Microgaming Head of Poker Discusses Table Scanning Software

Date: 2014-11-26
Author: Jason Glatzer

The number one goal of any serious poker player is to win as much money as possible.  Players with this mindset normally turn to accepted third-party software to help maximize their win rates.  Many successful cash game grinders use seating scripts to find the most advantageous games available and automatically be seated at these tables.  Please note that this should not be confused with table finding software such as Table Scanner 2 and TableTracker which do not automatically seat you at the tables.
 
Table scripts work by scanning tables to help you identify and join ones that the software believes are most optimal for you.  Using this type of software will allow you to play with more fish than sharks.  So, for any serious ring game player, using this software should improve win rates.
 
While most would agree players should use all of the tools at their disposal, should online gaming operators allow this software?  According to a blog written by Microgaming's head of poker Alex Scott, these scripts are too predatory toward casual players, who would be horrified to learn they are being systematically targeted.
 
Scott also pointed out that MPN has taken short-term steps to reduce the effectiveness of table seating scripts, with the site running many anonymous cash game tables with the hopes of one day fully prohibiting them in the future.
 
Anonymous cash games not only make it nearly impossible to table-select based on a fish-finding tool, but they can also reduce the effectiveness of using a HUD since, at best, stats can only be accumulated from games played on a table during a specific session.
 
Blaze Poker, MPN's version of fast-fold poker, also cancels out the effect of table scripts since, with each hand, you are randomly sitting with different players.  
 
MPN understands this only protects the portion of its recreational customer base that understands how software could be used against them; however, the portion of its recreational customer base that doesn't even realize seating scripts exist are still left unprotected.  Ultimately, MPN plans to fully restrict the use of these scripts, but are unable to do so now since the software wasn't initially designed to detect these types of programs.
 
You might ask yourself why this issue is so important to networks like MPN.  The main issues are that many believe seating scripts take away from the art of poker and that recreational players need to be protected in the long-term to ensure they will continue adding to the poker room's ecosystem.
 
MPN used the video game industry as an example of helping recreational players.  They point out that many popular video games often make tweaks to their ecosystem to remove items that are too powerful or favor the hardcore player too much in order to improve the experience for recreational players.  So, online gaming operators are asking themselves, "Why shouldn't we consider doing something similar?"
 
Note:  On December 11, 2014 this article was updated to remove TableTracker and Table Scanner 2 as examples of seating scripts.  These applications help players choose tables to avoid playing with tougher players but they do not automate the seating process and therefore should not be categorized as “seating scripts”.  These applications were not the focus of the blog written by MPN’s head of poker Alex Scott, he was only concerned with automated seating - not table selection.  

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