The distinction that matters
We welcome strong players. Poker should reward preparation, discipline and good decisions, and a winning player has done nothing wrong by winning.
There is a difference, though, between winning through skill and gaining an advantage through behaviour that damages the game itself. A player who studies and beats the field makes the game better. A player who runs a solver in a live hand, or only sits when a specific weak opponent is at the table, is taking value out of the ecosystem rather than competing inside it.
That distinction is the whole basis of this page.
What is prohibited
The WePlay Network Security & Ecology Policy names eighteen categories of prohibited conduct. The ones players ask about most often:
- Real-Time Assistance (RTA) — any software, chart or service consulted during a live hand.
- Bots — automated play, in whole or in part.
- Collusion — cooperation between players at the same table, including soft play.
- Chip dumping — deliberately losing chips to another account.
- Multi-accounting — more than one account per person, or playing on someone else’s.
- Account sharing & ghosting — anyone other than the account holder playing or advising during a hand.
- Bum hunting — selectively targeting weak opponents while avoiding regular competition.
- Hit and running — leaving immediately after winning a large pot to deny opponents a chance to recover.
- Predatory behaviour — any pattern designed to extract from the ecosystem rather than compete in it.
- Data mining and mass data analysis — collecting or buying hand histories from games you did not play.
- Promotion abuse and circumvention of any of the above.
The full definitions, with the reasoning behind each one, are in the Security & Ecology Policy.
How the games are monitored
As part of the WePlay Network, Vanilla Poker is covered by a dedicated Security Team that continuously monitors gameplay, investigates suspicious activity and reviews patterns that damage the integrity or ecology of the network.
Where it is warranted, the team may conduct investigations, request additional verification, review gameplay history, apply temporary restrictions, suspend or permanently close accounts, and confiscate funds associated with prohibited conduct.
The sanctions
Enforcement is graduated. Depending on severity, intent and history, the Security Team may apply:
| Sanction | What it means |
|---|---|
| Warning | A formal notice; no restriction applied |
| Chat suspension / chat ban | Table chat access removed |
| Reward removal | Bonuses, rakeback or promotional rewards withdrawn |
| Game restrictions | Access to specific games or stakes limited |
| Withdrawal restrictions | Withdrawals held pending investigation |
| Account suspension | Account temporarily closed |
| Permanent ban | Account permanently closed |
| Confiscation of funds | Funds associated with prohibited conduct removed |
What happens to confiscated money
It does not become operator profit.
Where players can reasonably be identified as having suffered direct financial harm, confiscated funds are redistributed to them first. Where that is not possible, the money goes into the WePlay Ecology Fund and is spent on the player community — freerolls, cash drops, recreational promotions and loyalty rewards.
Players who damage the ecosystem should not profit from it. That is the principle, and the Fund is how it is enforced in practice.
Reporting something
If you suspect collusion, bot play or any other prohibited conduct at a table, report it. Include the table, the approximate time and the accounts involved, and the Security Team will review the hand histories.
Contact us — a person reads every report.