Attention Bothunters!

[DeathDonkey]

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the freedom of this technology, a supposedly illegal technology is absurd.

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As a poker player, I don't like the bots because I see how it will affect my ability to make money at poker. But as a logical person and programmer, I definitely disagree with the above. People that make bots are not evil, and they are definitely not stupid. Online poker itself is in a gray area for legality, and all the tools we take for granted, PokerTracker, PAHUD, autohotkey scripts, are shades of gray themselves.

None of these tools, including bots, are any more legal or illegal to write code for, practice with, or own. They only become so when used on a poker site because the poker sites have rules they have established against certain types of technology. They have said PT is ok and bots are not, for instance, so that is why we have the higher ground on trying to get rid of them, because they explicitly violate rules we abide by. But the "freedom of this technology" is here to stay and thankfully so - anyone can code almost anything they want, it's only how they use it that matters.

Put it another way: if PokerStars tomorrow said "bots are fine because they are only carrying out the instructions of their owner and we recognize no difference between those entities" then I would expect a 2+2 forum on bot-making and producing. The skill would be in improving the bot to its most efficient form. Obviously PokerStars isn't going to say this and we are moral people who play within the rules, but people that think bot-making is immoral because it gives an advantage to someone that they couldn't have in a casino don't understand that internet poker has its own rules. This isn't an ethical issue, it's only an issue because we'd like sites to enforce their rules that we abide by. I have no shame in saying I'm jealous of bot makers/users but I won't allow myself to break the rules so I have two choices: get over it and break the rules anyway, or try and stop the bots because I want that money for myself. I've made my choice but I don't hate bot makers/users for the choice they made, that's silly.

-DeathDonkey