Part I: Card Game Cheating · Collusion & Electronic Cheating at Card Games · #2.36
Real-Time Assistance (RTA) / Solver Use During Play
How it works
A player runs poker solver software (PioSolver, GTO+, or similar) on a separate computer or device while playing, inputting the current hand situation and receiving mathematically optimal strategy recommendations in real-time. This gives the player a massive advantage since they are effectively playing with perfect GTO strategy while opponents make human mistakes. RTA eliminates the skill element of poker by reducing it to a contest of who has better software. Modern RTA setups can automatically read the poker client and provide recommendations within seconds.
Where it appears
Online poker (all variants, primarily high-stakes)
On the record
In 2020, German pro Fedor Kruse was banned after his roommates revealed he used a “dream machine” setup running solvers in the background during play. In 2020, GGPoker banned over 80 accounts in a single month for RTA use and refunded $1.2 million to affected players. The WSOP updated its electronic device rules in 2025 to explicitly ban solvers and assistance apps. PokerStars claims a 95% proactive RTA detection rate.
Detection & preventionADVISORY
The paid halfHow a monitoring room catches real-time assistance (rta) / solver use during play, and what stops it recurring, written for the desk, not the reader.
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Published as a detection reference for surveillance, compliance and gaming-operations professionals. Thresholds and tuning are set by the property. Nothing here is instruction: the method is described so it can be recognised.