Stars catches a bot and it's........my mom

[ColdCaller]

[ QUOTE ]
Alright well thanks for posting the emails, but without the original email exchange we can't really help you or solve this, if you don't have them fine.

What I'd really liike to know, and if you dont' know I suggest you ask your mother, is what the heck she means by "log files." The only thing I can think of is hand histories, but why the heck would pokerstars ask a user for hand histories when they have them themselves? That part doesn't make any sense at all. Find out what kind of files she actually sent to pokerstars, than maybe you can post them here and we can sort out what they flagged as bot-like play.

[/ QUOTE ]

Probably, uh, PokerStars.log.

You know, just an idea.

[4thstreetpete]

Zee is that you? stop clowning around.

Interesting thread, I'd like to see the outcome because
this affects all of us, that is if Teddy is telling the
truth wheich I believe he is.

I'm surprised no one mentioned it but isn't anyone here
bothered by the fact that Stars found damning evidence that
a bot was being used yet they still allowed the account
holder to cash out? That's pretty lackluster if you ask me
and kind of makes me lose faith in pokerstars handling of
cheaters like zeejustin.

[ColdCaller]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm surprised no one mentioned it but isn't anyone here bothered by the fact that Stars found damning evidence that a bot was being used yet they still allowed the account holder to cash out?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, not really, because nothing makes anyone in the Zoo happy, ever. Not to mention that PokerStars could probably give two [censored] what most of you think, the fact that they have any decent presence here at all should make you happy.

That said, there was probably evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that indicated Teddy's mom was using a bot, but not hard concrete evidence that it existed. Therefore, Stars did the right thing by issuing a fair judgement and probably reimbursing players out of their own pocket.

[teddyFBI]

[ QUOTE ]
Alright well thanks for posting the emails, but without the original email exchange we can't really help you or solve this, if you don't have them fine.

What I'd really liike to know, and if you dont' know I suggest you ask your mother, is what the heck she means by "log files." The only thing I can think of is hand histories, but why the heck would pokerstars ask a user for hand histories when they have them themselves? That part doesn't make any sense at all. Find out what kind of files she actually sent to pokerstars, than maybe you can post them here and we can sort out what they flagged as bot-like play.

[/ QUOTE ]

I asked her about what log files she sent that Stars requested, and she sent me this back (disclaimer: the a), b), c), and d) arguments she makes below about how she obviously isn't a bot are VERY far from airtight...and people here wouldn't have any trouble pointing out the holes in them and why they're not conclusive to any extent...but keep in mind they're coming from a relative novice to internet poker who doesn't really know what a bot is...so take them with a grain of salt -- I'm posting her email in its unadulterated form):

<font color="blue">
The files on the computer that say Poker.log.1 and Poker.log.0. He said they only stay there for a day. At first I thought it was all a hoax because why would a poker site need the files that it generated itself? But then he said that my computer interacts with those files in some way and that that’s why he needed to see them from my computer.

I’m sure no-one tampered with my account, because the $$ amount was always correct. The other thing that surprises me is how absolutely closed-minded and certain they both appear. Like, since I’m 100% sure there’s no bot, why would intelligent men persist like this without an inch of doubt? My guess is that Jeff is too proud of his bot discoveries, and Lee is to busy to really think about it. That’s basically what his message says—he seems not to have even considered (a) the 2 cent 5 cent tables thing which no inventor of a bot would waste time with (b) the fact that I don’t win any more than any other modestly competent player would (c) your own incredulity and (d) the extra evidence I told him about namely to check that I have sometimes written thank you and other acknowledgements in the chat box, which make obvious some human intervention. Anyway I told them to call me if they ever want to talk about it. I stopped short of saying “call me when you want to apologize.” </font>

[ColdCaller]

This "Jeff" character is obviously being a giant [censored], which I suppose is pretty common amongst people who do this kind of research. They feel proud and want to rub it in your face, or something. Whoopie.

However, those log files probably contain information that has nothing to do with hand histories - such as installed programs and computer specifications. Crack one open and take a look; I don't play on Stars, otherwise I would.

[Guthrie]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm 52 and have been known to 8 table effectively. It's not a big deal.

She says she never played 40+ hours.

I believe both Teddy and his mom. Something else is up. Probably to do with the software she tried out.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm 57 and I routinely four table while surfing the net and watching TV. Lee Jones just sent me a free 2001FP, so I'll soon be taking a shot at eight tables. I may have to cut back on TV and surfing, though.

[Mike Haven]

What's your Mother's (now defunct) screen name? Maybe there'll be a few PT records of her playing against our bots for 40 hours?

[davebwell]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you really think PokerStars would throw someone off the site for being a bot just by playing "by-the-book" poker?

[/ QUOTE ]

Apparently it wasn't Lee Jones' book she was playing by. Or maybe it was and they suspicious of anyone who would do something so dumb.

[BluffTHIS!]

LOL Mike.

[Guthrie]

I've been following this thread with interest. Not only is it a lot of fun, but it just keeps getting better.

One thing that caught my attention was the exchange with "Jeff." I'm not sure that it's the same guy, but I recently had went a few rounds with Jeff and Lee about the incredibly long time it sometimes took to get an SnG summary. Here was Jeff's expert analysis:

[ QUOTE ]
I'm the one that Lee asked the original question of. Part of the problem is that the data itself takes several minutes to generate. A tournament summary is a particularly onerous report to generate, mainly because of the handful of lines at the bottom -- your playing statistics (percentage of flops seen, etc). The SQL database language is such that poker logic doesn't translate particularly well into a database query.

Best Regards,

Jeff
PokerStars Support Supervisor

[/ QUOTE ]

When I reminded him that there was no possible way that it took several minutes to generate an SnG summary, as they normally arrive within a matter of seconds, frequently almost instantaneously, he just changed the subject.

Clearly "Jeff" is not the computer guru he fancies himself, he just likes to spew buzzwords, and I personally don't believe anything he says about Teddy's mom using a bot. It's quite possible he's full of [censored] and refuses to back down from his erroneous conclusions.

I was also quite happy to see that Teddy's mom is a law professor in Canada. If she's telling the truth, and it's increasingly clear to me that she is, I hope she pwns Jeff and Lee in court.

The only thing worse than being accused of something you didn't do is being convicted and punished without even being allowed to defend yourself.