A leading AI-driven online poker training software company is teaming up with poker operators to combat online cheating with the goal of making the game safer for players in the future. GTO Wizard has revealed its new Fair Play Check feature, and has signed agreements with some of the largest online poker networks to use its software to combat cheating on their global sites.
Billed as the ‘ultimate all-in-one GTO study tool’, GTO Wizard has already introduced player-facing features to its training software such as time-delays, aimed at stopping players from using the software as real-time assistance while they are playing hands on poker sites.
With Fair Play Check, players can now query whether a board was solved within a specified date range. If it was, GTO Wizard will deliver the exact time it was solved. If this matches up with when the hand was played, players can contact the operator with timestamp evidence, and GTO Wizard will help with any following investigations.
WPT Global and WPN team up with GTO Wizard
GTO Wizard has also started working directly with some poker operators to help identify the use of bots and RTA software, which it claims has already "spawned further investigations by internal game integrity teams."
Winning Poker Network (WPN) and WPT Global are the first two poker networks to disclose a deal with GTO Wizard’s new initiative, and more operators are expected to be announced soon. WPN CEO Phil Nagy said: "We're thrilled to begin a collaboration with GTO Wizard. Their technology and expertise will be instrumental in keeping online poker both fair and secure."
WPT Global states that its aim is to provide a level playing field for all players, citing a "zero tolerance for bots and cheats". On its partnership with GTO Wizard, general manager Alex Scott said, "As experienced poker players, we understand the value of GTO tools in perfecting your poker game. We also know the dangers if these tools are misused. By working in cooperation with GTO Wizard, we hope to further enhance our ability to prevent misuse of GTO software."
To support the initiative, GTO Wizard has announced its own internal Game Integrity division, headed by Marc-Antoine Provost, the former co-founder of Ruse. Future anti-cheating measures announced include a GTO Wizard 'security seal of approval’ for operators and a wider Fair Play Check that will work with uploaded hand histories to provide strategic feedback and identify if anyone has accessed a solution in GTO Wizard while the hand was being played.
As the battle between cheaters and operators intensifies, wider cooperation between operators and tech companies is seen as essential in the player community. High-stakes player Tom Dwan has specifically endorsed GTO Wizard’s push to help combat cheating, saying, "It’s crucial to have more good faith and cooperation between different organizations for the integrity of poker. I strongly believe this is an essential and well-intentioned first step towards a more fair poker ecosystem. I plan to support and help where I can."
Feature Image Courtesy of Joe Giron Photography
