Microgaming stops support for datamining

<img src="http://www.liquidpoker.net/user_pictures/b08ce.microgaming.jpg" align="right" style="margin:5px; border:0px solid black;">After Full Tilt Poker, another big poker network stops the support for datamining. Microgaming Network has taken immediate action so that people can no longer collect hands from observed tables, also known as datamining. With this, players can only gather the hands they are actively playing in, and can no longer gather information provided by 3rd party software on a table before they start playing. Microgaming Network hosts pokersites like Unibet, PokerTime, LadBrokes Poker and various other skins.

Andrew Clucas, Microgaming's head of poker operations, 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 data mining on our poker network is part of Microgaming’s overarching network strategy to support operators in attracting and retaining recreational players”, Clucas said. "It further demonstrates commitment in providing a secure and fair playing environment. I would like to emphasize that with this change, as with the [recent] change to Weighted Contribution, Microgaming is not seeking to alienate its winning players. There has been a move in the industry towards penalizing 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.”

With this change, the practice of players gaining an advantage through datamining goes away, but in the meantime there are still various websites that do gather these hands and sell them, so whether it would really help is left to be seen.

What do you think? A good step forward or has datamining become such an integral part of poker that it should be allowed?

or has datamining become such an integral part of poker that it should be allowed?


definitely not... hope every site gets rid of it

I think it is a good thing to get rid of these data mining websites. They really serve no purpose other than to assist players perceptions of players vs unknowns early on, which imo is cheating. End of the day, its a poker skill to learn who is winning and who is loosing and how they play etc.

Good riddence imo.


Of course the only slightly negative side ot this is, no sick isildur rail threads with hands anymore . Oh well !

gay .... and I had just moved to microgaming for that exact reason (so i could datamine on my levels)... way to not announce it before, fagtrons...

I like it. <3 unibet.

so that means if stars stops this as well its the end of tableratings?

Hope so. That website is an atrocity even though I use it =[. So hypocritical of me but the privacy of players' winnings is the most important reason why PTR needs to go asap.

I kinda like tableratings. Lets me know which blow-hards are actual losers online and lets me see what kind of $ people can actually earn. It motivates me to play more and better.

Its also useful as a gauging mechanism. If you see hundreds/thousands of players earning 100k+ you know youre not really wasting your time. But what if there are only 10? Then you know you need to do something else.

aw i use ptr so much when playing HU, hopefully stars doesn't do this..although they probably will

question is, can they prevent MTT/SNG results? I dont think they can. Sites like topshark and pokerprolabs for example, will still stay alive, right?

I WOULD LOVE IT IF THEY STOPPED DATAMINING ALL TOGETHER, SO EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A TABLE YOU CANT GATHER HANDS< THIS WAY NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO USE HUDS AND WE CAN START PLAYING SOME REAL POKER

i would prob ejaculate if they did that

uhm, hopefully they havent 'stopped' datamining like full tilt did

PTR is taking the games out back and choking them. All poker rooms need to fight back alot harder than they are.

On January 17 2010 15:17 TalentedTom wrote: I WOULD LOVE IT IF THEY STOPPED DATAMINING ALL TOGETHER, SO EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A TABLE YOU CANT GATHER HANDS< THIS WAY NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO USE HUDS AND WE CAN START PLAYING SOME REAL POKER

I COULDNT AGREE MORE ON THAT.

On January 17 2010 15:17 TalentedTom wrote: I WOULD LOVE IT IF THEY STOPPED DATAMINING ALL TOGETHER, SO EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A TABLE YOU CANT GATHER HANDS< THIS WAY NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO USE HUDS AND WE CAN START PLAYING SOME REAL POKER

this

On January 17 2010 15:17 TalentedTom wrote: I WOULD LOVE IT IF THEY STOPPED DATAMINING ALL TOGETHER, SO EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A TABLE YOU CANT GATHER HANDS< THIS WAY NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO USE HUDS AND WE CAN START PLAYING SOME REAL POKER

Zomg that would be so awesomeeee, not very likely tho

I don't have a problem having players at my table getting info and vise versa, however I think the problem comes when someone not at my table has that info. I think getting rid of that kind of data mining is a good thing.

fuck ptr its so bad for poker imo

I think datamining should definetly go
step forward imo