Online Poker Players Speak Out on Full Tilt's block of Poker Tracking Websites

Source: Poker News Daily

Most players view the recent move by Full Tilt Poker to block the ability of online poker tracking sites such as SharkScope and PokerTableRatings (PTR) from receiving data favorably.

SharkScope stated in an update on April 5th, “We respectfully request that all online players carefully consider the option of playing at sites other than Full Tilt and communicating to Full Tilt your opinions and rationale about why you prefer to play elsewhere.”

This has set off a firestorm of discussion on the online poker forum TwoPlusTwo. Much of the talk centers on how players use data from tracking sites and whether this information offers them an unfair advantage. A majority of the players on TwoPlusTwo have strongly voiced their opposition to such tracking sites and programs.

“I completely agree as long as it levels the field for all players,” posted “Polar Beard.” “In my opinion, sitting at a table an hour or two is more than enough to have a good idea of your opponents’ style and competence.”

“If a tracking service remains available for a select group of players, then it’s (a whole) other ball game,” “Polar Beard” concluded.

Several players admit to actively using such services as SharkScope and PTR, but they agree that they should probably be shut down. “Even though I use PTR and Sharkscope pretty often, I’d be happy to see all sites cut them off,” poster “mchu1026” shared in the TwoPlusTwo thread.

With Full Tilt blocking poker tracking sites, many are calling for the largest site in the industry, PokerStars, to step up and do the same.

“Well done FTP for blocking PTR, now step up Stars,” poster “raidalot” writes. “What really needs to be blocked urgently are the tools that store and sell hand history data and/or player stats (or provide them in the form of HUDs). I have never used PTR, but I see on the home page that it provides ‘premium content’ such as VPIP and other player stats. This sort of site should be banned by any poker site interested in the long term future of the internet game.”

Another poster, “knef,” contacted PokerStars regarding the tracking situation and the site told him that it is “trying” to block tracking sites from receiving information. “PokerStars is aware that there are people who try to break our rules on data mining and consequently I’m pleased to advise that we are in the process of improving our software to stop this activity,” “knef” reports a PokerStars support team member named “Regina” as saying.

Although the wave of opinion is against tracking sites, some posters point out that these sites were important in breaking several recent scandals in the online poker world. “PTR has helped crack down on multi-accounting, cheating, bots, and chip dumping,” stated “RY889.” “The majority of you guys are losing players and I don’t blame you for wanting your stats hidden, but for us winning players, it has been a useful tool for game selecting.”

Several top pros have weighed in as well. Team UB.com pro Adam “Roothlus” Levy gave his two cents: “It’s because PTR got bought by Zynga and FTP wants (to) draw the line in the sand.” Jordan “scarface79” Smith seemed to side with the minority, stating, “Easier to hide their super users,” while Jay “SEABEAST” Kinkade sided with the majority: “Great move, thanks FTP.”

Shawn “buck22” Buchanan, who holds Red Pro status on Full Tilt Poker, weighed out the pros and cons. After his analysis, he posted, “Unless the large majority here either works for FT or is a bit thick, I honestly can’t see the benefits to this.”

LockPoker Adds SharkScope Player Stats in Enhanced anti-Online Poker Cheating Application

The online poker site LockPoker.com, which is a part of the Merge Poker Network, is scheduled to launch its new Player Dashboard that is now featuring SharkScope’s very well-received advanced player stats, which is intergrated directly into the client. LockPoker CEO Jennifer Larson states that you as the player can "view your own stats, search for your opponents stats, shop at the Lock store, and much more all within the same secure application. Lock is the first and only Poker room to develop a unified tool like this. One of our mandates as a company is to provide a superior online poker experience. We are determined to take this industry by storm and innovate in every possible way we can. The player comes first at Lock and that will always drive our business development."

This sounds to me like a significant move in the online poker industry's continuing battle against online poker cheats, which has intensified over the past few months, which have seen concentrated bot and collusion rings operating out of China and Korea.

LockPoker began its anti-online poker-cheat war when it hired successful professional poker player Eric "Rizen" Lynch as its vice president of product development. Now by incorporating SharkScope, LockPoker.com has really sent in the reinforcements to the online poker-cheating battlefield.

Annie Duke Testifies on Online Poker Cheating at House Internet Gambling Hearing

And she got into it with one of the nation's biggest anti-online-gaming regulation reps, Spencer Bachus of Alabama. Bachus does not want online gaming legalized or regulated in the US, not even online poker. He doesn't want to hear any of that rap that poker is a game of skill and therefore not a gambling game.

