A Turning Point? GTOWizard Announces Online Poker Partnerships and Fair Play Tool 

It is probably hard to truly estimate the number of poker players who have deviated from the path and left online poker sites to venture toward their local live poker games. There’s more than just one reason for this; high rake, tougher games, lack of social interaction post-COVID, but a huge one is online poker cheating.  

Cheating in online poker has become a cancer in the game, and for a while, the needle on finding the cure has not moved one inch until today. Leading online poker solver tool GTOWizard has made huge strides in battling online poker cheating, after announcing their new Fair Play tool and relationships with online poker operators.  

What Is GTOWizard?  

GTOWizard is the market leader when it comes to GTO (Game Theory Optimal) training tools. It has used intuitive and easy-to-use user experience designs with a cloud-based solver to help players learn GTO faster than ever before. The software allows you to check previous hand histories, put in custom boards, and even run dynamic training exercises.  

The biggest feature and cause of moral concern for online poker is the rapid speed at which you can get solved results for flop, turn, and river spots; Before, you would need to use your CPU and wait over 30 minutes and more, but now you can get it without any CPU usage and within 30 seconds.  

RTA Cheating in Online Poker 

Real-Time Assistance (RTA) cheating is one of the most damaging cheating methods in online poker. It’s the process where a player will use a tool to get an unfair edge by getting real-time advice on what the most optimal move is. This clearly undermines the integrity of the game and gives cheaters a huge advantage over players who are truly playing.  

The rapid rise of RTA use in online poker has led to claims for more robust anti-cheating methods and an exodus from the online to the live felt. Examples of both proven and accused cheating, like the Fedor Kruse and Ali Imsirovic cases, only exemplified the endemic nature of RTA cheating within the online poker world.  

The Turning Point for Online Poker? 

GTOWizard has now partnered with major poker networks like the Winning Poker Network (WPN) and WPT Global in order to battle against online cheaters. The movement has gained praise from industry experts, and the aim is to be able to identify bots and RTA cheaters instantly, banning them from the online poker community entirely.  

What is the GTOWizard Fair Play Check? 

The basis of the GTOWizard announcement and anti-cheating measures came in the form of a Fair Play Check tool. This allows online poker players to check if a certain poker spot has been solved in real time during their online poker session.

If players are suspicious, they can contact their online poker operator with timestamped evidence, and GTOWizard will work to create a substantial investigation. This is a huge turning point in online poker fair play, as now the biggest tool used by online poker RTA cheaters is working with online poker rooms to eradicate dishonest play. 

Slowing Down the Solver Speed 

GTOWizard has actively reduced the huge benefit of their online poker tool in order to combat RTA cheating, showing how serious they are in this endeavor. The software tool will now have built-in tools that slow down the speed at which online poker solves can be looked up. There will also be limits introduced per day, giving more layers of security to the online poker community. 

GTOWizard’s Security Seal of Approval 

GTOWizard is working to legitimize online poker operators who match their game integrity standards, elevating a waning part of the online poker industry. They will create GTO Reports where players can inspect their games and hands and see if they have been up against any kind of in-human or ‘robot-like’ poker play. This move also encourages the need for collaboration and communication between multiple online poker operators, which is a net positive for online poker players.  

Who’s Behind the Move? 

Pushing the move is GTOWizard’s Marc-Antoine Provost, the co-creator of poker AI solver Ruse, who now leads the internal Game Integrity team at GTOWizard. His vast experience and technical ability in this area are promising for the ongoing battle against online poker cheating, where players can focus on working towards their poker goals with integrity and hard work rather than seeking quick corners and edges.  

How Far Does This Move the Needle Against Online Poker Cheating?

This is a significant step in the battle against online poker cheating, but we are yet to see active signs of cheaters being eradicated from the online poker space. As it stands, there are more than likely countless bots and RTA-using poker players among the major online poker operators. Once GTOWizard and the poker sites begin exposing and collecting case studies showing that these tools, initiatives, and relationships are fruitful, we are not going to see the needle move too significantly.