Article on WinHoldEm Bot in Wired (link)

[sprezzatura]

There are tons of custom formulas, see them here:

http://www.winholdem.net/forum/viewf...1a95fd259823df

[jrz1972]

[ QUOTE ]
Are you making money?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, lots of it. Probably from bot users, at least in part.

[mtgordon]

I am much relieved after reading some of those posts. It still concerns me in the long run, but those people don't know what they're talking about. Posting results after less than 1k hands and discussing how good the bot in based upon bb/100?? Come on now.

Some of the code also looks really really bad. Again, it seems like they're still getting their act together and may be a huge problem in the future, but now I don't see their bots doing anything significant.

[xniNja]

I'm a little more worried than that... posting results of 1K hands shows that the bot performs correctly with whatever "formula" they give it. How else would you judge how good the Bot is based except how much it made? I can't think of anything but BB/100.

The code is simple script to be used by the client... just because the website seems dinky and some of the users are most likely idiots, doesn't mean or have anything to do with the ability of the bot to work effectively.

Sounds like you are just guessing they suck so you feel more confident about playing on-line, which is fine- I just think it's better to have a real perspective on the competition. Define significant? I don't see why 3 bots teaming on a table couldn't take down 5 BB/100 or more.

Mind you, I'm not afraid because most of these people can't afford to play higher than 3/6 let alone 5/10 or 10/20 yet so I've got more time- but It would concern me if I played 1-2 or something.

P.S. Did you read the part about the "Poker Big Blue" code getting stolen by hackers- you're crazy if you don't think that would be able to play cards.

[whiskeytown]

you just set off my "douchebag" alert system - a level 5 douchebag posting -

yes - by all means - cheating and collusion are valid tactics - (whatever)

douchebag

RB

[krimson]

[ QUOTE ]
"I'd rather be unethical than be a victim," he says. "This is intentional civil disobedience."

[/ QUOTE ]

Tragedy of the Commons in full effect.

[teddyFBI]

Besides being unethical, do you think what this guy's doing is actually ILLEGAL. Sure, it's against the T&C of the poker site which all users agree to, but does that actually implicate a legal cause of action? Fraud? Breach of contract?

It would seem that despite being outside of the country, Party / other sites have enough wherewithall to initiate legal action if it were illegal.

[magiluke]

[ QUOTE ]
That's just depressing. I can't figure out how the developer lives with his conscience. All this "civil disobedience" crap is just plain BS. He's simply out to destroy online poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd believe the "destruction of online poker" theory. There are many people who hate poker, and gambling in general. It's possible that one such person (or group of persons) has introduced this to try and bring it down.

I'm more likely to believe that a programmer was trying to find out if he could make a program that could play poker, and then realized that he could turn a profit from it.

[randomstumbl]

[ QUOTE ]
Besides being unethical, do you think what this guy's doing is actually ILLEGAL. Sure, it's against the T&C of the poker site which all users agree to, but does that actually implicate a legal cause of action? Fraud? Breach of contract?

It would seem that despite being outside of the country, Party / other sites have enough wherewithall to initiate legal action if it were illegal.

[/ QUOTE ]

IANAL, but gambling contracts are almost never enforcable. So, you'd actually have to find an actual crime.

I highly doubt cheating in an illegal poker game is any more illegal than just playing in it. And lets face it, that's how a prosecuter would look at it.

[Josh.]

there's really no sense in worrying. as long as the games are still good, just concentrate on playing well. when the day comes that there are enough users that the games just aren't profitable, then I'll worry