[MS Sunshine]

"To insure the integrity of their games, Party Poker now has software in place to detect third party programs. If they detect you are using any of these programs, you will either get an email or a popup asking you to stop. If you don't comply, it is possible they might freeze your account.

There are many third party software programs that use hand histories to gain statistical information about players and are used while playing to see the playing tendencies of other players. While the hand histories are public
information, the programs themselves pose a possible security breach and Party Poker will not allow them to be run while playing.

It is in the best interest of all the players that Party take a firm stance on any security matters, as it benefits the players to know they are playing in a safe environment.

Without getting too technical, here is the potential problem:

When software is downloaded to your computer, there is the possibility that the software can contain malware, trojan horses, keyloggers, layered service providers, RATs, surveillance software, data mining, or other hidden programs that get installed on your computer. The possibility is there that these “hidden” programs can alter or send back information of other programs that are running at the same time, especially images. So, although it might not be probable, the possibility exists that your cards can be viewed by the people whose program you installed. This possibility poses a potential security breach and Party Poker has taken steps to avoid it.

To avoid any problems, please do not run any third party software while playing at Party Poker.

Again, this is in your best interest."

I have read some of the posts concerning the software that sent the owner's holecards to a common computer and Party's steps to shut it down. I didn't think things would reach the point listed above where PokerTracker and PlayerView were put into the same catogory. The above is a footnote from one of my affiliates newsletters(I would just as soon not have them named as they're good people).

I've had $25-40K on Party&company for some time as a working BR. I have between $15-20K offline in case...well.. in case the sky is really falling. I'm not saying it is now, but I can not have that much at risk over some new policy cooked up at Party. I'm bring my BR at Party&company down to under $10K this week. I have lost $55K at an online site already. The siezing at America's Card Room, with it's putting up the player's BR(stake+winnings+possible bonus abuse) as a freeroll because of alledged bonus abuse scared me and many other players that have big BRs online. This is a policy change which I don't want much of my money in the middle of. It took my wife and I several years to recover from the $55K bloodbath.

I would not be happy if Party took $10K, but I wouldn't be crippled. I download PokerStars tonight. PokerTracker and StarSpy are not on the snatch the player's funds over there yet. I haven't played regularly any place but Party in like 3 years.

I know, I know, just give them up. I can't give up PokerTracker. It has allowed me to play several levels above my ability for a couple of years. I will take tougher games at a slightly lower limit for a much lower earn if it means there is no danger to my BR. My big fat bankroll has protected me when times have been tough and I plan to protect it now in it's time of need.

I know my, or all of us, complaining here will have little sway with the power's that be at Party. As soon as accounts start to be frozen I'm suggesting those effected to contact every paper and reporter that ever wrote a stilted anti-gambling/antionline poker article. See if the marketing giant Party wishes to have it splashed about the papers in Utah say, that it is seizing the accounts of players that they can't prove cheated. That's right they were protecting them by not allowing them to keep records of their own hands using other's software that has never been shown to cause a problem.

As to Pat at PokerTracker and Amir at PlayerView having something to do with putting spyware and the like on my computer. I'm much more worried about the many affiliate web sites that promote Party having links that could infect my computer.

This another case, IMO, of looking like you're doing something is easier than actually doing something about cheating on internet poker.

Flame away.

MS Sunshine