AI in Online Poker: Bluffing, Bots & the Game Future

When sitting at a poker table, every glance and move reveals a story. One of the things that attracts players to poker is the success of every move, which hinges on reading your opponent, managing risk, and mastering the art of bluffing.

Seasoned players heavily rely on their human intuition and sometimes deception to win games. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms initially struggled to compete in a game of uncertainty and misdirection. But all that has changed.

Techopedia investigates how AI and machine learning are adapting and helping build the future of online poker.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Can AI Beat Human Poker Players?
3. Advanced Poker Training & Strategy With AI
4. AI Assistance vs. Fair Play in Online Games
5. Enhancing Online Poker With AI
6. Impact on Professional & Recreational Players
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs
9. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Can AI Beat Human Poker Players?
3. Advanced Poker Training & Strategy With AI
Show Full Guide
4. AI Assistance vs. Fair Play in Online Games
5. Enhancing Online Poker With AI
6. Impact on Professional & Recreational Players
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs
9. References

Can AI Beat Human Poker Players?

AI has raised the stakes of online poker. Modern machine learning techniques such as reinforcement learning (RL) helped AI learn poker through self-play, improving by trial and error over millions of hands.

Carnegie Mellon University’s Libratus made headlines in 2017 by decisively beating top professionals in no-limit Texas Hold ’em, using advanced algorithms to analyze probabilities and adapt its strategy in real time.

Later in 2019, Carnegie Mellon and Facebook AI Research launched Pluribus, which upped the ante by defeating multiple elite players at the same table.

With AI now demonstrating superhuman skill in complex multiplayer poker games, where do we go from here?

Advanced Poker Training & Strategy With AI

AI isn’t just playing poker. It’s also helping human poker players improve their game through AI-based training tools that sharpen their strategies. AI poker software, such as PokerSnowie and PioSolver, allows users to analyze different hand scenarios and calculate their odds before deciding their next move.

With these tools, players can review their past hands for mistakes, learn to exploit opponents’ tendencies, and practice tough spots like bluffs or big calls in a risk-free setting.

AI has also lowered the barrier of entry to competitive poker by introducing access to insights that were once limited to elite players or expensive coaches. Even relatively new or recreational players can rapidly improve by exploring thousands of simulated scenarios with AI guidance.

With most players using tech to raise their game, a new generation of sharper, more knowledgeable players are raising the competitive bar for everyone at the table.

AI has transitioned from being just a competitor to a coach for poker players, offering data-driven advice to refine one’s game.

AI Assistance vs. Fair Play in Online Games

AI works best as a tool that calculates odds or suggests optimal moves as you play. But real-time AI assistance (RTA) is widely considered cheating and is banned on most platforms.

Predictably, many players still attempted to game the system with AI “poker bots” or live solvers to gain an unfair edge. Most gamblers and operators agree that outsourcing decisions to a machine threatens the integrity of the game. AI making perfect decisions against a human opponent offers no value to anyone, and many poker sites responded by explicitly prohibiting AI assistance during play and actively detecting violators.

The consensus in the gambling community is that the human element must remain central to the poker experience.

While AI is a great learning aid, using it to play for you crosses a line. Last year, many online poker rooms stepped up enforcement, banning real-time solvers and bots to ensure that poker remains a test of human skill rather than a battle of algorithms.

Enhancing Online Poker With AI

Machine learning models continuously monitor games for anomalies in betting patterns or player behavior, which can flag potential collusion or bot activity.

Increasingly sophisticated AI-driven anti-fraud systems analyze vast volumes of gameplay data in real time, spotting subtle deviations that a human supervisor might miss.

When unusual patterns are detected, the system raises an alert for investigation. This multi-layered defense has proven effective, with several high-profile bot rings being busted in 2024, and one major site even refunded over $250,000 to players cheated by bots in those games.

In 2019, an AI called Pluribus defeated world champions in 6-player poker.

The world shrugged: “That’s just at the highest levels.”

They were catastrophically wrong.

While players studied basic strategy, AI infiltrated EVERYWHERE: pic.twitter.com/9wOUCa35lq

— Lewis (@WaldronLewis) March 4, 2025

On a positive note, many poker apps leverage AI to personalize gameplay and analyze players’ styles. The results then recommend tournaments or cash games that fit the player’s skill level.

AI chatbots can be virtual assistants that instantly answer players’ questions about game rules or features. It can provide real-time guidance to help newcomers get comfortable faster.

Some players use AI-based tools to track their performance by getting automated summaries of their session stats or prompts about tendencies like folding too often and encouraging self-improvement.

All these AI-powered real-time enhancements contribute to a smoother and more customized online poker experience, from ensuring you have fair opponents to acting as a helpful mentor by your side.

Impact on Professional & Recreational Players

Everyone in poker feels the influence of AI, though its impact differs for pros versus casual players.

Professional players today face tougher competition. The best pros now routinely study with AI solvers to refine their game, meaning that even at the highest levels, strategies are more optimized and theoretically sound than in the past.

Pro players must continually adapt as they encounter opponents, who could be humans or bots that make fewer mistakes with AI-tested tactics. Sometimes, they have to adjust to AI-like behavior at the tables – for example, an opponent who has memorized solver-approved strategies or an occasional experimental AI bot in online games.

AI has also given pros new ways to practice and eliminate leaks in their play. They can run countless simulations of tricky hands against AI opponents to remove weaknesses from their game and create new tactics in preparation for real matches.

A decade ago, an amateur had limited access to advanced poker wisdom, but now, anyone can use training apps or watch AI-driven analysis to learn strategy. Beginner-friendly AI tutorials and coaching programs walk new players through fundamentals, provide step-by-step guidance, and even generate simulated hands to practice decision-making.

This means a hobbyist can quickly get up to speed on concepts like odds calculation or effective bluffing by learning from AI tutors at their own pace.

Many casual players are better prepared and more skilled than previous generations. It’s never been easier to hone your poker skills by playing against AI bots in single-player modes or “challenge” scenarios to improve skills without risking money.

The Bottom Line

AI has lowered the entry barrier and improved learning for newcomers, making poker more accessible. But machine learning insights have also raised the standard of play.

Despite AI’s many benefits in poker, there are concerns that if left unchecked, AI-assisted cheating could grind online games 24/7 with perfect strategy, draining money from genuine players.

Fortunately, poker sites are aggressively fighting against illicit AI, ensuring that technology enhances the game without undermining its integrity.

FAQs