Thread: Does Poker Cheating Mean There Could Be Baccarat Cheating?

Recently, a well-known and respected online poker site was charged with allegations of game manipulation, which effected players on these sites in adverse ways. After some legal and commissioned scrutiny into the matter, it was determined that this site had insiders create accounts, that enabled them to see their opponents' hands, thus creating an unfair advantage.

Here's some posts on the topic:

• The Absolute Poker Scandal
• Official Absolute Poker Response To Player Fraud Allegations
• Absolute Casino Poker Online Cheating Opinion | Another Viewpoint

The effected site had a disgruntled (or at minimum, a disingenuous) former employee create what is known as a "Super User" account at their site. This account, as the name implies, enabled its user to "see" all of the hands of his/her opponents, when in a poker room. Obviously, this allowed this user to fold when it was necessary to do so, and bet aggressively, when the hand they held dictated a reason to do so.

Players that played in the rooms of this Super User, started smelling a rat, when the user would never lose, and would repeatedly win hands, even when others in the room had strong hands. These players wound up reporting their findings on poker forum bulletin boards initially, and also presented the facts to the poker rooms' management staff as well. After the gaming commissions that sanctioned this site began investigating the situation, the poker rooms' management admitted that a former employee, had in fact, created this account, and had used it inappropriately for self-gain.

As it turns out, the online poker site had enabled an administrative procedure to permit such accounts to be created, for the purposes of testing their software. Unfortunately, the wrong disingenuous person got his hands on this functionality. The online poker site combed through all of their hand histories, where this illegal player was playing, and reimbursed all players who were adversely effected by these improper acts.

As a result of this escapade, online players have started to question the merits of online poker sites, and whether game play is fair or whether it is unfairly manipulated. It is this author's belief that online poker is on the up-and-up for the most part, but there is always the chance for unscrupulous activity, as with any other business.

This makes me think - I play a lot at online baccarat websites like Zodiac Casino and BetUS. Could this happen at an online baccarat website? Does this sort of cheating only happen in poker? Is baccarat a "safer" online alternative to poker?

I personally never play poker online - there's so many ways people can cheat on there!

Ever read about the PokerStars Multiple Account scandal? Read here:

The PokerStars WCOOP Scandal

Here are some reasons why I think online baccarat is safe:

Regulation abound - Many of the most popular and reputable sites are regulated (in their jurisdiction) by reputable gaming commissions. These commissions have strict rules and accounting principles that must be adhered to, or the site runs the risk of losing their license. Routinely, these gaming commissions audit the online baccarat sites' systems, and look for abnormalities. Moreover, some of the world's most famous online baccarat sites are public companies, that are held accountable in additional public manners.

Random function - Every reputable baccarat site's card generation software is implemented using computer software's "random" function. This function, implemented in most computer programming languages today, uses an algorithm, that legitimately randomizes the selection of a card. These random functions are the same used by randomized lottery systems.

Players on the lookout - Many players that participate in online baccarat, are always on the alert for any "strange" functional behavior of the baccarat site. Anything discovered can immediately be reported to the baccarat site's management team and the governing gaming commission. Also, with the creation of hundreds of baccarat forums on the internet, issues like these are discussed in detail, among the community of internet baccarat players. This helps to create a checks-and-balances philosophy between the user community and the baccarat sites themselves.

I'm glad I came across this thread because this is a topic WE ALL have to be aware of. We're on this forum, we're talking about playing baccarat online and in brick-and-mortar casinos - we have to be realistic about any possibilities of being cheated! Thankfully, the online casino world is really getting smarter about preventing cheating from happening in the first place. There are some reasons why I think cheating in baccarat is almost nil:

Reputation - The popular and reputable baccarat sites cannot afford to cheat or have allegations of cheating associated with their site. A bad reputation means instant loss in credibility, which will severely impact the site's bottom line. Credible baccarat sites cannot afford the stigma associated with cheating.

Software - Keep in mind that a baccarat site's functionality is only as good as its design and the implementation and testing of its software engineers. Poor design will lead to poor game results, which lead ultimately to a tarnished reputation for the baccarat site. Quality baccarat sites spend lots of time and money on developing their software or licensing their software from reputable software development houses.

In summary, it is paramount in importance to patronize reputable and licensed online baccarat sites, that exhibit the quality and characteristics noted above. Although there is no 100 % guarantee that your baccarat experience will be legitimate, the odds of this are certainly in your favor, when you patronize a credible and reputable site.

My personal opinion is... anything that has to do with a computer can be programmed or hacked. Including your credit card. I don't play online casinos because I know how many good programmers there are out there. There is an article in youtube about slot machines and how easy they are to program also. I only play baccarat live... and I also make sure I'm not the only one at the table. That makes it harder for the dealer to cheat if they know how to.
If you know anything about the history of roulette wheels... they used to use pinblockers and magnets. Yes, that has been proven.
My personal tickoff, is that the Casino really has no governing body to keep it in line, in my opinion. The gaming commission gets a percentage from the casino... now why would they shut them down and cut off their own supply line?