RTA in Online Poker: The Rise, the Risk, and the Reckoning

When you sit down at an online poker table, you expect to face other players – humans making decisions based on skill, instinct, and maybe a little math. But in 2025, you might also be facing something else: a human running Real-Time Assistance (RTA) software. And that changes the game completely.

What is RTA, and why is it such a big deal? More importantly – should you be worried, tempted, or both?

Let’s break it all down.

First, What Exactly Is Real-Time Assistance in Poker?

RTA refers to any kind of external help you get during a hand that influences your decisions. This could be a chart, a calculator, or full-blown solver software. If it’s telling you what to do in the moment, it’s RTA.

And it’s almost universally banned.

Poker sites draw a hard line: studying before or after a session is fine. But once the cards are dealt, every decision must come from your brain – not a guide, not an app, and definitely not a solver whispering GTO advice in your ear.

Think of it like this: RTA is your virtual co-pilot at the table. Only problem? It’s illegal. And the moment you use it, you’re not just cheating the system – you’re cheating the spirit of the game.

How Does RTA Actually Work?

Some RTA tools are simple. Others are shockingly advanced.

At the low end, you’ve got push/fold charts or preflop hand guides. Nothing fancy – just color-coded ranges that tell you what to do in common spots. But even those are off-limits if you consult them during play.

At the high end, things get wild.

Modern RTA tools can hook into your poker client, read your current hand, and run real-time solver queries. Some use massive pre-solved databases. Others tap into a second “dream machine” PC that crunches Game Theory Optimal (GTO) solutions on the fly. The result? A near-instant recommendation – what to bet, when to fold, how much to raise.

And it’s not just software. “Ghosting” – where a coach or friend helps you play in real time – is also considered RTA. If someone’s in your ear mid-hand, that’s cheating too.

What Are the Most Popular RTA Tools?

Several tools, often legit for training, have become infamous for RTA misuse:

• GTO Wizard: Meant for post-game study, but some players use it live to get solver-approved plays. Sites now check for overlapping usage.
• PioSOLVER: One of the earliest GTO solvers. Too slow for real-time use on its own – but players store its outputs and use them mid-hand.
• PokerSnowie and Supremus: AI-driven poker tools that can simulate decisions and suggest plays. Again – fine for learning, banned for live use.

Even a simple equity calculator becomes RTA if it tells you your odds and you use that info to decide in the moment. Rule of thumb? If it influences your real-time decision, it’s RTA.

How Are Players Using RTA – and Who’s Getting Caught?

Unfortunately, RTA use isn’t limited to shady low-stakes grinders. Some of the biggest names in poker have been accused – or caught – using it.

• Fedor Kruse: The “dream machine” scandal. Kruse allegedly used a second PC to feed him solver answers during play. He was banned, and his funds were seized.
• Ali Imsirovic & Jake Schindler: Tournament crushers banned from GGPoker under RTA-related accusations. Even PokerGO disinvited them from live events.
• Unnamed Accounts: GGPoker banned 40 accounts and seized over $1.1 million in winnings in one wave of RTA enforcement.

Bottom line: this isn’t a hypothetical issue. It’s real, it’s happening, and players – big and small – are paying the price.

How Do Poker Sites Detect RTA?

Detection is a cat-and-mouse game, but the mice are losing.

• Play Pattern Analysis: If you always make the perfect GTO move, you’ll get flagged. Sites know how often humans deviate.
• Software Monitoring: Some platforms detect other apps running on your system. GGPoker and partypoker are especially aggressive here.
• Solver Cross-Referencing: GTO Wizard now logs usage data. If you play a hand at 10:17 and the same spot was solved in Wizard at 10:17… you’ve got a problem.
• Interviews & Screen Shares: In extreme cases, sites request player interviews or supervised play sessions to confirm suspicions.

Detection rates? PokerStars claims over 95%. GGPoker’s caught dozens using Wizard in real time. So even if you’re slick, odds are you’ll eventually slip up.

What Happens If You’re Caught?

Simple:

• Permanent Ban from the platform
• Confiscation of your entire bankroll
• Public Shaming in forums, Discord, Reddit, and sometimes the news

You might also be quietly blacklisted from other sites and live events. This happened with Imsirovic and Schindler – top-tier players suddenly ghosted by major tours.

Poker is a small world. Once you’re labeled a cheat, good luck getting staked, coached, or invited anywhere again.

Is It Legal? Technically… Maybe. But That’s Not the Point.

Most RTA use isn’t criminal – it’s a violation of a site’s Terms of Service. You probably won’t go to jail, but you’ll lose your account and your money.

Ethically? It’s simple: it’s cheating.

Poker is about testing your decision-making under pressure. RTA removes that challenge. It’s like running a marathon with a motorbike hidden in your shoes.

Why People Still Risk It (And Why They Shouldn’t)

Let’s be honest. The temptation is real.

A solver tells you what to do. You win more. You feel invincible. What’s not to love?

But here’s the catch:

• The edge is short-lived: RTA users get caught sooner and sooner.
• The downside is permanent: Reputation ruined, bankroll gone, no more games.
• You stop growing as a player: RTA turns you into a button-clicking puppet, not a better thinker.
• It hurts the game: The more players cheat, the fewer casuals stick around. And when recreational players quit, the games die.

In other words, RTA doesn’t just wreck your career – it wrecks the ecosystem.

A Safer Way to Win: Use Tools for Study, Not Play

Want the edge RTA offers – without the risk? Here’s how:

• Use GTO Wizard, PioSOLVER, etc. off-table to review hands.
• Build your own poker cheat sheet – from memory, not your screen.
• Drill scenarios using training modes, not live hands.
• Talk hands with friends and coaches after sessions, not during.

There’s a fine line between being prepared and being dishonest. Stay on the right side.

Final Word: Poker Is Still Worth Playing – But Keep It Clean

RTA is out there. It’s not going away completely. But if you’re reading this, you’re probably not looking to break the rules – you’re trying to understand them.

And that’s smart.

The best thing you can do as a player? Stay sharp. Stay ethical. Use every tool at your disposal – just not during the hand.

Because when you win honestly, it means something.

And in poker, that feeling’s worth more than any solver-fed EV boost ever could be.