Is Online Poker Rigged? (and other myths)

Myth #1 - Online Poker is Rigged. There is a common conspiracy theory that online poker sites are ‘juicing’ the pots by encouraging more action through putting more cooler situations out there. If you feel like this is going on, you’re probably just playing more hands than you are used to on the live poker felt at the casino. Encouraging bigger pots wouldn’t lead to the positive result for the online casino like some people believe. While there have been some examples of cheating from poker websites in the past, such as Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet with their Superuser accounts (who remembers POTRIPPER?), generally speaking if you are playing on regulated poker sites you are playing in a safe environment. Myth #2 - Poker Players are Dishonest. While there are many examples of dishonest or untrustworthy individuals in the world of poker and gambling, over time your reputation and word is all you have. If you’re lucky enough to spend your life involved in the poker community, or make your living as a poker professional, you will have the opportunity to experience both sides of the spectrum of honesty. From people you would trust with your net worth to people you wouldn’t trust to watch your fake house plants, poker has it all. Myth #3 - Poker Isn’t Gambling. Despite what some gamblers might tell you while sitting around your local home game table, poker is a skill game but still definitely gambling (especially when it comes to short-term variance!) This shouldn’t be scary news though -- you gamble all of the time when you do something as simple as dancing in the shower or driving on the highway. Myth #4 - Tournament Winnings = Earnings. Don’t get these two confused! Poker tournament winnings and a poker player's tournament profit are not the same thing. Poker tournament earnings displayed on websites like The Hendon Mob do not take into account factors like tournament buy-ins, the poker pro swapping pieces with another player, or a poker player selling pieces of their buy-in. Myth #5 - Being a Poker Pro is an Easy Life. When speaking about poker, Doyle Brunson once said “It’s a hard way to make an easy living” and that sentiment rings as true today as it did when he first said it. As a poker player your poker bankroll and life bankroll have to be able to survive potentially going months without winning, or even actively losing! Never mind your bankroll, can your mental game handle the swings?