Beating Poker Bots

[phodphod]

Those who build and share databases of online players have a huge advantage over the average joe. In live face-to-face play, a player must rely on his/her brain to recall the past when making a present decision. In my opinion, the advantage of databases, software, and the bots who employ them can be severely limited if the online rooms would adopt a few practices:

1. Allow players to change their screen name whenever they may choose: this renders the database tactic much less powerful. Most online rooms say they are against database sharing; however, this is the only way to do anything about it. I think it very unfair that i can sit down at an online table having never played with anyone at the table and yet they may have potentially years of my past play at their disposal to use against me.

2. Stop the instant hand history instant downloads; history could and should still be available but ONLY after you leave a table. Therefore, a player can still use the data to analyze and track their sessions and improve their play AFTER their session.

3. Potentially implement a periodic spot check of players during play where they have to re-enter a code presented to them in text unreadable by software...this would eliminate at least the unattended bots.

In brick and mortar face-to-face play a player must use his brain to recall and use everything that has ever occurred at the table to his advantage; what would be so bad about moving towards that online? Allowing screen name changes as well as stopping instant and current hand information would help mitigate this issue which is sure to become more and more of an issue in the years to come.

I would like to hear the 2+2 communities thoughts on this. PStars indicated that allowing screen name changes would not be fair; my position is just the opposite.

[Crazy Porto]

go blow a horse

[rafiki]

trying to turn online poker into live poker isn't going to work. there is also potentially abusive things that can happen when you allow people to constantly switch names. In real life a person can't constantly switch faces. Why let someone on a PC do that then ?

[phodphod]

I do blow at HORSE.

On a PC a person can already allow someone to use their account...say letting your spouse or someone else play on your account so you never really know who you are playing. And I don't understand what abuse can occur if players did constantly change names.

[Wolverine]

[ QUOTE ]

2. Stop the instant hand history instant downloads; history could and should still be available but ONLY after you leave a table. Therefore, a player can still use the data to analyze and track their sessions and improve their play AFTER their session.

[/ QUOTE ]

Serious players will just get apps that read the screen and create hand histories.

[ QUOTE ]
And I don't understand what abuse can occur if players did constantly change names.

[/ QUOTE ]

Harder to detect collusion etc.

[pocketpared]

Or program a better bot.

[phodphod]

I guess silicon-based life will eventually rule...tis hopeless.

[Moose]

[ QUOTE ]
Those who build and share databases of online players have a huge advantage over the average joe. In live face-to-face play, a player must rely on his/her brain to recall the past when making a present decision. In my opinion, the advantage of databases, software, and the bots who employ them can be severely limited if the online rooms would adopt a few practices:

1. Allow players to change their screen name whenever they may choose: this renders the database tactic much less powerful. Most online rooms say they are against database sharing; however, this is the only way to do anything about it. I think it very unfair that i can sit down at an online table having never played with anyone at the table and yet they may have potentially years of my past play at their disposal to use against me.

2. Stop the instant hand history instant downloads; history could and should still be available but ONLY after you leave a table. Therefore, a player can still use the data to analyze and track their sessions and improve their play AFTER their session.

[/ QUOTE ]

To deal with #1, find another winning player (a friend that you trust enough to loan money to) and log on to each other's accounts once in a while and play on each other's accounts, exchanging money afterwards to square up. That should be enough to throw enough wrenches into the mix.

#2 is actually in favor of the person who doesn't have a huge database. Seeing the hand instantly enables YOUR mental collection of that player's hands to go from 0 to 1, which is a much bigger edge that Database Edge Joe's going from 10,000,000 to 10,000,000.