[jjshabado]

[ QUOTE ]
These are very interesting, complex issues.

Here is another perspective:

From the Casino's point of view...
There is NO DIFFERENCE between a human Pro and a Bot.

Both scare the average player...
And both impose an additional "rake" on the average player...
Both hurt the casino.

In the long run... there is no reason to try and make distinctions between a human Pro and a Bot. It's only a matter of time before BOTH are "discouraged" from playing... not unlike the way Vegas banned blackjack card counters.

That's why the Bot issue is ultimately moot. From the perspective of the a casino Chief Financial Officer... human Pro = Bot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Its not quite the same though. The ratio of good humans to bad humans form a pretty stable ecology. Good humans don't just materialize. Once a good bot exists, there is an infinite number of them. Thats what kills the online game. The fish/shark analogy exists for a reason.

Live, there is also the human element. There are lots of people that know they're losers (even if they convince themselves they're just 'small' losers) who don't care because they enjoy it, and they have fun. That fun atmosphere is harder to generate online.

I played 1/2 NL yesterday at a horrible (skillwise) table. I was definitely outclassed (4 or 5 guys regularly played 2/5NL), but it was a blast. It was fun, it was sociable, and they didn't yell at the 2 complete fishes.