WinHoldEm is an online Texas hold 'em bot, created by Ray Bornert. Bots of this kind are becoming increasingly popular as a way to cheat in online poker play. The bot is loaded, and will play in lieu of a real human, calculating pot odds and making betting decisions based on these calculations. There is no way to accurately estimate the extent to which these bots are used, but some experts say use could be widespread.

It works through installing client software on your machine which interfaces with the poker room, i.e. it is able to read what cards have been dealt, what bets have been made etc. The bots 'intelligence' ends there. Whether the bot wins, or not, depends on the poker ability of the actual person. The poker strategy needs to be programmed by the user, so the bot is only as good as its master.

Some say these bots are only useful at low limit games, and contrary to belief, don't win all the time, as it is difficult to come up with an algoritmic approach to poker. Using these bots is considered cheating by many poker rooms, and grounds for account termination.

References

• Wired 13.09 article (september 2005), with Bornert interview

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