Many players and agents have been scammed on poker apps. It is a difficult world to navigate, and inexperienced newcomers are an easy prey to con artists.
Today we have assembled a list with the most popular ways that you can be scammed on poker apps.
Learn from the woes of others and avoid repeating the same mistakes:
How Players Can Be Scammed on Poker Apps
These are the most common ways a player can be cheated when trying to play private game online:
- Be contacted by copycats. Impersonators are imitating popular poker agents on telegram and social media.
- You receive fewer chips on top-ups. Then you are promised more if you win. Note that the reverse thing is common ( more chips at first, less on withdrawal), but if you are promised less now and more after you win – almost certainly a scam.
- Playing in games with collusion or bots.
- Their withdrawal to be delayed with months, and eventually get blocked by their agent.
- Be tempted with unrealistically high deposit bonuses and then be ignored when its time to withdraw.
- Be banned and confiscated for being too good for the room. Yes, this is a thing. Being removed is one thing, but some shady places confiscate for this, without warning.
- Sudden introduction of hidden fees and taxes, when you win.
- Be contacted on Reddit and poker forums by “trustworthy” members of the discussions there. One of the biggest scams happens by those “reputable” people.
- Using an agent who uses the club owner as an excuse for any problems that might arise with the transfers. When you use a poker agent, he should hold all the responsibility, its his job.
- If using Telegram, after you top up, an untrustworthy contact can block you and delete chat without a trace. Verify who you use to gain access to games on poker apps.
- Be sent fake reports of rake and rb. Ask for screenshots from the platform when you are in doubt.
- Your upline/agent to be banned and confiscated for reasons unknown to you, yet you are to bear the consequences as well, without being guilty.
How Agents Can be Scammed on Poker Apps
- Club owners can refuse withdraw for number of made up reasons.
- Club owners can disappear without a trace, leaving you to deal with the chip balances of everyone on your own.
- Club owners can think of a non-existent rule, which to introduce midweek and directly confiscate you for not following it.
- Players can send fake transactions. Without going into detail, basically, those are made-up screenshots that look like the real thing but are not real.
- Players can chip dump. This is when they join games within the same union ( a group of private poker clubs). Example: They are banned in club A because they cheated, but they join club B ( with you) and move their chips by playing on the tables. They withdraw with you safely and you are confiscated of those illegitimate winnings.
- Players can collude. They can represent themselves as different people on social media ( or just be close friends) and collude in ring games or multi-account tournaments.
- Silent collusion and soft play. This is when one player with multiple accounts join the games and does not directly collude in multi-way pots but uses his knowledge of the cards dealt to gain advantage. Works especially strong on PLO6.
- Some players request credit chips ( without top-up) and provide some statistics showing how good they are. Usually this ends up with the players losing the chips and never repaying the agent.
- Players using very strong VPNs that are hard for security to detect and playing from forbidden countries in certain private games.
- Players being blacklisted by some club or union and they use you to join there, knowing that it can end badly, if they are detected, and use your agency as a shield.
- Club owners can cheat agents with conversions. Always check the latest rate and ask questions if they don’t match.
- Unions can close clubs on poker apps. Afterwards, agents can be left to deal with everything on their own if club owner does not take responsibility.
How to Avoid Getting Scammed on Poker Apps
Without a doubt, the two biggest benefits of private games on poker apps are the softer games, compared to regular sites, and the accessibility. It is extremely easy to join the games, hence why there are many bad actors. Which is also the single biggest downside of private poker games online – the trust factor.
So, to avoid getting scammed and join the games safely, make sure you use a trusted and vetted poker agent / affiliate who can give you a secure way to access these games.
Our communications channels are open 7 days a week if you have questions, want to play or wish to share how you were cheated somewhere.
Those are skeptical towards these private game platforms but still wish to access soft games, there are a number of niche poker sites with soft action, these include Raize, Phenom and QQPoker
