feedback, or information from an external source, giving them an unfair advantage over their opponents. Boom!
Common Forms of Ghosting
- Real-Time Communication: The most direct and obvious form of ghosting involves a live, two-way communication channel between the player and the ghost. Once again not the spooky ghost! This can happen through phone calls, text messaging, or video chatting. The ghost watches the game and offers strategic advice or even plays the game for the actual player. An example of this would be a ghost player finishing a tournament when the actual player reaches the final table.
- Hand History Sharing: In this method, a player shares their hand history with a ghost who analyzes it and provides advice on future moves. While not as invasive as real-time communication, this still provides an unfair advantage.
- Data Mining: Ghosts can gather information on opponents by tracking their game play, checking statistics, and analyzing trends. This information can be extremely valuable for making informed decisions during a game on specific players.
How Ghosting Works
Ghosting always involves a collaboration between the player and the ghost. Here are some ways you can ghost someone when playing online poker.
Player and Ghost Collaboration: The player in need of assistance contacts a ghost player through a separate communication platform. They share access to the poker table or send hand histories, which the ghost can use to assess the situation. This is the most common method.
Real-Time Assistance: Another type of communication is when the ghost provides guidance, suggesting moves, assessing the odds, and even making decisions for the player. This assistance continues throughout the game whether is a cash game or big multi table tournament.
Data Analysis: This situation involves data mining or hand history sharing where the ghost reviews past gameplay, compiles data, and offers strategic advice based on this information. The player then applies this advice to their current game. Even though this does and can happen it’s still a lot less common.
Plain Deception: To avoid detection, ghost pairs often go to great lengths to conceal their collaboration. Ghosts may use VPNs, or other methods to hide their true identities and locations. VPN’s being the most common software used to make this happen.
Ghosting Consequences
The biggest issue with Ghosting is that it compromises the integrity of the game. This is a big problem for the poker site or app you might be playing on. Here are some issues that will arise.
Unfair Advantage: Ghosting fundamentally undermines the principles of fairness of playing online poker. Players who engage in ghosting gain an unfair advantage over their opponents, which changes the dynamic and skill of playing the actual game.
Trust Issues: No, not the Drake song. But ghosting gets rid of the trust within the poker community. When players suspect that their opponents may be receiving assistance, it can lead to frustration, and make people not even want to play.
Damage to Reputation: Players caught ghosting can face severe damage to their reputation within the poker community. These actions simply get rid of any credibility and can lead to other players heading to popular poker forums to discuss it.
Bigger Earnings: It can often lead to players achieving higher rankings and larger winnings than they would have on their own. This not only harms other players’ bankrolls but also disrupts the poker economy.
Banned: Many online poker platforms have strict policies against ghosting. Players caught ghosting may face penalties ranging from temporary suspensions to permanent bans from their site. The risk is right in front of them.
The Fight Against Ghosting
Recognizing the serious threat ghosting poses to the integrity of online poker, the poker community and online poker platforms have taken various measures to combat this practice.
Advanced Monitoring: Online poker platforms use sophisticated software to detect patterns, such as unusually high win rates or consistent collaboration between players. They can also detect if a player is using a vpn which is an obvious sign as well.
Reporting: Players are encouraged to report suspected cases of ghosting. Online poker platforms take these reports seriously and investigate them promptly. Some of the top sites online have 24-hour chat support making it easy to get in contact when needed.
Strict Penalties: As we mentioned earlier, platforms have implemented strict penalties for players caught ghosting. These penalties serve as both a warning and permanent ban from their poker site.
Awareness: The poker community actively promotes awareness of the negative consequences of ghosting. Many popular forums are always spreading the word about what could be happening on any poker site. Youtube and Twitter are also another couple of places you can keep on the lookout as well.
Enhanced Security: Online poker platforms continuously improve their security measures to prevent unauthorized access to player accounts, making it more challenging for ghost pairs to operate undetected.
Top 3 Online Poker Sites
1. Ignition Poker
Ignition Poker is a popular online poker site that offers a range of games, including Texas Hold’em and Omaha. It is one of the most reliable poker sites for players like you because the poker room has a good reputation for security and fast payouts. This also makes it a great place to play overall. Another feature of Ignition Poker is its user-friendly platform, making it easy to navigate and find any games you want. In terms of bonuses and promotions, Ignition Poker offers a range of rewards that will keep you engaged, including a generous welcome bonus for new players. You can get started on Ignition Poker here.
Pros
- User-friendly Interface
- Wide variety of games
- Big million dollar tournaments
- Strong reputation and reliable customer support
Cons
- Smaller tournament selection compared to other major sites
- Not available in all countries
2. Bovada Poker
Bovada Poker is another great place to play. Bovada poker has a solid game library and boasts a user-friendly interface. It’s very popular among US players and offers a range of bonuses and promotions for new and existing customers. Bovada Poker prioritizes your security more than anything, which is why the poker site uses standard security protocols to keep players’ funds and personal information safe at all times. In terms of the playing experience, Bovada Poker offers a range of features for you to enhance the game, including multi-table play and hand histories. You can get started on Bovada Poker here.
Pros
- Extra bonuses for Bitcoin users
- Impressive VIP/Loyalty Program
- Strong reputation and trustworthy operation
Cons
- Limited availability in some countries
- Some players have reported slow payout times
3. BetOnline Poker
A well-established and user-friendly online poker site like BetOnline Poker is everything you need as a poker player. The poker room doesn’t only offer a wide range of games, but it also has a good reputation for fast payouts. BetOnline Poker has many tournament options, giving you a chance to win big prizes and compete against other players worldwide. In terms of promotions and bonuses, BetOnline has many bonus offers for new and existing players. You can get started on BetOnline here.
Pros
- Good customer support options
- Wide variety of games
- Lots of player traffic
- Sport betting available
- Over a decade in business
- Improve mobile software
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Rewards program could be better
Other Forms of Cheating
For a long time, cheating methods like collusion have been used in poker tournaments to give players an edge over the rest of the field. This is also true of cash games where you would have players 2 or 3 players sitting at a table with all known cards available to them. The advantage is massive in specific situations. For example, you could be in a flush draw and if you know that two other players folded your flush cards the odds of hitting it are severely reduced. The edge simply having this information is massive in big pot situations.
You may also notice certain players being very weak to one another to chimp dump to them. While most poker sites already have security in place if you feel something is off in a particular game, you’re in try reporting those players or let the support staff know about the session you just played in. The support staff at some of the poker sites we mentioned above are top notch in terms of response time and ways you can connect. Live chat and 24-hour phone calls are available for each of them.
One last way you could be cheated is through RTA which stands for software to instruct players in specific spots. This is a less common way but it’s still very possible software can give some players an advantage in games. And while some software is okay to use others may not be and breaking the terms of service on that specific site. This is more of a form that allows you to look for weaker players and crush them with little effort.
Final Thoughts
Ghosting in online poker is annoying but it’s something you need to be aware about. It gives players an unfair advantage, and ruins trust within the community, and can lead to being banned for those caught doing it. The poker community and online sites are taking active steps to combat it, because they are not clueless that it’s an issue that needs to be dealt with.
The fight against ghosting is happening to make sure that online poker remains a skill-based, fair game that we all love to play. If you’re doing the right things such as continuing to improve your game, re-playing previous sessions to see what you could have done better, and not tilting your whole stack off, you should do just fine long term. Just remember to give yourself a nice little cash out every once in awhile to show something for your efforts. The bottom line keep improving and you won’t ever need to worry about getting ghosted or toasted!
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