Collusion has no place in online or live poker and all acts of collusion are prohibited.

Committed players understand that poker is an individual’s game and view collusion as a deceitful act. The few who involve themselves in collusion risk suspension of their online accounts or a complete ban, as well as having to repay the opponents they have cheated.

As a player, I want to know how safe the industry is; I want to know that I have an equal, fair chance to win. When researching this article I went to the security department of the biggest independent poker site, PokerStars.

Who looks after our interests

Based in multiple office locations around the world with support from home workers, hundreds of specialist poker security staff are employed to preserve the integrity of our game. You can be assured; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, specialist poker security personnel are working in our best interests.

It is not just human poker security specialists that keep a wary eye on poker play. The site also has a wide base of automated security systems with the primary function to highlight issues that may need further investigation.

A collusion investigation made by a poker specialist that is further reviewed by a senior collusion expert is time consuming, but PokerStars believe it is important that every reported allegation of collusion is comprehensively investigated.

How prevalent is collusion in our game

In any walk of life there will always be a few that think they can cheat their way to riches. However, the perception of collusion in poker is much more frequent than the reality.

While all reported cases of collusion are investigated, the majority are found to be innocent of collusion. Often it is simply players reaching the wrong conclusions based on the limited information they have.

While regionally there is no ‘collusion central,’ the majority of confirmed collusion cases happen at the lower stake levels. This bias may be due to the overall higher numbers playing at lower stakes; or could spring from the inappropriate and erroneous thought, “no one will notice if we keep it low.”

The overwhelming majority of online poker players are honest in their approach, looking only to beat their opponents by fair means. The online poker industry is certainly not rife with scammers and cheats.

How do security teams protect us

PokerStars have automated systems that review every account for indications of illegal activity. Ongoing developments of those automated systems are conducted in secrecy to ensure players continue to receive the highest standard of security.

Possibly the most useful tool available to the security teams is the ability to review every hand a player has been dealt into, allowing analysis of all the associated information. This undeniable data, when evaluated by poker security specialists and collusion experts, will clear your name if you are an innocent party or will otherwise be damning.

Regardless of the stakes involved or the format played, the poker security department treats all investigations with equal diligence.

When a player is thought to be involved in collusion

As prescribed above, a player involved in collusion will be found out by a variety of automated systems and human evaluation or third party reporting. Every report of collusion is investigated.

A player alleging collusion to the PokerStars security department, will be kept informed of the progress of the investigation and advised of the outcome. PokerStars consider this an essential part of the process, as it gives the reporting player the opportunity to review the findings and share their opinion on the outcome if they disagree.

The site security team work towards a fair assessment that produces an accurate conclusion which preserves the integrity of our game; in reality this is all we want.

When a player is found to be active in collusion

With the security systems in place, it is unusual to find collusion that has been going on for more than a few weeks: typically, the site is fairly quick at identifying misconduct. However, if malpractice is conceived over a longer period a lengthier review is conducted.

The regular process involves the suspect player’s account being frozen, while a poker specialist asks for an explanation of the issues involved. While the account is frozen no financial transactions are possible for that player.

If an investigation made by a poker specialist and further reviewed by a senior collusion expert concludes that a player was involved in collusion, they risk having their funds confiscated, their account suspended or completely closed; 100% of all funds confiscated from players are returned to the victims of their activity.

If a player is allowed to return from suspension following activity in collusion, they are kept a very close eye on.

How we can help security teams to help us

Do not go looking for collusion, as said before; ‘the perception of collusion in poker is much more frequent than the reality’ and collusion is not something you should worry about. Inevitability attempts are made to gain unfair advantages over legitimate players, but these rare attempts are generally easy to spot.

PokerStars say that reports from players are valuable tools. Anyone with suspicions regarding a situation should take note of the tournament and/or hand number(s) along with the names of the players involved; then send the details to the sites security department so they can conduct a review.

It costs nothing to report irregular play and while most situations tend to have an innocent explanation, the poker sites welcome the opportunity to investigate and act if appropriate.

Best advice

The best advice for players wary of collusion, is the same advice I’d give to players looking to play poker in a fair and competitive way; pay close attention at the table.

If something looks really bad in a tournament your immediate options may be limited (the game must go on); if you are playing a cash table you have the option to sit out or leave. But in both cases, help the security teams to help us.

Other types of prohibited activity

The site is also on the lookout for Bots with a wide range of automatic detection tools that highlight their illegal use. In order to confirm that each player is a human being, a team of ‘Bot hunters’ investigate suspicious users flagged up by their systems or reported by other players. They also have a range of systems and techniques designed to thwart those who register multiple accounts.

PokerStars are opposed to data mining (the practice of gathering large databases of hands from observation of hands that you are not dealt into). They have a liberal policy regarding poker management and personal analysis tools, understanding it is reasonable for players to record and evaluate hands that they have played in the past.

Useful links

You should read the terms of service of all poker sites you play at.

PokerStars

Terms of Service: http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/room/tos/
Third Party Tools and Services http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/room/prohibited/

My thanks go to Michael J from PokerStars for his advice when researching this article.

The thanks of us all should go to the security personnel who across the industry protect the integrity of this game we collectively enjoy.