RbPkr Field Reports
Card Rooms Crack Down on Phones Due to RTA Concerns
A massive shift in casino policy dominated the headlines in September 2025. Following several high-profile cheating scandals and the controversial use of solvers on the rail during major final tables, several premier card rooms across the United States officially implemented strict bans on the use of smartphones and laptops by spectators and players during active hands.
The Real-Time Assistance Threat
The debate over Real-Time Assistance (RTA) has raged for years. RTA refers to software (like GTO solvers) that can provide a player with mathematically perfect strategic advice during a live hand.
As reported by Poker.org, the tipping point occurred when players began using discreet earpieces connected to friends running simulations on laptops just feet away from the tournament area. In response, tournament directors updated their rules to completely prohibit any electronic devices on the rail of televised final tables, a move heavily supported by the vast majority of the r/poker community.
Your Phone is Your Friend at Home
While casinos are rightfully terrified of how smartphones can be used to cheat in high-stakes tournaments, your local $0.50/$1.00 home game has a completely different dynamic.
In a home game, your smartphone is actually the key to a better poker experience. Instead of banning phones, RbPkr requires them. By using your phone as your private hole-card viewer, RbPkr eliminates the physical deck and prevents the most common forms of home-game cheating: marked Bicycle Cards, base-dealing, and intentionally exposed cards.
Because the central screen manages the board and your phone securely displays your hand, you never have to worry about the integrity of the deal, letting you focus purely on the game.