Real-Time Assistance and Solvers in Online Poker: What’s Allowed in 2026, and What Gets Accounts Banned

Real-time assistance (RTA) has become one of the clearest fault lines in online poker: study tools are part of modern improvement, but using anything that advises you during a live hand is treated as cheating by most major rooms. The tricky part is that “RTA” is not limited to obvious solver screens—rooms also look at screen sharing, remote access, automation, and any workflow that reduces the human decision element while the client is running.

What poker rooms mean by “RTA” in 2026

In practice, RTA is any external help that influences a decision while you are actively playing a hand. That includes solver outputs, range charts, decision trees, or any application that tells you what to do (or narrows options in a way that effectively tells you). Some rooms phrase this broadly as “assistance software” that makes or advises decisions, because the core concern is the same: it turns a skill game into something closer to “follow instructions”, which undermines fairness for everyone at the table.

Rooms usually separate “during play” from “away from play”. Reviewing hands after a session, running solvers on your own database, building pre-flop ranges, or watching training content is generally treated as legitimate study—provided it is not used as a live decision engine. The enforcement focus is the moment of play: if the poker client is open and you are receiving strategic outputs that map to the exact spots you are in, you are in the danger zone.

It also matters how the help is delivered. Many rooms do not care whether the advice comes from software on your machine, a second monitor, a browser tool, a remote desktop session, or another person in a voice call—if it guides decisions in real time, it is likely to be treated as RTA.

Allowed study vs prohibited in-game help: a practical checklist

If you can use the tool with the client completely closed, it is usually safe territory: build ranges, run simulations, review hand histories, and take notes for future sessions. The moment the tool becomes interactive guidance for a live hand—“fold here”, “mix 25%”, “use this sizing”—you should assume it is prohibited, even if the output is delivered as a “trainer”, “assistant”, or “calculator”.

A simple compliance habit is to split your workflow into “session” and “study” modes. In session mode, keep only permitted basics open. In study mode, close the client and then use solvers, training apps, and analysis databases freely.

Be careful with “static” materials too. A printed or saved pre-flop chart is not the same as a live solver, but consulting complex post-flop decision trees during hands will likely be judged as real-time help in spirit.

What typically triggers bans and blocks

Most rooms are explicit that tools which advise decisions, automate actions, or enable play without genuine human control are prohibited. Many operators also restrict remote-access and screen-sharing software because these can enable real-time external coaching or bypass controls.

Some networks go further by using built-in client restrictions: if prohibited external assistance tools are running, the poker software may refuse to start until the programs are closed. This shows how enforcement is increasingly technical, not only investigative.

Public enforcement actions also shape what is “real” in 2026. Major poker rooms have confirmed bans for suspected RTA use, illustrating that solver-in-real-time is treated as a serious offence, not a grey area.

Beyond solvers: the less obvious red flags

Remote desktop and screen sharing are high-risk even if intentions are innocent. Rooms ban them partly because they enable someone else to view your screen and feed decisions, or because they allow play to be routed through environments that defeat security controls.

Automation is another fast route to sanctions. Seating scripts, auto-registration tools, and any software that reduces the number of human choices draw scrutiny, even when they do not output solver strategy.

Data practices can also cross the line. Some rooms explicitly restrict datamining and mass sharing of hand histories, because building large opponent profiles outside of normal play creates an unfair edge.

How detection and enforcement usually work in 2026

Rooms rarely rely on a single “smoking gun”. Enforcement tends to combine client-side detection, behavioural signals, and account-level context such as device anomalies or unusual decision patterns.

Because integrity methods are not disclosed, the safest assumption is that even occasional live solver use is too much. Real-time assistance creates statistical patterns: decisions aligning too closely with optimal mixes across many spots and reaction timing that does not match normal cognition.

Outcomes vary by severity, but common actions include suspension during review, permanent closure for confirmed RTA, and restrictions on withdrawals while investigations are active.

How to stay compliant without handicapping your improvement

Build a “clean session” routine. Before opening the client, close solvers, trainers, range browsers, remote desktop tools, and anything that could be interpreted as decision support.

Keep your study time structured. Run solvers after sessions, save reports, and create summaries you can revisit later without needing live prompts.

If unsure about a tool, check the room’s current prohibited software rules directly. In 2026, enforcement is moving towards automated prevention, so avoiding grey areas is the safest long-term approach.