During the course of the past month, discussion on internet poker forums of third-party software usage in online poker has been heating up. Always a subject of debate, the topic has found some extra steam recently primarily because of a controversial, yet quite secretive piece of software developed by a player named “skier_5.” As such, PokerStars has announced that it is considering changing its policies regarding third-party software.
How exactly skier’s software works is not clear, as it is private, only distributed by its creator to certain players, allegedly for a percentage of their profits. What it people think it is, based on reports, is a collection of pre-flop hand possibilities for Heads-Up Sit-and-Go’s along with associated “correct” plays. The program may take things a step further by at least semi-automating the decision-making process for the user by presenting him with decision options and correlated recommendations.
Again, the exact intricacies of the software are not known to the general public, so theories as to how it really works are really just guesses. One piece of evidence that has been presented as to the software’s function is that at least two players who are allegedly using the software not only have seen their fortunes shoot upward at the Heads-Up Sit-and-Go tables on PokerStars, but their decision-making statistics are very similar to each other and to skier.
PokerStars is more than aware of the controversy and though it did sign-off on the software, deeming it acceptable to use on its site, the company has now come out and said it may need to change the rules to outlaw this kind of software. Last week on the Two Plus Two forums, PokerStars Poker Room Manager, Steve Day, wrote, “The software we reviewed allows quick and precise reference to a very large number of static charts that cover most or all preflop situations. While within our current rules, this software goes beyond the level of assistance we want to see software providing players in our online poker room.”
As it stands now, here is what the PokerStars terms deem as allowed software:
Q. In general, what kind of tools and services are acceptable?
A. The following types of tools and services are generally acceptable:
1. Tools and services that simply report basic game state information, such as pot odds or absolute hand strength.
2. Tools and services that are static reference material and basic in nature, such as a single table-based starting hand chart.
3. Tools and services that profile your opponents, but make use of only information which you have accumulated through your own play.
4. Macros and Hotkey programs that don’t have any bearing on gameplay logic. For example, you can use AutoHotKey, MacroExpress or AutoIt3 to make it such that you ‘bet the pot’ when you press the ‘P’ key, but you cannot use these or other utilities to create an autofolder that folds poor starting hands, or that automates advice or actions from any other tool or service.
Day said that under consideration is the following addition to the prohibited software section:
Any tool or reference material that offers commentary or advice that goes beyond a basic level, such as stack-size-based starting hand tables, decision trees or heads-up displays that dynamically change based on player action or card values.
A number of currently permitted software tools, many of which are quite popular, would be prohibited if the change were to take effect. Day listed the following as examples:
• SessionLord’s Preflop Chart
• Holy Grail of Poker
• Poker Academy
• HEM2’s LeakBuster
• FlopZilla
• Odds Oracle
• PokerStove
• NoteCaddy (Note from Day: as is would require changes. It is permissible for HUDs to filter / drill down via street, but not by action facing or hole card / communicate card values.)
• PT4’s Leak Tracker
Opinions on third-party software vary wildly within online poker circles. Some people are poker purists, believing that online poker should stay as true to live poker as possible. You can’t use hand tracking software or other electronic aids in a brick-and-mortar casino, so why should be allowed to online? Others are against software, even the types that fall within the allowable category, simply for poker etiquette reasons. They don’t like the software, not because using it hurts the “purity” of the game, but rather just because they feel it is against the spirit of the game. Let’s have a level playing field, they would say, allowing poker skill to weed out the weak players, not a software tool that can be used as a weapon to destroy them.
Those who are fine with third-party software generally take a similar stance to PokerStars, feeling that as long as the information the software gives is just statistical, is only gathered from hands the user plays, and does not actually suggest the appropriate moves (basically, the user has to interpret the data himself), then it is kosher. Very few people nowadays are for no-holds-barred software use. This group used to be larger, but most seem to have come around on the idea that limits are a good thing.
PokerStars is currently soliciting opinions from the poker community on the proposed rules change.
