When you hit the top of the online poker software pyramid, the pinnacle is the “poker bot”.

Poker bots are called Poker Robots, Computer Poker Players, Automatic Players, Auto Poker, or just plain pokerbot or bot. The main purpose of poker bots are to essentially play your hands for you automatically based on general statistical and probabilities analysis of each hand. More sophisticated bots can adapt play to maximize potential winnings and success at a table. The use of poker bots can be controversial. Those opposed to their use cite that automatic play is akin to cheating, and misrepresents the player under the cloak of being a “human player”. They feel that poker bots provide those using them with an unfair advantage over human players.

On the other camp, many see poker bots as just another tool of poker play. The statistics and odds are a part of poker playing, but that’s all - just a part of it. The proof is that you will never see even the billion-dollar bots (if there were such a thing) cleaning up hand after hand. Poker Bots lose too. The game of Poker is too broad and too sophisticated to be assimilated by a world of poker Borg (er… bots). Just ask any of the human champs who win online tournaments consistently.

I personally subscribe to the latter belief. I view bots as a tool just like anything else. The biggest disadvantage that bots have is that they can’t accurately read a “bluff” or adjust to player strategy and intentional variations in style of play. Bots also have to beat the rake as well as their opponents. So for these reasons, I don’t think bots offer an unfair advantage. And of course I think using them levels the playing field as many, many other players routinely use bots.

Finally, I look to the chess comparison. The best computer software can analyze every possible move at every stage of a chess game. In theory, a computer should always be able to reach the “correct” move in response to the opponent’s move at every turn of the game. And this is due to the fact that all the information is on the board - nothing is hidden. In poker, you NEVER know what your opponents’ cards are. Even the biggest computer with Star Trek-like AI cannot accurately determine the right action or certainty of play. Therefore, it will always remain a matter of chance when you boil it down.

To quash the controversy once and for all, I’d ponder at just how many bots have been developed and downloaded online in the past week, month, year(s)? You are playing bots all the time without even thinking twice about it. They are a reality of online poker play.

Poker bots are not one size fits all. And many are uniquely tailored to certain poker playing sites. Always consult the terms and conditions of use for whatever site you intend to use a poker bot with. To get the best, you usually have to pay the most! But not always - beware of some pay bot scams. And then there’s the odd freebie that’s as good and better than a pay bot (like ours naturally!)

And that’s my great plug to go to www.SmokePoker.com to sign up for our newsletter. You get more than the best Free Poker Bot in the world there. We have a lot of tips, tricks, articles, information, and poker software profiles to help you in your game. Remember to read the disclaimers ton the free poker bot download page when you actually download the bot. We won’t be offering the poker bot for free forever, so get there quick!

Andrew Kicak is an online poker player, a writer, researcher, and consultant. You can visit his blog and sign up free to get poker resources right to your inbox, along with winning poker tips, tested poker strategies, the latest poker news, poker software, cool poker resources, and a whole lot more! Visit www.SmokePoker.com today and you can get your free poker bot today!

Tags: Texas Holdem

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