PokerStars Confirms Changes to Third-Party Software Terms

Date: 2015-07-10
Author: Jason Glatzer

Steve Day, Director of Poker Room Operations at PokerStars, announced on TwoPlusTwo that the online poker room was strongly considering making changes to tighten its terms of service to prohibit some third-party software that has been previously been allowed.

Many poker players and interested parties believe this was primarily in response to a series issues involving a software aid developed by PokerStars player Skier_5 to help him dominate heads-up sit and gos as well as a Russian bot ring reportedly winning almost $1.5 million over the course of many months in Pot Limit Omaha ring games.

The initial announcement informed the community that the proposed restrictions would further prohibit artificial intelligence software from making decisions and limit the amount of situational information that would be made available.  The post on also asked for players to comment on the proposed changes that were being considered before they were finalized.

After poker players debated the merits of the proposed changes on TwoPlusTwo for two weeks, Day returned to the thread to let the community know that they appreciated everyone's input and that they would return in a week to let the community know what decision was reached by the gaming company.

On July 7, Day once again posted in the thread, informing the community that PokerStars agreed to the changes in principle and that they may add more restrictions in the future.  Furthermore, Day informed the community that the aid developed by Skier_5 would no longer be allowed, effective immediately.

Here's what Day said:

After thorough consideration of the input here and a lengthy internal discussion, we've decided to move forward in principle with the changes proposed in the OP. We still have some decisions to make regarding final wording and also to make sure we are comfortable with our detection and enforcement capability. In the meantime, we will be in touch with some software developers regarding their existing applications to clarify which features might violate the upcoming rules so that they will have time to make the appropriate changes.

There is one immediate change to announce. The catalyst for this conversation was a particular piece of software that efficiently delivers relevant play recommendation charts for HUSNG. Effective immediately, we are ruling that this software can no longer be used while the PokerStars client is open.

In the past we had always allowed charts to be used for reference during play. A primary reason was that a player could simply print out a chart and we would not be able to detect it. Another was that the charts in use were limited in their impact on the game. Detailed charts that were complex enough to provide advice useful enough to be competitive against capable players were very limited in the breadth of situations covered, such as push-fold nash charts for HU play. Any charts covering the game more comprehensively, such as hand grouping charts with basic strategy, were not complex enough to cause an issue for game integrity.

This new software framework could be used to replicate the utility of a complex bot in a chart format. It has greatly advanced the efficiency of chart retrieval and presentation to the point where we must take action. While there will be challenges with enforcement, we believe the cost of leaving this software allowable is too high.

I want to make completely clear that we are headed firmly toward further restrictions on third party software in the future. There is a meaningful probability that within the next year or two our policies will be significantly more restrictive than even the proposal in the OP. Our intent is to implement change gradually over time, ensuring that our internal detection and enforcement capabilities are able to keep up with the rules and that the community has adequate time to adjust.

I do not have anything to share about how far we might go in the future in our restriction of 3rd party software. We will continue to consider and evaluate additional information and input prior to making each and every decision.

Thanks to all who provided their thoughts and input on this topic.

BECOME A MEMBER of PokerSoftware.com today. You can chat with us and ask questions to our poker software experts in the forums and get access to EXCLUSIVE members-only content. Sign up today!


More articles


 

WriteSubmit Your Comment Let us know what you think about this article!





 

Member Comments



 

No comments so far

Like PokerSoftware on Facebook and Get the Latest Software News Plus Weekly Prizes!

recomented-softwares Recommended Software

Tracking Analysis

SNG Tools

Training