Online Poker RTA Rules in 2026: Solvers, Charts, HUDs, And What Can Get You Banned

What “Real-Time Assistance” means in 2026

What exactly does Real Time Assistance (RTA) mean in 2026?

Simply put, Real-time assistance is defined as any outside help that influences your decision-making while a hand is live. This can encompass software that suggests plays based on the board, stacks, or positions, as well as static aids like charts and spreadsheets consulted mid-game. Often seen are also equity or ICM tools and human elements like ghosting, live coaching, or screen sharing.

While policy language varies room to room, the core principle is universal: you are required to make your own decisions using only the information derived from your own active play. Today, many major operators take a strict approach to both software-driven and human-provided RTA.

Solvers and calculators: great for study, banned during play

Solvers have become ubiquitous study tools, and every serious grinder now runs simulations and drills spots away from the tables. On large regulated sites, using these tools during play is strictly prohibited. Anything providing strategic advice based on the current game state, including GTO solvers, ICM tools, or odds calculators, is treated as a banned external aid.

There are sites, for example, that explicitly forbid tools that compute equities or recommend plays while its client is open.

To use these tools safely, you must confine them to pre and post-session reviews. Build your strategies and drill your ranges until they are automatic, but ensure every solver is closed before you ever open a poker client.

Charts, spreadsheets, and push-fold tools

The era where static preflop charts were considered fine during play has come to an end. Major rooms have closed the gap, implementing direct bans on advanced charts and complex reference materials while the client is running.

Current policy trends include strict limits on the types of preflop material that can sit on your screen. For example, WPT® Global’s rules state that players must make their own decisions without outside information.

In practice, this means preflop charts in Excel or Google Sheets on your active screen put you at a severe risk of having your account closed. Simple push-fold tables and ICM charts are now viewed as RTA when consulted mid-hand. If the Game Integrity team can conclude you used a chart to make a decision, your account is at risk.

HUDs, trackers, and datamining

HUD culture has shifted massively, with many networks moving toward restricted or entirely banned third-party HUDs. These are often replaced by limited, in-client smart HUDs to maintain game integrity. Certain sites, for instance, provide a built-in display using only the hands you have personally played, while banning external HUDs and mass datamining.

A safe split in 2026 requires using only built-in or specifically approved site stats during play. 

As a rule of thumb, it’s better to avoid third-party overlays on any room with ambiguous rules and never touch datamined databases. Additionally, keep your tracking software for post-game analysis where you can safely import your hands to study leaks and pool trends.

Human RTA: ghosting, coaching, and group sweats

Real-time human assistance is now under the same intense scrutiny as software. 

Human RTA issues that can arise often involve high-stakes players sharing screens with a group during a final table or study groups that evolve into live coaching teams. As a result, most operators are clear on this matter: every decision must be yours alone.

Public cases have shown this has been put into practice. For example, in 2025, WPT® Global banned a Twitch streamer after range charts were visible on his screen during a live broadcast.

The room cited its rule against external player assistance, emphasising that players must remain unassisted. Talking general strategy or reviewing hands with friends after a session is perfectly fine, but getting told what to do while a hand is live is a direct violation.

How sites actually detect RTA

Operators maintain a level of secrecy regarding their detection methods to stay ahead of cheaters, but their security frameworks typically rest on three approaches:

Gameplay pattern analysis: 

Sites build models of human play across millions of hands. They flag accounts that match solver-like outputs too perfectly in high-complexity spots or maintain unusually low error rates over large samples. Strange timing patterns also trigger alerts.

Device and software signals

Many rooms can detect other processes running alongside the poker client. WPT® Global’s terms state they may check for concurrently running programs to protect game integrity, looking for known bots or prohibited automation.

Manual investigation

Systems can involve sophisticated algorithms that raise internal alerts for trained Game Integrity teams to investigate manually, reviewing hand histories and device logs.

What happens if they decide you cheated

While penalties vary, the common outcomes on major sites are severe. Minor issues might result in a warning, but serious RTA or bot usage leads to permanent bans and the confiscation of funds.

A ban can limit your options across the industry, and some promotions or events may have their own eligibility rules. WPT® Global’s rulebook grants the operator broad discretion to close accounts that break fair-play rules, and these consequences can affect eligibility for certain promotions or event packages, subject to the relevant terms.

Where WPT® Global sits in this picture

As part of the broader WPT® ecosystem, WPT® Global prioritises game integrity. WPT® Global’s rules prohibit robots and external assistance programs that distort play or provide an unfair edge.

This was put into practice during the 2025 ban of a streamer with range charts on screen. The message is simple: you can use solvers and trainers to improve your game in your own time, but you cannot use anything during play that provides advice beyond your own knowledge.

Building a safe 2026 online poker toolkit

To stay protected, adhere to a strict off-table vs on-table boundary for your tools.

Safe to use (Off-Table): 

Use solvers and trainers for full post-session reviews and ICM tools for studying final table spots. Tracking software remains safe for analyzing your own hands, and private study groups are encouraged for reviewing hand histories after the session ends.

Safe to use (On-Table): 

Stick to the site’s own built-in HUD or stats and use simple hotkeys or layout tools that do not read the game state. Use the notes and tags features provided inside the poker client itself.

NOT safe to use: 

Never use a solver, trainer, or equity calculator that touches live hands. Avoid any chart, spreadsheet, or push-fold tool during your decision-making process.

Stay away from third-party HUDs on rooms that do not explicitly approve them, and never engage in live coaching, ghosting, or screen sharing while playing.

Quick checklist before you start a session

Run through this checklist every time you sit down to play:

• Are all solvers, trainers, and equity tools closed?
• Are all charts, spreadsheets, or push-fold tables closed?
• Have you cancelled any plans for live screen sharing or coaching?
• Would you be comfortable if a Game Integrity agent saw a screenshot of your entire setup right now?

Play your sessions clean and do the heavy work during your study hours. In 2026, that is the only RTA strategy that makes sense.