When it came to online poker cheating, Bachus immediately brought up Duke’s affiliation with Ultimate Bet in an almost accusatory way, using the soiled site’s cheating scandal as a reason why online gambling, including online poker, is bad for the public in every way and must never be permitted in the United States. Duke, however, stood up to Bachus's challenge and even reversed the tables by saying that since there was no regulation of online poker to oversee UltimateBet and every other online gambling site, the huge poker cheating scam was able to proliferate to the degree that it did. Had there been regulation, Duke pointed out, the cheat scam would have been harder to pull off...and its aftermath could have been managed and controlled much better.

Hooray for Annie Duke!

Slot PIN Casino Cheat Scams To Be Aware Of

A slot hustler will walk up and down the slot isles looking for the “white flash” up near the slot rating card bonus panel. This white flash indicates that the patron is looking up their bonus status and using their PIN number. The hustler will take note of the PIN number and wait to see if they can figure out a way to steal the player’s card. One common scam to pick up a date of birth from a high end slot player hoping they are using the DOB is to run the name in the many available online resources in the private, local and federal level. Credit agencies may also be a source of obtaining this type of information. It is suggested to players to not use their date of birth but we all know that players want an easily remember PIN. Many casinos actually use DOB’s as the initial processing generated PIN and hope the players change them later. Some players simply leave the account open and pull out their loyalty card. The downloads and comps are still open for the scammer to take advantage of the unknowing victim. Here is an excellent scam that was detected here in Atlantic City. Our scammer has an ID program on his computer up in the hotel. He circulates the floor using any means to obtain names and PINs on slot players. From that point he goes back up to the room and makes a fake diver’s license of the player. He proceeds to go back down to the floor and use the fake identification and his illegally obtained personal information to draw comps all over the casino. This same scam can have the suspect going back to the loyalty rewards center and having new cards and PIN’s made as well. It is a potential deadly scam to any casino from a marketing standpoint.

Did you know that slot manufacturer’s install software that picks up on the most common PIN numbers and does not allow it to be assigned to the accounts of players. Some of the most common PIN numbers are consecutive numbers such as 1111, 7777, 9876 or 1234. You must always be aware of people who know your personal information such as address numbers, date of birth, social security number or a personal favorite lucky number. It is this type of information that will be utilized to attempt to access your comps and downloadable credits.

Here is one final precautionary measure that slot manufacturers afford casinos to protect your comps: If you attempt and fail on three tries to enter your PIN number it will disable the card access to the bonus comp and point area.

Let’s look at the future of PIN scams and consider the following possibility. What if a scammer used a hand-held skimmer device to swipe in a player’s rating card. Is it possible that the information contained on the magnetic strip includes the PIN number and all personal information from the account? How easy is it to tap the credits and comps from the machine? Casinos use protective measures that help to control personal identification numbers but that is not always enough. You can’t assume without testing the possibility that somehow, someway this information can be cloned to duplicate cards.

The Washington Post wrote an article about prostitutes and drug addicts using this type of device to swipe Las Vegas casino high roller’s room keys allowing access to the credit card information posted to the room for any incidentals. Is it only a matter of time before IT or rewards program employees utilize scams with information contained within the magnetic strips of slot ratings cards to commit theft against their casinos.

Continued industry communication and networking will help to keep up with current slot scams of this nature.

How Long Has it Been Going?/Super User Account

According to these articles it's a couple of years. There really is no way to tell. My first thought was that it probably dates back longer than that, but then again I can't really say. The real question is whether it has been going on with other sites. Well, let's put it this way: if it has, the crooked employees behind it have been a little more discreet in their cheating. Remember, if you're seeing players' hole cards you don't have to play that way every hand. Apparently, those cheaters on Absolute Poker played their clandestine knowledge to perfection every hand, not something you should do but something that's hard to avoid in tournament play. So the real REAL question is: what about the cash games?

How Long Has Absolute Scam Been Operating?

Published: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Online-Casinos.com

HOW LONG HAS THE ABSOLUTE POKER SCAM BEEN OPERATING?

Insider sources claim cheating has been happening for 3 years, earning the culprits millions

The well connected and informed gambling information portal Point-Spread.com made further serious revelations in the Absolute Poker scandal Monday, claiming that unidentified sources have revealed a greater web of deceit than just one tournament.

Webmaster Tommy Jensen quotes sources in Costa Rica who say that the cheating scam has been ongoing for the past three years and the actual amount that was skimmed from online poker players could be as much as $7 million. The actual amount is still unknown as an internal audit is underway.

