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  1. #1
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    The Buzz is offline GPWA Gossip Hound
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    Default PokerStars cracks down on tracking sites

    If you play online poker, you've probably seen someone get berated at one of the tables, usually just after someone who thinks of himself as a winning player suffers a bad beat.

    "Your ROI is -24% ... great suckout fish."

    (This never happens to Buzzy, because Buzzy's ROI is 500%.)

    Players have been getting this data from sites like Sharkscope.com, which data mine online poker sites to track tournament results.

    But PokerStars has heard enough complaints from customers that they have now banned the practice. Players can opt in to these sites if they wish, or they can opt out completely. The "default" mode for sites is to display online tournament cashes.

    They can only request that sites voluntarily comply, however, if a players are caught utilizing sites that do not comply while playing at PokerStars, they will receive a series of warnings, that may eventually lead to a short ban on play, or even a lifetime ban.

    Scott Fischman thinks it's a good idea, according to a story at CardPlayer ...

    “I don’t think that people should be able to see all of my specific earnings data,” Fischman said. “This is my job; you don’t go around asking people how much they make at work."

    “As far as the poker community is concerned, I think that, overall, the poker sites are being hurt by sites like these, because players are being shown the cold hard facts that they are losing players, and they may stop playing due to embarrassment or just quit because they realize it isn’t a good thing for them,” he said. “Most poker players who lose money are either playing recreationally and don’t mind losing, or are somehow rationalizing their losses to themselves in a way that keeps their interest in the game alive. Once they get a look at how bad they are actually doing, they may throw in the towel.”
    What do you think? Is PokerStars out of line, or is this just good policy? Should sites be able to post this type of information without players permission?

    PS - Sharkscope.com, the example Buzzy wrote about earlier, has always allowed players to opt out of allowing their statistics to be shown, but the default was to show everything. Some players did not know the site even existed and it had all their playing statistics for the world to see.

  2. #2
    Rakeback is offline Private Member
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    Default

    Scott Fischman thinks it's a good idea, according to a story at CardPlayer ...

    “I don’t think that people should be able to see all of my specific earnings data,” Fischman said. “This is my job; you don’t go around asking people how much they make at work."

    “As far as the poker community is concerned, I think that, overall, the poker sites are being hurt by sites like these, because players are being shown the cold hard facts that they are losing players, and they may stop playing due to embarrassment or just quit because they realize it isn’t a good thing for them,” he said. “Most poker players who lose money are either playing recreationally and don’t mind losing, or are somehow rationalizing their losses to themselves in a way that keeps their interest in the game alive. Once they get a look at how bad they are actually doing, they may throw in the towel.”
    Mr Fischman has chosen a profession where his earnings (and losses) are publicly available information, and therefore open to speculation.

    If statistics sources like these really do help a losing player realize his/her situation and stop unprofitable gambling, that is morally a good thing. A recreational losing player should not mind acceptable losses. But if statistics help a losing player realize how bad they are playing and start educate themselves to play better poker, they can end up becoming zero profit or profitable players that are the most profitable in the long run for both affiliates and poker rooms.

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