Online Poker Data Mining -- The Pro Opinion V

Following on from Card Player’s recent report about the data mining dilemma facing the online poker industry, we decided to ask a selection of players their thoughts on what has become a very sensitive issue.

Each player was asked if they use online poker tracking tools and if they felt people should be allowed to data mine; is it good or bad for the game, does it change the game at all, and what was their opinion of sites taking action against it? This resulted in a surprisingly mixed reaction which you can read over the coming week.

Maria Maceiras

I use poker trackers, Hold’em Manager specifically. I use it to analyze my own game and my opponents at Everest Poker, and I’m aware that I’m not using it to its full potential. The program is amazing! I just haven’t discovered yet how to work all its features. I would recommend one of those tools to any player, and I think nobody can really expect to be a big winning player without this software. I think they shouldn’t be forbidden. It’s just a way the player can keep track of things happening at the table. And it’s good for the game as it helps it to evolve, to be tougher ⎯ so, more skill and less luck.

What I don’t do is buy or download hands. Some people say that everything in poker is legal, but I do not agree and I prefer to play “fair”. If we compare this with live poker, poker trackers would be like a little notebook where the player writes his observations. In regards to data mining, there’s no way a player can keep track of all the hands his opponents are playing, unless he plays with them. That’s why I think data mining is just not fair.

A different thing is that players talk to each other, discuss hands, ask for advise, etc. And you can’t avoid that, actually I don’t think you should, it is good for the game as well. So, if when studying the game, one poker player friend of mine has some hands on the same opponent and we print the hand histories and discuss them together, well, I don’t really see that as cheating ⎯ players talk, they give advice to each other, we all are somebody’s teacher and somebody’s pupil. I don’t think sites must (or can, actually) control this. You must punish players for collusion, of course, but not for studying the game, and you can’t expect them to do that alone.

I really don’t know how sites could take action against data mining. I guess the first step could be to try to forbid the use of some sites that allow players to buy hands. And of course, don’t allow them to use HUD when they’re not at the table.

Check out the opinions of Joe Elpayaa, plus Rory Rees Brennan and Cristiano Blanco.

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