PokerStars Looking To Ban Third-Party Assistance Software

PokerStars, the biggest online poker website in the world has received a number of player complaints over a company policy that allows players to utilize third party player assistance software. Players have compliant on the popular Two Plus Two poker forum and also directly to PokerStars stating that by using third party assistance software ordinary players are being transformed to good players and good players are being turned into extraordinary players.

Players who do not use the software have to contend with a lot of competition and feel that they have been treated unfairly. These players have asked PokerStars to amend its terms and condition, making it illegal for players to reply on player-assistance software.

There are a selected number of players who have been relying on this third party assistance software to play high-stakes heads-up SNGs. This software was developed by a player from London who goes by the online username of “skier_5”. The software was developed to assist poker players with game theory optimal decisions and allows the user to be in complete control of the game. The software was submitted for review and PokerStars had approved the software as it was found to be clean and not a bot.

Based on the complaints sent in, Steve Day, PokerStars’ Poker Room Manager shed more information on the software and the role it players. In a statement, Day said

As evidenced by recent forum discussion, the topic of third-party software in online poker is a highly complex and contentious issue. A developer recently shared new software with us for evaluation and we informed him that the software was allowable. The decision was based around the premise that static reference material that does not change depending on action in the hand, or any other variable, is permitted. This rule was initially designed some years ago so that Nash charts and other similar documents would be permitted to be referenced while playing.

Day confirmed that PokerStars is taking the complaints very seriously and will most likely make changes to its terms and conditions and prevent poker players from using such software. If PokerStars decides to ban third party assistance software, it could affect a number of poker players who rely on third party software to play multiple tables at once.

Some of the software that could be banned include PokerStove, Poker Academy, FlopZilla, PokerTracker 4’s Leak Tracker, NoteCaddy and HEM2’s Leakbuster.