Thursday, 14 January 2010
One of the largest online poker networks has announced that it will put an end to the practice of datamining on its sites.
The Microgaming Network, which includes popular sites Ladbrokes Poker, Stan James Poker, Unibet and 32 Red, has revealed that with immediate effect, hand histories on observed tables will no longer be stored on players' computers and the practice of downloading and storing hand histories in bulk will be stopped. Datamining recently hit the headlines after it was claimed that Brian Townsend used it to find a weakness in Isildur1’s game. Brian Hastings then put the information to excellent use, taking $4.2m in a session from the mysterious Swede. Andrew Clucas, Head of Poker at Microgaming Software Systems, the power behind the Microgaming Poker Network, commented: “Concern has been rising over the long-term effect of third party software upon the poker industry as a whole, and in particular the negative effect it has on the recreational player demographic. The decision to put a stop to the practice of datamining on the Poker Network is part of Microgaming’s overarching network strategy to support operators in attracting and retaining recreational players. It further demonstrates commitment in providing a secure and fair playing environment. “I would like to emphasize that with this change, as with the change to Weighted Contribution, Microgaming is not seeking to alienate its winning players. There has been a move in the industry towards penalising winners; we believe that is the wrong approach. There will always be winners and losers in poker. What we are trying to achieve is a more level playing field for all the players.” Microgaming last week revealed changes to the way that it allocated rake.
Intertops Poker and Juicy Stakes are each about to kick off a second three-stage online satellite tournament series promising to award winners with prize packages into the upcoming Velden stop of the European Poker Championship.
Intertops Poker and Juicy Stakes are each about to kick off three-stage online satellite tournament series promising to award winners with prize packages into the upcoming Velden stop of the European Poker Championship.
Fans of the Oh Hell trick-taking game will soon be able to enjoy real-money competitions online after Hell Club announced that it will be launching its new Oh Hell Stackpot innovation from Sunday.
Tuesday is the deadline for all working Americans to have submitted their income tax returns to the federal government and Juicy Stakes and Intertops Poker are set to mark this annual occasion by holding a special freeroll competition featuring a $1,000 top prize.
Intertops Poker and Juicy Stakes cASINO are giving online poker players another chance to win their way to the Caribbean.
Win your way to the Caribbean in online satellites at Intertops and Juicy Stakes.
“We run a lot of higher stakes tournaments for our more hard-core players,” said Intertops’ poker manager. “But since our network is generally pretty soft, we created this series to give less competitive players a shot at winning.”
$200 GTD ‘East of Eden’ Poker Tournament Monday night at Intertops Poker will be a freezeout tournament with no re-buys or add-ons.
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