Impact of AI on Poker: Understanding RTA, Bots, Solvers

Over the past two decades, poker has undergone a remarkable transformation. What began with simple odds calculators has evolved into sophisticated AI systems that can challenge and even defeat the world's best players. Whether you're a casual player or a seasoned professional, understanding these technologies is increasingly important in today's poker environment. In this article, we'll explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the poker landscape through three key technologies: Bots, Solvers, and Real-Time Assistance (RTA).

Understanding the Technology

Solvers are tools that process game parameters like stack sizes and betting options to calculate optimal strategies for specific poker scenarios. They run intensive simulations to determine mathematically optimal plays in what are essentially simplified "toy games" that approximate real poker situations. Popular solver options include GTO Wizard, PioSolver, Simple PostFlop, MonkerSolver, and HRC (Holdemresources).

These solutions aim to be "Game Theory Optimal" (GTO) - strategies that cannot be beaten even when your opponent knows exactly what you're doing. Like the rock-paper-scissors strategy of using each option exactly one-third of the time, a GTO poker strategy ensures you can't be exploited, while actively punishing your opponents' mistakes.

Bots are automated programs that play poker without human involvement. They read table information and execute actions automatically. While early bots were manually programmed with basic strategies, today's AI-powered poker automated systems have become sophisticated enough to defeat elite humans in all poker variants.

During the early poker boom years, many professionals encountered university-developed poker algorithms that still had exploitable weaknesses. One particular bot tested in the late 2000s consistently misinterpreted small bets, treating minimal wagers as standard-sized bets and folding too frequently. A modern automated poker program has eliminated most of these weaknesses through advanced machine learning techniques.

Real-Time Assistance (RTA) combines human play with AI guidance - essentially creating a "cyborg" poker player. The person maintains the appearance of normal play while specialized RTA software analyzes the table and recommends optimal decisions. "Manual RTA" involves players checking current situations against databases of pre-solved scenarios rather than having software automatically process the information in real-time.

Why AI Tools Don't Necessarily Ruin Poker

Despite fears about AI's impact, these technologies don't automatically destroy poker's competitive landscape - though each presents unique challenges.

Solvers, while powerful, have a fundamental limitation: for deep-stacked poker, their strategies are simply too complex for complete memorization. The combinations of possible actions across multiple streets and card runouts create a strategic space beyond human memory capacity.

Throughout poker's evolution, players have always had access to analytical tools. In the early days of online poker, professionals used basic calculators to determine profitable shoving ranges in tournaments by inputting stack sizes and opponent tendencies. Today's assistance software is more sophisticated but represents a natural progression in the game's development.

Bots present a more direct threat to poker's integrity. Using advanced AI, modern automated poker systems can defeat humans in every poker variant while never experiencing tilt, fatigue, or emotional decision-making. A poker decision engine typically exhibits telltale signs like consistent timing in decision-making - taking the same amount of time for every action regardless of the decision's complexity.

Bot rings often deploy multiple accounts with similar playing styles and face challenges with account verification on regulated rooms that require identity documentation. The sophisticated AI algorithms now available can process millions of historical hands to create increasingly undetectable playing patterns.

RTA software may be the most concerning technology because it combines human appearance with AI precision while being harder to detect. Major poker sites like GGPoker and PokerStars have explicitly banned RTA tools, recognizing the dangerous advantage they provide. RTA assistance software gives players precise recommendations for specific situations while maintaining a human façade. As industry experts note, "RTA tools give players a massive edge over average players and a significant edge even against very good players."

Tournament Play vs. Cash Games: A Security Perspective

When considering the risk of encountering AI-assisted players, game format selection becomes strategically important. Tournament poker, particularly multi-table tournaments (MTTs), offers significantly more protection against sophisticated assistance tools compared to cash games.

This security advantage stems from the fundamental complexity differences between formats. Cash game strategies are relatively easier to solve computationally because stack depths remain fairly consistent (typically around 100 big blinds). This static environment allows for comprehensive solution databases that cover most scenarios a player might encounter.

Tournament play introduces multiple variables that exponentially increase computational requirements. A complete tournament solution would need to account for constantly changing stack depths (from micro-stacks of 5 big blinds to deep stacks of 200+), varying blind levels, and intricate Independent Chip Model (ICM) considerations that affect decision-making as the tournament progresses.

Spin and Goes (Twister) sit somewhere in the middle of this complexity spectrum. These three-handed, hyper-turbo format games with randomized prize pools are more standardized than full MTTs but still present significant challenges for AI solutions. While half of their gameplay essentially mirrors heads-up hyper SNGs, making them somewhat easier to solve than full MTTs, they still incorporate unique elements. High-multiplier Spin and Goes introduce ICM considerations, though over 95% are winner-takes-all formats, which simplifies some calculations. Their faster structure and narrower parameter range make them more vulnerable to solver technology than complex MTTs, especially as AI researchers work toward their goal of "solving any poker variant in a few seconds".

Progressive Knockout (PKO) tournaments represent perhaps the most challenging format for AI solution. These tournaments introduce additional complexity layers:

• Dynamic bounty values that change throughout the tournament
• Constantly shifting risk/reward calculations based on bounty sizes
• Complex ICM implications with both chip value and bounty considerations
• Strategic adjustments based on opponents' bounty values

Many experts believe PKO tournaments may remain effectively "unsolvable" in practical terms, making them potentially the safest format for players concerned about facing algorithmic opposition. The computational resources required to create a comprehensive PKO solution might simply be prohibitive, even with advanced technology.

How Rooms Combat AI Cheating

Poker sites are increasingly using AI to catch AI cheaters. The detection methods include:

• Statistical analysis to identify suspiciously similar playing patterns
• Monitoring for multiple accounts using identical RTA software
• Some sites employ advanced methods like process monitoring or screenshot capabilities to detect assistance software
• Focusing investigations on winning accounts (since 75-90% of accounts lose money)

Crucially, most poker automation tool operators are caught by the sites themselves rather than being reported by players. According to major platforms, less than 5% of bots are initially identified by player reports.

The future may actually be promising - while bot playing strategies approach theoretical limits, detection technologies continue to improve. Poker sites are developing increasingly sophisticated methods to identify RTA assistance and poker automation software, creating a technological arms race between cheaters and security systems.

For individual players concerned about potential cheating, the best protection is simply moving to different games or sites when experiencing sustained, inexplicable losses. This approach protects both your bankroll and your psychological well-being, regardless of whether you're facing a sophisticated virtual poker player or RTA assistance.