CheaterStars and Fake Locations
 

Stars has a horrible track record catching and dealing with cheaters appropriately (ZeeJustin, the "bot" they were sure was a bot, but still returned the funds).

But just as worrying are their player verification systems. I've frequently been at tables with regular players who have locations such as

get ur mouse off me
ur a moron
im with stupid
my chat is banned : )
nowheresville
and many more.

The problem is not these names as such, but the fact that anyone can enter any location they like, and Stars appears not to care. The guy from Chicago could easily be from Dallas, along with his colluder buddy listed as Dallas (or Miami or London).

Some of the players with these false locations are regulars and some of them I'm fairly sure are winners at $100 and $200 NL tables who would have cashed out before. Yet their location hasn't changed. It's amusing that Stars goes to the trouble of listing locations in all player lists - a necessary invasion of privacy in order to stop collusion - yet allows cheaters and colluders to put any location they like. Doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of providing locations in the first place?

Just as worrying (maybe not to most of you) is the fact that underage players apparently have a free ride at Stars. All that's needed is an inter account transfer from a friend, and away they go. There doesn't seem to be any verification of personal details, or any disincentive for getting caught.

Is anyone else concerned by Stars' lack of action on this issue? At Party I've only seen a false location very rarely, and never with a regular. Party clearly cares more about this issue than Stars.

Re: CheaterStars and Fake Locations
 

party locations must be changed and verified through pay-pro. i recently moved, and was called after i submitted the change of addy.

stars allows you to change mailing addy with no oversight, and one can change the city 50X a day if they want.

Re: CheaterStars and Fake Locations
 

This is the age of instant messaging. A player's physical location has little value or relevance to collusion.

Jimbo

Re: CheaterStars and Fake Locations
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is the age of instant messaging. A player's physical location has little value or relevance to collusion.


[/ QUOTE ]
You don't think people that live in the same town/university/go to the same school are more likely to collude with each other? Most friends (especially school or college age) live in the same town or suburb.

If what you say is true, why does Party go the trouble of having address verification? Why do all poker sites show a person's location (with no option to turn it off)?

Re: CheaterStars and Fake Locations
 

lol I was playing $600 NL with a guy who's location was "homeless"

Re: CheaterStars and Fake Locations
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is the age of instant messaging. A player's physical location has little value or relevance to collusion.

Jimbo

[/ QUOTE ]


I think it has SOME value. But obviously it's not hard to collude with someone without being in the same town.



I think the way Party does it is correct and I think Stars would be wise to adopt that system.
(this is an EXTREMELY rare opportunity for me to say that)

Re: CheaterStars and Fake Locations
 

I don't think it has much to do with collusion. People like to see where their opponents are. Unfortunately, just the city doesn't work too well because it could be Melbourne, Florida or Melbourne, Australia. And there are lots of Podunks nobody ever heard of.

They put it on there because whoever was the first poker site put it on there. Monkey see, monkey do.

Re: CheaterStars and Fake Locations
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
This is the age of instant messaging. A player's physical location has little value or relevance to collusion.


[/ QUOTE ]
You don't think people that live in the same town/university/go to the same school are more likely to collude with each other? Most friends (especially school or college age) live in the same town or suburb.

If what you say is true, why does Party go the trouble of having address verification? Why do all poker sites show a person's location (with no option to turn it off)?

[/ QUOTE ]
If two players in the same town wanted to collude it would be easy to do so and register a different address under either party or stars.

Re: CheaterStars and Fake Locations
 

More and more new sites don't display player's locations.

- Full tilt, Expekt, for example.

Re: CheaterStars and Fake Locations
 

it's not as easy to do this on Party as it is on Stars.