Texas Calculatem

[gerund]

So first up there is an upgrade for Texas Calculatem (I know - some of the advice sucks) and I download it and install it.

Zone Alarm tells me it's a changed program attempting to access the internet, so I tell it to accept that (TexasCalc.exe) and remember it - everything so far is normal.

I start playing and Zone Alarm tells me there is a new program called "HandReporter.exe" trying to access a DNS server at 83.140.176.222 then 88.80.2.29. Checking those IP addresses - the first one is the Pirate Bay in Sweden and the second is the ISP in Sweden upstream from the Pirate Bay.

When I check it, this HandReporter.exe runs at the beginning of every hand as my hole cards show.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Why is this program reporting my hand to someone in Sweden suddenly?

[awjpoker]

Is this since the update yesterday where it also asked you to supply an email address?

[gerund]

[ QUOTE ]
Is this since the update yesterday where it also asked you to supply an email address?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, although the email address does not seem to be validated in any way. I have had a reply from support since I reported what was happening. Here it is.

[ QUOTE ]

"HandCounter.exe" is a legitimate program, and it reports the hand count to our server. You will need to allow it if you want the hands played to be counted properly. Sorry for any confusion!


[/ QUOTE ]

The confusion seems to be theirs. The program is called HandReporter.exe. If it were reporting a hand count only, would there be a need for it to do what it is doing?

[gerund]

Most strange. Now that I have asked a question, there was an update, and now it's Texas Calculatem that is trying to send something at the start of every hand. Right after I get my hole cards.

According to support it is only trying to count the hands I have played, but I don't know that for sure and they have not told me anything so far that would make me believe them.

[OrcaDK]

It makes no sense at all why it would need to report the hand count to a server.

[awjpoker]

The way they "sell" the software is based on collecting affiliate money. ie you can't buy it only get it by playing so many raked hands at whatever poker room they are running a deal with at the time. To make this work they only allow you to play at that site until you play the required number of hands then they unlock the software for all the other rooms they support. This would provide a legitimate reason for the sending back hands etc, however like you this makes me nervous. It would be all too easy to send back enough info for someone playing you to take advantage big time if they knew your hole cards.

[gerund]

[ QUOTE ]
This would provide a legitimate reason for the sending back hands etc, however like you this makes me nervous. It would be all too easy to send back enough info for someone playing you to take advantage big time if they knew your hole cards.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have completed my hands on the specified new account and am now playing on a different site with an unlimited license. There is no reason for it to be counting hands on this site, or on this software now that I have completed the hands. I can understand why it has to check the licence with their server when I first start the program, but after that it should not be doing anything.

There are other programs to be worried about as far as security of your hole cards are concerned, but most of them do not have access to the cards until the hand is over.

Texas Calculatem not only knows your hole cards as soon as you do, it is accessing the internet as soon as it does know and their tech support have said nothing so far to make me trust them.

[Tk79]

Easy solution.... Stop using it. Make sense?

[gerund]

[ QUOTE ]
Easy solution.... Stop using it. Make sense?

[/ QUOTE ]

Your statement would make sense if that is what I wanted to do, but this thread has two purposes. Firstly see if anyone knows more than me about what this program is doing and secondly make some decision about using this program based on the knowledge I have gained during the first part.

Then I can perhaps warn other people about this problem, if it is a problem.

So your answer states the obvious and does not increase my knowledge or assist me in making my decision. I could have put this somewhat more bluntly, but I didn't want this to degenerate into a flame fest.

[guitarizt]

Wow that sounds really really fishy. Even if it's not doing anything bad someone could possibly hack it to do something bad. And those swedish ips aren't very comforting.