The news of a bot farm selling its services to online poker rooms worldwide has alarmed the poker community.
Recently, many players and prominent figures in the poker world were startled by a report from Bloomberg, authored by Kit Chellel, titled “The Army of Russian Bots That Conquered Online Poker.” While the headline is striking, the story reveals a complex issue that raises concerns about the potential presence of bots, now enhanced by advancements in artificial intelligence.
Chellel de tails the story of a group of Russian students who discovered online poker as a source of income and went on to develop one of the most advanced automated gaming software seen to date. This group’s journey began over a decade ago; by 2012, they had created a highly sophisticated bot that they successfully implemented in several leading poker rooms at the time. Today, they are known as the Bot Farm Corporation and have ambitious plans to reshape online poker.
A few years after their initial success, the group attempted to launch a training software business called Neo Poker Lab, but it failed. Eventually, they began selling their bots to smaller online poker rooms and clubs, allowing these establishments to generate liquidity without needing a large player base. They also offered anti-bot security services to ensure that only bots played at certain tables. Beyond these ventures, B.F. Corp. (as Chellel refers to them) aims to transform the online poker landscape.
After years of research, Chellel secured an interview in Armenia with founding members of B.F. Corp. In the report, they explained to him that they identified a flaw in the online poker ecosystem. The number of professional players had increased significantly over the past few decades, making it less profitable for them.
In the past, a professional could dominate a table filled with novice players. Now, one novice must compete against five pros. Their extensive database revealed that losing players often lose all their money in under 1,000 hands and subsequently stop playing. To them, this indicated that online poker was in jeopardy.
To address this, they decided to create a new format of online poker without rake. In this version, bots would seek opponents with similar skill levels—a “Tinder for poker,” as they called it. This approach would create a balanced game where amateurs could compete among themselves, just like professionals. While this could attract new players, it might also turn online poker into a kind of casino game without skill differentiation.
The Western poker community reacted on Twitter to the news. Joey Ingram cited the article, expressing disbelief that these individuals were featured in Bloomberg, calling it an incredible report. Meanwhile, WPT ambassador Tony Dunst described the article as “disturbing.”
WPT Global President Alex Scott also highlighted the article several times, emphasizing its significance. He expressed regret that the first major mainstream coverage of the poker industry focused on a bot farm.
