[Kahlua]

IMHO this bot-thing is very bad for poker. When the average recreational players recognize, they are playing against 4 computers on a 10handed table we would imho see a heavy decrease in players. I'm not that much affected, cause i basically play NLHE and it seems to be harder to build an NLHE-bot, but i'm sure they'll come if we don't make a stand.

I've got some computer sience backgroud, so i looked through their Website and from what i can tell there are some very easy ways for a pokerroom to detect those bots.

Here are some examples:

*) Card colors and other Requierments for the bots to work properly
From what i've seen on their website, there are some very strict requirements for the bot to work properly. A pokerroom could simply change to other settings for one hand and then look who's sitting out or timing out.

For example on Party you have to use red cards back for the bot to work properly. So Party could change the deck color every few hundred hands - only for one or two hands and... guess who's timing out.


*) Extended Bot Test
Make it a little harder for the Bot programmers to pass the Bot test. Do not only disply some Text to type in, mix it up with pictures, so the bot also has to do some image recognition to pass this test. Don't disply only an "OK" button in this window - display more buttons with a random captions and colors.

Here is a little exaple:
Display five little pictures and the text "This is a test, to prevent bots from playing at your table - it is for your security. Please select the checkboxes below the pictures of the pickup truck, the house and at last on the hot asian chick ;-) If you've done so click on the first yellow button in the second row."
Use an larege impage pool, mix up the buttons to click (the first green button with an A in the caption, ...) Now the bot has to do image recognition, has to analyze the text in the window and has to understand the text.

And again look, which players didn't pass the test.


*) Make more of those tests...
When some competent staff from the security department (i hope all rooms have something like that) buys and installs the bot and sees how it is working i'm pretty sure they'll find many, many and possibly very easy ways to give the Bots a hard time.


*) Analyze
Analyze which accounts didn't pass the test, or have to try many times to pass the test and investigate. When you find a bot accout confiscate all the money (maybe donate some freerolls with the money), freeze the accounts - make no exception.



The way i see it, this isn't a question of a pokerroom being able to catch those bot accounts - it's only a question if they want to do it and put some time and money into it. A statement from the pokerrooms would be nice to hear!

Cya,
Kahlua