Are You Being Cheated In USA Poker Rooms?:

For the most part on-line poker is a safe bet, excuse the pun. When playing poker it might sometimes feel that you have been cheated. As an on-line player I have seen unlikely hands beat my Ace-Ace in the pocket, but this can be put down to the fact that on-line you will see more hands and experience a greater amount of possibilities.

It is hard to prove any feeling of being cheated while playing poker on-line, because as the nature of the game suggests nobody should know what other people's hands are. Even the actual site's owners should not legally be able to manipulate any game being played. I have heard a rumor that one owner did have a program that allowed him to see everyone's hand but I do not think this has been proved, and only goes to suggest that you should register with known reputable sites.

However that said, thinking out of the box, there are possible ways in which the players could strategically cheat you. If for instance you become aware that two players always seem to raising and folding against you, you may want to be cautious, because they may be in communication with each other, other than the poker site's messaging service.

If one player says to the other that he has a good hand they could draw you into a series of bets, as the one raises with nothing, knowing you will call and the second calls or even raises too. By knowing two sets of hands they can greatly increase the odds of beating your hand by eliminating possible outs and trapping you with false betting.

I am sure the above happens, but most poker sites swap tables regularly which means it would be hard for people to communicate about the same game for long. The only other sense in which most people feel 'cheated' is when someone has been fishing, played lousy hands and generally going all-in and scaring off more conservative, patient players holding a reasonable hand, only to take the pot.

Collusion is the hardest form of cheating to detect. Make notes of the players and the scenario. If you have the feeling then leave the table. Sometimes that instinct is correct regardless of your ability to prove your feeling.It is better to be preventative.

This happens, but do not get frustrated, at some point you or someone else will call them with a hand that will knock them out.