Pokerstars Teams

I don't know how it could be any clearer. A no-limit Omaha hi/lo game, 2 players from Salzburg, and they're seated exactly oppsite from one another. Pokerstars software can't detect this?

Just because 2 players are playing from the same city doesn't mean they are colluding.Besides that alot of players put false cities.(so you wouldn't even know if they really were from same city)This is the case at alot of sites including paradise.How about 4 players at the same table from Las Vegas?This is a very common occurrence.I think you should decide and try to judge if players are colluding by their play and not from which city they are from.

Great observation! I just sent a suggestion to PokerStars to allow two players from Salzburg only if they are seated next to each other, unless it is Holdem, of course.

First...interesting handle there [img]/images/smile.gif[/img]


This issue gets complicated very quickly, and it's far from clear. I'm interested to hear about where you would recommend we draw the line here. Two players from the same city isn't OK. But as someone else suggested, there are a lot of people from Las Vegas and Los Angeles who play. Do we only limit multiple players from smaller cities?


What if they only put down a state? What if they put down "Mars" as their home city (which I have seen!)? We obviously don't want to be in a position where we have to validate where you're from (and how would we do that?).


In fact, in B&M casinos you see people from the same places playing together all the time. Buddies go to Las Vegas together. Friends meet at a poker room and sit together.


The more important issue is how diligent a site is about monitoring for collusion, and punishing it when it happens. We think we've done a great job in this area, but we are always open to improvement, and your suggestions are more than welcome.


...dan


Dan Goldman

Vice President of Marketing

PokerStars

I agree.


As long as you're not seeing virtually the same network (and you can't have two machines using the same cable modem trick...I tried accidently) then what can you do? So what if two people from the same city play together.


I often play with "Jamma" from Prior Lake whereas I am from St. Louis Park. Both are suburbs of Minneapolis, MN, though you wouldn't know it and I know Jan from the local cardroom. Does this mean we can't play together? We don't cooperate, and we don't collude. I busted her out of a satellite in 3rd place one night...she got paid, but no seat.


I think Pokerstars might have a way to see if two players are ALWAYS playing together...and then you're in business. You can't shoot two people for being in the same city though. And to be blunt, if I wanted to collude, I could do so easily without being in the same city. Ever hear of IM? It's the wave of the future, baby.


and they can and will lie about their location. I too have seen "Mars" but hoped maybe it was the name of an obscure town....shows what I know.


RB

Overall Pokerstars is very open to suggestions as evidenced by their tourney changes. Omaha 8 is the worst game for possible collusion. I will not play Omaha 8 PL at Pokerstars again after several hands when I had nut low and the same person had it also and raised repeatedly even when I typed in we were getting torn up with his raises. The results were the same every hand. We (lol) lost money and the high hand won. In reality I feel they both made money. Maybe so, maybe no. My answer play somewhere else or only Omaha hi.

"I don't know how it could be any clearer."


What's clear? They're from the same city so they're cheating?


First off, if they wanted to collude it would be simple for them to type in a different city so as not to raise suspicion.


Second, I commonly play the no limit games on stars with 4-5 people from my hometown. We also play live games together. Does that mean we're cheating? No. I enjoy taking their stacks more than a stranger's because I get to talk some smack afterwords.


If you want action, jump in when you see the "Satellite Beach" and "Orlando" boys playing. But sit down ready to gambooool! hehe. I promise you won't see as many $100 stacks in the 10/25 game as when we're in there.

To be honest, I think that the software probably checks for 'freak' plays, such as one person having an AQ and the other person having an AK, raising to get everyone out of the betting, and then a planned raise and the AQ magically folds when there is nothing really showing on the table. I've seen the raising scam done at pokerstars once before where they pumped up the average pot by both betting like crazy, then kept raising when everyone would be in (thinking that they were on tilt). They played the best hand, ended up winning a LOT of money that night. I was watching my friend play and lucky for him he got out of it very quickly when he saw what was going on.

The main point in the security model is in the software, not really on the people talking and relaying cards, its the detailed stats they should (and probably do) run against the tables.

Just my 2cents.

-Clinton

Two players from Vegas or Cleveland is one thing. Two from Salzburg is something else.


It's not wrong in and of itself, but it's suspicious. When I looked at the room and saw the 2 players facing one another, well, it looked less than accidental.


The bare minimum Pokerstars could do is have the software flag situations where 2 players from the same city are in a game. If the situation happens over and over, then I think that's grounds for further investigation.


I wonder if they'd let me register the player name "PokerRats" ???

>> I wonder if they'd let me register the player name "PokerRats" ???