For those that think botting isn't too big of a problem

[DMoogle]

...which was myself included until recently.

Out of sheer curiosity, I looked up a bot program on a [censored] site, and there were 4082 seeders and 1882 downloaders when the torrent was last updated (two weeks ago). For comparison, the movie "007: Casino Royale" had 1703 seeders and 9539 downloaders when it was last updated (three weeks ago). Don't PM me or anything for the link, as torrent links are forbidden here.

[censored] scary though.

[BurnleyMik]

Absolutely. probably just a drop in the ocean. These cheating, corrupt, useless players are making money by cheating the average honest guy/girl. It sucks and needs stopping or at least a way developing to spot these bots immediately.

[Synergistic Explosions]

PokerBot1000 vs Phil Hellmuth exhibition will prove once and for all that bots are not Eagles.

[mjm]

[ QUOTE ]
PokerBot1000 vs Phil Hellmuth exhibition will prove once and for all that bots are not Eagles.

[/ QUOTE ]

Again not the point...20yrs ago any half decent chess player could beat the best bot, now even the very, very best players struggle. Yeah so poker is incomplete information...still doesn't mean that a bot can't become a very good player.

The second and more pressing problem is that if sites get overrun by lots of bots then the recreational player will stop playing.

[danzasmack]

If these bots work well and are profitable it makes no sense for people to release them for download. Each other bot would decrease the value of my bot by a certain BB/100.

If they do NOT work well then yeah send them out all day long.

[BurnleyMik]

I have read quite a few articles about bots and from what I can gather I belive that the bot you get is 'trained' to a very basic level, you have to then input more and more hands into it to teach it scenarios. One guy who obviously diidnt want to name himself says he can multitable up to six tables on different sites and average something like $200/hour. I will try and find the article again. This is going to be a much bigger problem than some people believe.

Synergistics I also agree with danz that you are nmissing the point. Poker is about making other players make 'mistakes' because there are so many factors in human nature that can cause this, but computers do not make mistakes, eventually they will be profitable and cost the players.

[fusting4321]

ummm....... play no limit.....

[KurtSF]

[ QUOTE ]
If these bots work well and are profitable it makes no sense for people to release them for download. Each other bot would decrease the value of my bot by a certain BB/100.

If they do NOT work well then yeah send them out all day long.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless you release weak bots for public and play your bots that eat them up. Or better yet, release colluding bots that win, except when they interact with your bot, then they lose.

Also, winning and losing are relative terms depending on game conditions. A bot that can beat a weak passive table by playing tight and raising a lot, but will lose in any tough game, will STILL ruin the games by taking up half the table with nitty bots.

What I'm saying is that because its freely available does not mean you can assume it sucks. Just the same, its pretty frightening how easy these are to get and use.

[Synergistic Explosions]

For every winning bot, theres ten losing bots programmed by people who don't have a clue, but just want to get rich the easy way.

Lets all go out now and make our millions buying houses at auctions for pennies on the dollar. That works too.

I am not missing the point, it's you who's being gullible and listening to the claims of the bot makers of easy riches with no work. It aint so Cowboy.

If you don't believe me, go and buy a few bots that are available. Try em out for yourself. Just don't sit here and post all day about how bots are going to destroy the online game. It's hogwash.

Bots suck if you would just spend a few bucks to get one and see for yourself. Even if you spend a thousand hours to get one working on an average basis, then you will see you get anti botted by the sites before it pays for itself.

Don't believe me? Then you are missing my point.

The only people who are going to insist bots can win incessantly are those trying to make a buck selling the POS software they pimp out.

At best, you are just going to become an unwitting accomplice showing your hole cards to your pimp, which is usually all he really wants from you when you purchase his POS bot software.

So quit your whining about bots, it's just a scam on the general unwitting public who believes it's possible to make a quick buck with no effort.

[BurnleyMik]

ROTFL....unbelieveably gullible. Of course bots are profitable or they would not be used..period. Why would anyone use a bot that loses them money???? There are so many bots being used out there because they are making money, not because they are losing.

The cheap bots may be completely useless as you say, but its obvious that they are all not in the same category.

Your statement about a bot vs Phil Hellmuth did miss the point and by a long shot too. I am not talking heads up against a professional, I am talking at the grass roots of the games and multi-tabling to make an hourly profit etc. This is not a dig at you its a simple fact.