As for bots colluding.. any software with even minimum collusion detection will raise the red flag on 2 players always on the same tables and always playing at the same time.. IE a table breaking and only having these 2 playing together for hours.
well the thing about collusion is that you likely WON’T see two of same names at same table etc.
that’s the rub about the bots and collusion is that all they need be doing is using the same software and THEY will reckognize each other. Consider thousands of members using same software for their bots which as I understand it: can use the software on a second PC totally separate from the one you are using for your poker game and it somehow is able to follow the game without ever being in a position where the poker room cheat prevention software could ever even have a possibility of discovering the use of the cheating software.
So with that in mind, add into the mix that these software bots while not networked in any way thru the poker room, or the PCs which the player is using: are still very much networked to each other.
Its no big leap of the imagination to assume if the bots can “see” the game going on another PC, that they can also then figure out who amongst their membership are also sitting at that same table, … and adjusting play amongst the membership accordingly so as to tell the strongest hand to play, the weaker hands to either fold outright or else to fold after bumping a raise or reraise … all depending of course on the particular player’s position on the table in respect to the strong hand.
then once you’re down to only the membership players left, you’d of course then tell your software to not recommend anything in any way which would favor one of your members over another.
and I agree its nothing to worry about too much yet … however the time isn’t far away where I think it will become enough of a concern for the poker rooms to attempt to address the matter though I can hardly see how they can stop a deal which isn’t connected to the PC on which you’re playing the poker game?
I’d like to see that in an actual working case scenario.