According to some Internet surveys, online poker security is the
most important concern for online poker players. When The Poker
Father visits the different online poker sites this is something
that is definitely on his mind. However, once the players realize
who they are dealing they know that if they cheat The Pokerfather
they will be sleeping with fish very soon!
Unfortunately not everyone has power like The Poker Father so
he has come up with some online poker security issues that all
players should consider when choosing an online poker site to
play on.
Firstly, choose an established and trusted poker site. This is
the most important step in ensuring a safe and worry-free online
poker experience. Potential players should consider site encryption,
shuffling-integrity, anti-collusion measures, and deposit information
when selecting a poker site. Players should approach all poker
sites with a fair amount of skepticism.
Once this has been established it is important to find out whether
the credit-card information is held on a separate secured-server
from the game client. A reputable site should make mention of
their security systems and should have a comprehensive privacy
policy to ensure that your information is not sold or used in
any other way. If you are uncertain about this site use another
form of payment other then your Credit Card. Please visit our
Funding Options page to find out other ways to fund your online
poker account.
Once the basic security concerns have been relieved there are
a few extra security precautions for online poker players. The
first is government regulation. A number of sites are regulated
by foreign governments such as Kahnawake (a native reservation
in Canada), however, regulation is not entirely required. Regulation
may provide some peace of mind when playing online poker, but
other sites without regulation can be equally trustworthy. Certain
jurisdictions that provide regulation offer little more than a
professional looking logo in terms of actual security so do not
rely solely on some form of government regulation to decide on
a site.
Another possible online security issue is the shuffling algorithm
that the online poker sites use to deal the cards. Pretty much
all sites can be trusted to have a reputable algorithm so long
as they display signs of integrity. Furthermore, some online poker
sites have their algorithm reviewed by 3rd party auditors. This
ensures that the shuffling is as fair and random as possible,
and therefore, creating the most real-life poker game possible.
Poker Sites should
also be forthcoming about their ability to override collusion.
They should keep a backup of all played poker games and each player
should be able to review his/her own hands at any time. This ensures
that if there is a dispute over a specific game management can
review it for errors and make corrections as needed. There is
ample technology available to thwart colluders online so any online
poker room should have it in place. Not only should the software
have built-in detectors to ensure that players are not winning
under questionable circumstances, but there should be a staff
member manually checking out player complaints. Also, one should
always play at a site that has enough dealers and support staff
to ensure that any problems can be taken care of immediately.
Even a highly reputable site is bound to have problems and there
is nothing worse than having to wait around for help when you’d
prefer to be playing online poker.
Thirdly, statistics are kept on everything that happens at an
online poker table and the site monitors things that seem out
of the ordinary. For instance, players that play at the same table
all the time or are involved in an unusually high number of the
same hands together, will not get away with that for long. The
only place where I think collusion could be somewhat of a possibility
is in a limit game because you can't distort the odds. But because
of suspicions other players have and the ability of the site to
look into statistical aberrations it makes it very hard to collude.
There are a number of online poker rooms that have been in business
for over five years. Anyone of these long-standing online poker
rooms should be safe, though if you have any doubts of its legitimacy
you’re probably better off trying another room. There are
so many online poker rooms that are reputable that there is no
reason to play elsewhere. For example, any one of The Poker Father's
Top
Online Poker Sites are safe to play on.
If you think a bonus or an offer seems too good to be true you
should do a search on that site, and furthermore, if there is
excessive negative feedback on the site you should avoid it. Please
keep in mind that all sites will have some negative feedback so
just make sure all the above mentioned Online Poker Security measures
have bee met.
The Pokerfather is happy to report that he has never experienced
any poker security issues. Furthermore, most sites have advanced
encryption algorithms that make it almost impossible to hack.
Think about it, do you honestly think the online poker market
would be booming like it is if there were recurring security issues?
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If you have further concerns,
please feel free to contact The Pokerfather.
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