Jensen says a former employee of Absolute Poker confirmed to Point-Spreads.com that the security department at AP suspected something years ago but were told it was just the owners testing out the system and to forget about it. AJ Green (see previous Online-Casinos.com/InfoPowa reports) is alleged to have been involved in the scam and employees of Absolute Poker are prepared to implicate him, apparently.

Meanwhile, the 911 portal continued to publish what appear to be damage control reports from its sources, who claim that Absolute Poker takes in between $1.5 million and $2 million a day in gross revenues. "Absolute Poker will survive this (scandal)," the unnamed source predicted. "There are about a hundred investors in the company to ensure this happens."

911 reports that, contrary to reports that a band of college fraternity brothers started Absolute Poker in 2003, it was in fact started by a Las Vegas-resident college grad named Scott Tom with financing from his father. Tom subsequently brought other college friends into the business. Tom, who has since dropped out of sight, is believed to have resided in Panama City and Costa Rica.

"They (AJ Green and Scott Tom) are not talking to investors," the source told 911. "But Absolute Poker does not need Scott Tom. There is a strong management team in place with hundreds of employees." Other investors in the poker site include former employees of the Nine.com operation which now belongs to VIP.com.


No Such Thing as Super User in Absolute Poker Case

A representative speaking on behalf of Absolute Poker tells Gambling911.com "a super user account does not exist".

A report in eGaming Today suggests likewise:

Many people have suggested that there are "super user" accounts or account types that are able to see hole cards. Perhaps such accounts are not able to play, only observe tables -- the account #363 found observing POTRIPPER. Some people have gone so far to suggest such an account has legitimate purpose, for testing or fraud detection.

There is absolutely no legitimate purpose for any account nor any back office system to be able to view hole cards of a hand while it is in play. Creating such a feature would be an enormous breach of ethics and security. The existence of such a feature would be a huge temptation for insider cheating.

Fraud and collusion detection systems work off hand histories, compiled upon completion of a hand. Never should it be possible to compile a hand history of a hand in-progress.

Absolute Poker is in the midst of a public relations nightmare they can't seem to wake up from following an "internal breach" where they claim an employee was able to review other players hole cards during live tournament play. Various sleuths in the online poker sector insist that at least one former Absolute Poker founder was involved in the scheme. Absolute has promised compensation to all affected players and a thorough audit by an outside firm.

While super users may not exist, there is a market for robot poker players that places the game in serious jeopardy.

Bots and Online Poker

"Insider cheating" is nothing new to the online poker world. One of the original Internet poker websites, Paradise Poker, was long suspected of incorporating robots into poker games prior to being purchased by Sportingbet. The early bots were used to make the poker rooms seem more busy than they actually were.

But there are individuals looking to cash in using these bots.

There is actually a market for poker robots that sell for just under $50 (we won't disclose where).

Here is how one such company describes its product:

Human Poker players have two major flaws. One is emotion. Part of the key to good Poker is keeping your emotions in check. In a live game you can give away 'tells' or get upset and start playing poorly. This is often called 'steaming' or going 'on tilt'. Greed and over-confidence when the cards are going your way can be just as bad. Computers don't have this problem, giving them a natural advantage since they will always play their 'best' game. The other major flaw is lack of patience. People play too many hands before the flop, throwing money away with hands that should have been folded. Poker Robot waits for only the very best hands!

What occurred at Absolute Poker is really just the tip of the iceberg. The online poker community has put the word out that they are no longer going to tolerate any more monkey business, whether it's a robot, low level employee or someone very high up on the food chain of the Internet poker room (i.e. one of the owners).

But robots have been a part of the online poker landscape for some time.

Phil Robinson of the Mail on Sunday pointed this out back in 2005:
"If you're a poker player, this is merely unethical. But if you're an executive or shareholder in one of the top poker websites, the advent of programs that play for you is very bad news indeed. Online poker is a £3bn-a-year industry - £3m is gambled on online poker every day in Britain alone (we're now the fifth biggest gambling country in the world). But this depends on the punters knowing they're getting a fair game. When they're up against expertly programmed computer players, then they are, quite emphatically, not. And if these programs evolve as fast as the experts predict, online poker is nothing more than a busted flush.

"One expert in this powerful new software, 'Chopper', tells me, 'It's amazing to think of how much we gamble on online poker sites - mainly because there is no such thing as a fair game of online poker. It just doesn't exist. The game is completely corrupt; it has zero integrity. Online players are secretly using every means at their disposal to fleece you --and at the forefront of their campaign is the use of poker robots. When all this becomes public knowledge, the amateurs will leave and the game will die.'"