PokerStars vs GGPoker RTA Policy: Chart Rules, Detection, and Penalties

PokerStars and GGPoker both ban Real-Time Assistance (RTA). Both permanently ban confirmed cheaters and confiscate balances. But the scope, carve-outs, and enforcement machinery differ enough that habits from one platform can trigger a ban on the other.

This article is a side-by-side read of PokerStars and GGPoker RTA policy as published in 2026. It assumes you know what RTA is (what-is-rta-and-why-is-it-banned) and does not repeat GGPoker-only session protocol (can-i-use-rta-on-ggpoker).

Primary sources: GGPoker SEP v20260313, PokerStars General Terms (Prohibited Tools and Services), PokerStars Game Integrity statements, GGPoker–GTO Wizard partnership announcement (March 2025).

Shared Baseline: Zero-Tolerance on Live Advice

Both operators agree on the core prohibition:

Principle	PokerStars	GGPoker
RTA definition	Tools that "offer real-time advice on what action to take" or reduce human decision-making	"External assistance which… influences… decision making in real-time" (SEP §2.1)
Solvers during play	Prohibited while client open	Prohibited while client open
Confirmed penalty	Permanent ban + balance confiscation	Permanent ban + confiscation (SEP §2.4)
Study off-table	Allowed with client closed	Allowed with client closed

Both classify Push-This-Button Bots—humans clicking what software tells them—as cheating, not "smart study."

Where policies diverge is scope, carve-outs, and enforcement machinery.

Comparison Matrix

Topic	PokerStars	GGPoker	Migration risk
When RTA rules apply	While PokerStars software/app is open	While GGPoker client is open (including not seated)	Low—both start early
Charts during play	Limited basic preflop chart: starting hands by position in unopened pots only; no stack-size or situational grids	All charts of any kind prohibited (SEP §2.3)	HIGH — PS habit → GG ban
Solver + client	Must close PS before opening solver	Must close GG before opening solver	Low
ICM / Nash / push-fold tools	Banned during play; advanced equity calcs prohibited	Banned during play	Low
Randomized bet-sizing tools	Explicitly prohibited (auto-folders, size randomizers)	Covered under RTA / auxiliary tools ban	Medium on PS
Remote access (TeamViewer, etc.)	Restricted under EPA/prohibited tools policy	Named list in SEP auxiliary-tools section	HIGH on GG
VMs / emulators	Monitored	Named list (VirtualBox, VMware, Bluestacks, etc.)	HIGH on GG
Third-party HUDs	Room-specific allowlist; advisory HUDs banned	Solvers, charts, HUDs flagged as auxiliary tools influencing decisions	Medium
Machine scan authority	May examine concurrent programs	SEP §1.10: may scan device, fingerprint files	GG language broader
Human ghosting / coaching live	Prohibited (real-time advice)	Prohibited (external assistance)	Low
Detection headline	In-house ML accuracy-of-play platform; >95% proactive RTA detection cited	GTO Wizard timestamp correlation; behavioral monitoring	—
Verified ban wave	Ongoing public zero-tolerance; case details often confidential	40 bans (Sep 2020); 31 bans at GTO Wizard launch (Mar 2025)	—
Fund redistribution	PS covers shortfall to victims when balances insufficient	2020: $1,175,305.43 confiscated from 13 accounts → 4,329 players reimbursed	—

The Chart Divergence (Biggest Practical Gap)

This single row causes more cross-platform violations than any other.

PokerStars (via prohibited-tools language and public FAQ summaries) permits reference material that:

• Defines which starting hands to play from each position
• Applies only to unopened pots
• Does not include stack depth, relative positions, or user-defined filters

Anything beyond that—push/fold matrices keyed to stack size, ICM charts, solver exports—is RTA while the client runs.

GGPoker SEP §2.3 draws a hard line:

"Referring to charts of any kind during play is strictly prohibited."

No basic preflop carve-out. A phone photo of a 13% UTG open range is RTA on GG even if PokerStars would tolerate it. Do not migrate PS chart habits.

Client-Open Window

Both platforms apply RTA rules when their software launches—not only when cards deal.

