Is it just me, or are Internet poker games fixed?

Question

I've been playing poker for 22 years, but since I started playing online, I've seen hands that would take a lifetime to see normally, so I'm asking, are these systems skewed to certain players or their patterns? if not, how is it possible to see these amazing pots that you don't normally see?

Thanks for all of the answers... maybe some got confused with the question, because I never asked about them being rigged, the main thrust of the question was about if certain patterns of play would attract better hands... but thanks to all anyway!

Answer 1

Online poker systems have been tested many times by independent firms. There have been no patterns in the systems.

You talk about playing live and then seeing hands that "would take a lifetime to see." You'd be surprised how much quicker a "lifetime" comes in online poker compared to live. When you don't have to shuffle, collect chips, wait for the guy who isn't paying attention to muck his cards, gather discarded cards, etc. you can get many, many more hands in per hour. This is multiplied if you play more than 1 table. For example, playing 6 tables of online poker for 1 hour is equivalent to many more hours at a live game. You're going to see many more crazy patterns, and you'll see them in a shorter period of time, making it more unbelievable.

Say you have 6 tables of online poker at 60 hands/hour/table. This would be 360 hands/hour, which, as mentioned before, is many hours of live sessions. If you suffer five really bad beats in the hour, you throw your hands up and say "that's not possible, it's rigged." If the same happens with your friends at your home game, it may span 4 or 5 sessions and you say "I've been getting so unlucky against you guys," but you probably don't figure that you're getting cheated.

More importantly, why would a site rig it against you? I mean, if you lose, someone else is winning the money. Theoretically, if they moved money from the best players to the worst players they would be able to keep the bad players playing longer, and thus generate more rake. But look at yourself and ask yourself "Am I THAT good? Would it be worth it for them to risk their business and reputation to screw ME out of my money?" They would be finished if it came out that they did this. It's simply not worth it to them.

Basically, there's no evidence and no motive. We selectively remember our runs where we lose 5 straight 80/20 favorites than the ones where we win 20 straight 80/20 favorites. Streaks happen in poker. It doesn't mean it's fixed.

EDIT: And to Bpal's point, why would they do this to you? ("Only" give you AA when you're in the big blind and everyone folds.) They make more money when they generate more rake. With the claim that they "always" give AA against KK and so forth, at least the conspiracy theorists can say that they'd generate more rake that way. Your claim would not just screw you over, but it would also screw over the poker site.

Answer 2

Online poker is not fixed, but there is a good reason why you see so many unusual situations.

First off, you are playing 3-5 times more hands. So you get to see an awful lot more.

Secondly, the Internet gives one a certain anonymity. In online poker you can make a stupid call and simply log off when you lose. In real life poker you have to physically see the contempt in the other players faces, as you get up from the table and walk away as someone scoops up your chips and makes a comment about what a fish you are.

So beginners and fish play stupid hands they would never play in a real casino. But TV and the Internet has emboldened these players to play some bizarre and unusual hands in weird and wonderful ways.

These differences affect how how people play online.

But to try and claim that a computer cannot sufficiently randomize cards like a minimum wage poker dealer can, is just asinine. Poker sites use very advanced random number generators that have been independently tested. But never forget that Internet poker is a very different animal to a live game. You have to make adjustments for this or you will find yourself virtually felted.

Answer 3

ONLINE POKER IS NOT RIGGED!

Why many online poker players seem to believe that they are being cheated is mainly because they refuse to accept the fact that they may be losing players. In a normal online poker room you typically have about 5% of the players who are consistent big winners, some 15% that are more or less breaking even and the other 80% are losing money. These numbers are net after the rake is paid. With the bonuses some of the smaller players end up breaking even although they are losing at the tables. There are a great number of players who have mostly played offline and believe that they are winning players. Once these players start to play online they can not fool themselves anymore, the reason for this is because it is so easy to track your actual winnings or losses when playing online. Also far too many players play without an adequate bankroll and therefore go broke, when offline they could reach into their pocket for more cash. Online poker magnifies mistakes because of the greater speed and option to play at multiple tables.

Some player have a tendency to blame anyone but themselves, players would rather blame the site of being rigged than their lack of poker skills.

Take care

Answer 4

Internet Poker games aren't fixed, it's just that you have more reckless players that what you're used to. Since poker servers usually run a few million hands a day (depending on the number of players & active tables), there's a small chance that one table may see higher than average hands. This is likely to cause the players within that table to bet more aggressively & jack up that pot total to more than what you're use to.

Since these pots are usually play money, people have that "Oh Well! I'll just get another $1,000 into my account (in a few minutes)" ideal because it's costing them nothing to play & they can take those big risks without getting into fiscal problems. The worst that can happen is that the server forces them to sit out for about an hour to reset the "account reset limit" (which may be 5-12 times per hour).

There's also the fact that you can't actually see your opponents in person, so you can't tell if somebody is bluffing except by their bids (& chat dialog, if any). This may make it harder for some players to play well.

Answer 5

I don't think that these sites are rigged in any way at all. Why would they want to cheat anyone in the first place, these company's already make millions of dollars by just playing fair in the first place. They don't care who wins or loses. You do play a lot more hands on line then in a live casino, and players are a lot worse then in a real casino. So some of these rag hands that most would fold, some donkeys play the 2-3 suited and end up making a monster hand. It's all done by a random number generator, so the cards are a virtual deck of 52 cards. But no they are not cheating.

Answer 6

I think they r somewhat. The ends are statistically justifiable but not the means to that end. An easy example is if u flop a four flush 3 times. You make it once and win a small pot, but the other two times u got caught chasing in a big pot and didnt catch it. When you look back you will see that u made 1 of 3 draws which is better than ur supposed to yet it was fixed. Or you play 220 hands before you get AA. Ur on the big blind and finally get AA and everyone folds. Again u got AA once out of 221 hands which is what it should be but yet it was fixed 2 screw you. This is my theory

Answer 7

It's just you. Why would a website 'fix' something that they don't care about the result? They are making their rake regardless of who wins. And I've seen those amazing pots that you are talking about in real life - you just see so many more hands online that they occur more often, but with no more regularity than real life.

Answer 8

You may find this article, called 'Is Online Poker Rigged?', interesting:
http://www.casinotimes.co.uk/articles/2006-09/is-online-poker-rigged-100906.htm

Answer 9

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Answer 10

i really dont like poker online, the hands are not randomised at all, a computer cannot randomise it can only do what it has been programmed to do , it does not have the capacity to randomise. i would stick playin poker with other people not online. at least then you know no-one cheat you, hopefully