First and foremost, I’m a poker purist. And I’ll say that for the record. I like my poker games played clean and above board. That means I expect a certain level of reciprocity from my opponents. Be that in online poker gaming sites or live-video feed poker. I’m specifically leaving out bricks and mortar gaming because by their very nature these tournaments and matches require the physical presence of poker players.

What are poker bots all about and is it right to make use of them?

I’m not in favor of them, but for the purposes of impartiality I am going to list reasons why players make use of them. First of all Facebook poker bots are nothing new. These automated software programs have been around for several years already. Poker players and software writers have come together to try and simplify the process of using this kind of gaming firepower software to produce a statistically improved poker ‘player.’ Note however that it is the widespread popularization of Texas Hold’em that has given rise to the surge in demand for poker bots and their ilk.
What do they do for your poker play?

First of all it’s not just Facebook or MySpace users that benefit from these poker bots. It’s social gamers on Bebo, Tagged and others too. As a matter of fact the sheer number of websites promoting things like poker bots for Zynga Poker is immense. But what they do is crook the system. Because fellow players don’t know that they’re competing against non-players. It’s not ethically sound – in my opinion – to make use of software cheat codes and packages that attempt to beguile (many succeed) the poker rooms and online players. Sadly for many folks thinking of employing their less than ‘above-board’ services, many of these programs are not perfect. They are riddled with errors and they simply don’t always work to specifications.
But for me the worst part of these programs is their virus-friendly nature. Hackers and malevolent individuals see a quick and easy opening to attach all manner of Trojan viruses and spyware to these poker bots – so you never know what you’re actually acceding to with these software installations. My advice – once again – avoid them for many reasons. And if you’re intent on making use of them, then run them through the mill to ensure they are 100% virus free and functioning effectively. My biggest gripe with them is that they are merely marketing tools which claim to do X,Y and Z but they’re really feeble excuses for inserting someone else’s software code into your computer’s registry. It’s like giving someone the keys to your house under the guise of a seemingly innocuous program.
Other problems with Poker Bots.

Most poker rooms preclude the use of poker bots. And for those players intent on using them, beware. You may be banned from your preferred sites. Plus, how is a poker bot supposed to ‘read’ your opponent’s behavior? Where is the feeling or the insight that is required to buy prescription drugs online without prescription perfect this art? The truth is that these veritable elements are sorely lacking in any software code written for racking up poker chips. Play poker naturally and perfect the art – there’s no need to resort to bots.