No popups, no drill down by link that is street specific. You get the HUD display absolutely fixed.

Yes this is a deliberate attempt to reduce the power of the software whilst still allowing customised HUD displays.

I also hate the badges with preprogrammed action advice but banning them was not part of this proposal.

What about multiple application windows, or tabs in a browser for example?

+1

+1

additional thought - any software allowed should be available to the masses... NO software should be allowed where only a select few are chosen or get to use it... no software should be allowed whereby the software owner gets a % of monies won

The software in question is composed of 2 parts
1) There is an after the hand analysis which the user does not see until the hand is completed.

2) There is an efficient chart retrieval tool using voice commands. My charts are pretty good, and as a result of backlash from the husng community Pokerstars is considering the changes in the OP. They have stated in the OP that a change they would like to make is to disallow 'reference material which is not basic in nature'. I'm trying to understand the intentions and definitions in that wording. I think that it's quite difficult to hold a discussion on this topic without having a clear picture of what the intention is. I think above all, it's important that any changes are not vague at all which the proposed wordings in the OP are.

Hard to prevent a web browser pointing elsewhere but if you can break the link to the HUD it becomes fairly impractical to multitable whilst seeking player data in a browser.

No third party tabs or web browser launched from the client or the HUD - just what all get via the client and a static HUD (with the data audited by Stars).

great, good news.

How about banning anyone who tries to tip toe around the legality line? That way we have completely legal programs running and not many guys like skier trying to push the limits for fear of getting banned. Any normal player has nothing to be afraid of with a rule like this one.

Then we'll see how these guys like keeping 200k on shady sites that accept their programs.

Yes it is. If I understand correctly, it wouldn't be a problem to open a bookmark in my browser using the voice control available in the chrome web store? https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...ockgcmjh?hl=en

+-

It is a step in the right direction, but +1 to the above...
Play the game the way it was meant to be played.

This would absolutely require a PTR ran by the network itself with data available for everyone. Otherwise, the players can't find any cheats.

Assuming you can turn a database into a set of voice recognised data summaries then yep, you can access additional information. Unfortunately this means that Stars would need to step up on its spyware to enforce a ban on the fairly vague "basic" " information or advice rule.

There are always ways around rules, protecting game integrity means making them harder, catching some an having suitable sanctions for those deliberately choosing to break the rules (cheat).

One concern I had here was the idea of trying to define basic so instead I went for limiting the display and dynamism of the authorised s/w but not seeking to define say unfair badges that offer in game advice.

It is a minefield but longer term it is likely to mean closer site and s/w supplier coopertion to allow easier s/w identification and data checking. Ultimately moving to a authorised or site approved s/w list and using the TOS to outlaw the rest.

what jeanchris said. Ban it all. This is a good start though

yes to the changes.

+1 to ban everything

Ban it all and stop promoting games that can be solved with a chart.

This seems much more onerous than what I understand yours does. And if/once it is possible and set up, I don't see a problem with banning browsers while playing.

+100000000

Please email ALL of your player base. I suspect a large proportion of them have no idea how badly they are being fleeced and exploited by these advantage taking external softwares.

For me personally I would like to see ALL of the softwares banned. Time to make the playing field even for a change. Then, just maybe, we may start to see online poker flourish again.

I was asking if that would be allowed under your proposed system and was trying to illustrate that the means to accessing more data can be done with benign and commodity software completely unrelated to poker. I don't think stepping up spyware or restrictions is going to help. Any competent cheater will simply use another machine or some undetectable method and this kind of approach will do nothing but tilt the playing field even more for people willing to break the rules while breaching the privacy of millions of honest users. I do completely agree that defining basic is problematic though.

Bit harsh on the porn industry plus there is no reason it would need to be on the same box so banning web browsing would not solve the issue of someone getting info.

Keeping it out of the client/HUD produces a barrier, an inconvenience. The web browser ban for one specific idea to get around the rules does not really make that inconvenience a lot higher for the cheat but it would be a pain for all recs/regs.

I don't see any reason to change the rules. If you ban some software the only ones who get hurt are the players that follow the TOS. Banning charts and chart retrieving programs seems really stupid, what is stopping someone from having the charts on paper or a chart retrieval program on another computer?

No this isn't coming from some mass tabling pro, I have Holdem Manager but I hardly ever use it.

Tuff **** imo. And people, please stop throwing out the argument that 'omg, if you ban our cheating software it will allow one or two Russian wizzkids botters to have unfair advantages over the rest of us'
(and yes, having an unfair advantage over other players in a competitive game IS CHEATING)

Fact is anybody signing up in 2015 will only be made aware of these huds by coming to 2+2 or P5's etc. tens of thousands, probably alot more that play for years probably still dont know they are being exploited.
Hell, even I came to learn of huds only in 2012 after visiting a casino and bragging about my first biggest win. A player who is a well known stars reg doubted me because I told him I never heard of such softwares.
I still dont use them and I think they have destroyed the game.

I will come back to Pokerstars full time if and when this new change is implemented.

I agree. So it is time to limit the amount of information that can be obtained from the game by observers

• The pixel display accessible to observers should be frequently varied to make screen scraping prone to errors
• The dealer chat should be very terse for non-players
• Hand history should be for players only

i wonder how skier feels about mailing stars now

other than that, as expected.. an arbitrary and unenforceable ban. i generally know who i'm playing and can deny action so w/e, but i wonder if this is going to make things better for ssnl/msnl regs not willing to cheat. i doubt it

i still say props to skier for putting in the work and improving our knowledge of poker. i hope he designs an efficient binder lookup algo (cue richas surprise house raids suggestion - edit this was a bit harsh. while i think you are completely wrong on this specific topic everything else you've done for uk & online poker has been great. thanks.)