State	PokerStars	GGPoker
Client open, browsing lobby	RTA rules active	RTA rules active
Seated, between hands	RTA rules active	RTA rules active
Mid-hand	RTA rules active	RTA rules active
Client fully closed	Study tools OK	Study tools OK

PokerStars Game Integrity explicitly states solvers are fine after your session, with the client closed—otherwise detection triggers. GGPoker's GTO Wizard partnership exists to timestamp solver usage against live hand data; "I'll check one flop on my phone" fails on both networks.

Detection Methods

PokerStars

Public disclosures:

• Accuracy-of-play ML model built over ~6–7 years; flags solver-like strategy profiles
• >95% proactive detection rate before community reports (third-party industry citation)
• Alerts on single hands and aggregated strategy
• Process awareness: knows which programs run alongside PS (not browser contents)
• Investigations may include video/phone calls for confirmed cases

GGPoker

SEP plus March 2025 partnership disclosures:

• Device scan authority (§1.10) with file fingerprint matching
• Named auxiliary-tool bans: remote desktop, VMs, VPNs, seating scripts, auto note-takers
• GTO Wizard integration: correlates suspicious in-client play with solver query timestamps; 31 accounts banned on partnership announcement
• Fair Play Check ecosystem (GTO Wizard) accepted by multiple networks for player-initiated flags

Neither room publishes full algorithm specs. Both invest because detection is cheaper than reimbursing thousands of victims—as GG demonstrated in 2020.

Enforcement Casebook

GGPoker — September 2020 Wave

• 40 accounts permanently banned for RTA
• 13 of those had funds confiscated: $1,175,305.43 total
• 27 banned without confiscation (insufficient balance or investigation outcome)
• 40 additional accounts received warnings (under watch, not a formal tier)
• 4,329 players reimbursed from confiscated pool (~$272 average)

Source: PokerNews, Pokerfuse.

GGPoker — March 2025 GTO Wizard Launch

• Formal integrity partnership with GTO Wizard
• 31 accounts blocked immediately for fair-play violations tied to suspicious GTO Wizard usage during live play
• Ongoing timestamp correlation against server-side hand data

Source: GGPoker official blog.

PokerStars — Ongoing Posture

• Public zero-tolerance: permanent ban + confiscation for confirmed RTA
• Case details rarely published; emphasis on proactive ML detection
• FABs and PTBBs both prohibited before "RTA" became industry shorthand

Source: PokerStars Learn — player safety, PokerNews 2022 integrity interview.

Migration Traps (Stars → GG and Reverse)

Habit from PokerStars	On GGPoker
Basic preflop chart on second monitor	RTA — all charts banned
TeamViewer for coach review while client idle	Named prohibited auxiliary tool
VM for isolation	Named prohibited — scan trigger
"Client open but not seated yet" solver peek	RTA — air-gap violation

Habit from GGPoker	On PokerStars
Zero-chart discipline	Still valid—safest cross-room practice
Assuming machine scans are GG-only	PS also monitors concurrent software
Expecting confiscation + mass reimbursement model	PS confiscates but publicity differs

Lowest-risk cross-room protocol: client closed, all references away, decisions from memory only—stricter than either platform's minimum, but immune to migration mistakes.

Quick Compliance Guide

Choose your primary room; apply that platform's rules, not the other:

If you play…	Non-negotiables
PokerStars only	No real-time advice; limited preflop chart only as defined; close PS before solvers; no randomized sizers
GGPoker only	No external assistance from client launch; zero charts live; kill remote-access/VM tools; see air-gap article
Both	Obey GGPoker's stricter chart rule everywhere; treat PS chart allowance as PS-only exception

When policy text conflicts with this summary, operator published terms win. SEP version 20260313 and PokerStars General Terms can change—check in-client notifications and official pages before high-stakes sessions.

Bottom Line

PokerStars and GGPoker are not ambiguous about RTA—they are ambiguous only if you blend their policies. Stars permits a narrow preflop chart; GG forbids all charts. Stars scores your play against ML models; GG timestamps your solver against their server clock. Play on both networks and you must follow the stricter rule every time.

Read both policies. Play by the harder standard. Cross-platform compliance is not optional.