Does anyone REALLY know whats going on with online poker?

[charlin]

I have seen several posts around this site questioning the integrity of online poker sites (eg PP, Ultimate).

After 2 years of considerable online play, I still can't safely say that they are not "rigged".

In the defense of the average poker site you can make the argument that, You play SO many more hands against typically 'very bad' opponents who will usually play any two cards epecially if they are suited, this will all lead to your AA getting cracked a little more often then you would like.

Now I have seen some beats, just like i'm sure you all have, that would blow your mind. I have had days where my AA-JJ in NL ring games lose more than 70% of the time, or that jack ass in the BB catches his runner runner flush most of the time (or at least it seems).

Now I'm not a guy who reads the fine print on these poker sites so correct me if i'm wrong. Do these sites have to provide a legit random # generator, or however they form these programs, or can they "rig" them to make it more addictive for players(i.e. Slot machines).

Right now I'm happy believing that when I see a horrible beat that it's "just poker"

[kenberman]

[ QUOTE ]
Right now I'm happy believing that when I see a horrible beat that it's "just poker"

[/ QUOTE ]

Not me. When I receive a horrible beat I accuse Party of being rigged. When I maneuver a skillful win for myself, I consider Party on the up-up.

When I receive a medium bad beat, I accuse Party of rigging the flop and and turn, but not the river.

When I receive a medium/high bad bet, I accuse Party of rigging the flop and river, but certainly not the turn.

When I receive a medium/low bad beat, I accuse Party of rigging the starting hands, my opponents seat selection, the terrible yellow mustard my deli serves, every beer that has ever exploded on me, my girlfriend dumping me in 6th grade, my general lot in life, and the pitching matchup for game 3 of the Red Sox/Anaheim series (which I am incidentally worried about)

But I never blame myself. That wouldn’t make any sense.

[charlin]

sarcasm...beautiful, I really don't have much of a complaint with the bad beat stuff, I haven't really experienced a bad beat online that I haven't experienced similiarly in live play.

But who is to say that these poker sites are so honest?

It's a business, if slightly skewing outcomes of hands allowes you to encourage more play or more deposits then why not.

And if they did do these types of things is it illegal?

[Warik]

oh boy here we go again with another online poker is rigged post.

Dozens of posters on this board are consistent, long term winning players on varying sites including Party Poker.

If you are not confident in that you are a winning player after 2 years, then it is quite possible that you aren't as good at poker as you think.

I will leave it to Joe Tall to expound.

[Prufrock]

No one is saying they're honest. The better question is "are the games beatable." There are plenty of players making consistant wins with online poker. That's all I need know. There is no way to know if a site is completely on the up and up. However, most sites know about 2+2 and other related sites, and know that as soon as trust were lost here they're business would be negatively impacted.
I've been playing and winning for two years now and have never seen anything to suggest that Party is doing anything dishonest.

However, I do not keep a large amount of money in my account either. Better safe, know what I mean.

[charlin]

I don't know why i question the honesty of these sites, I have consistently won for almost 2 years now and if their possible dishonesty encourages the play of 'FISH' then so be it.

BRING 'EM ON!!

[fyodor]

Proof positive exists that Party is rigged. That proof is my bankroll. You ask anyone who actully knows me and has sat at a home game with me and they will tell you how badly I suck. I know one group of guys who were sitting around rubbing their hands together in anticipation of my arrival.

And yet at Party I just keep on winning. Obviously it's fixed. Thankfully for me it's fixed in my favour. I suspect it has someting to do with the time I got drunk in the Carribean and woke up feeling sore in all the wrong spots.

[Pirc Defense]

It's perfectly consistent to believe that poker sites are not all on the up and up, though not necessarily "rigged," and also believe that you've never been the victim of anything more insidious than thinly disguised collusion.

[adamstewart]

Courtesy of Fluff (from the "Internet" forum):

Here is your answer

[adamstewart]

[ QUOTE ]
And if they did do these types of things is it illegal?

[/ QUOTE ]

WTF do you think?


(Personally, I don't think the games are rigged - for many reasons which I won't go into. Either way, though, they're profitable for me, so I don't really care).