Party's new anti-bot pop-up
I was playing in a 30/60 game, and a $400 SNG, and a pop-up appeared over both tables, at different times. I was informed that I had 120 seconds or something to enter the letters I was being shown, or Party would assume I was a bot, and would boot me.
The letters were all swooshy and swirly, I assume so that it would be difficult if not impossible for a computer to determine what they are. If you've ever ordered tickets from ticketmaster.ca and you have to type in some letters they show you, well, it's exactly like that.
I took a quick survey of the players at both tables, and asked them if they had to do the same thing. Nobody did, and nobody had heard of this new anti-bot software. So, does Party think that I, specifically, am a bot? Have any of you had to do this yet? I only mentioned the stakes of the games because I thought that might have something to do with it, but maybe not since the others at my table didn't have to prove they were human.
All in all, I think it's a good idea. It gets a bit stressful, though, when you're facing a decision for all of your chips in a sit and go and there's some code you have to punch in, complete with dramatic countdown. I've been watching a lot of the TV show "Lost" lately (best show on television, possibly ever, in my opinion, yes even better than '24') and the whole code/countdown thing really reminds me of that except I'm not saving the world. I'm just deciding whether to call or fold. No comparison... it's not even close.
If I was running some sort of a bot program, all I would have to do is monitor the screen so I could punch in the codes when prompted. So I guess all this does is prevent the bot-runners who have other things to do from using their bots. Bot-runners who don't have other things to do can sit and babysit their bots, and nothing will change.
The letters were all swooshy and swirly, I assume so that it would be difficult if not impossible for a computer to determine what they are. If you've ever ordered tickets from ticketmaster.ca and you have to type in some letters they show you, well, it's exactly like that.
I took a quick survey of the players at both tables, and asked them if they had to do the same thing. Nobody did, and nobody had heard of this new anti-bot software. So, does Party think that I, specifically, am a bot? Have any of you had to do this yet? I only mentioned the stakes of the games because I thought that might have something to do with it, but maybe not since the others at my table didn't have to prove they were human.
All in all, I think it's a good idea. It gets a bit stressful, though, when you're facing a decision for all of your chips in a sit and go and there's some code you have to punch in, complete with dramatic countdown. I've been watching a lot of the TV show "Lost" lately (best show on television, possibly ever, in my opinion, yes even better than '24') and the whole code/countdown thing really reminds me of that except I'm not saving the world. I'm just deciding whether to call or fold. No comparison... it's not even close.
If I was running some sort of a bot program, all I would have to do is monitor the screen so I could punch in the codes when prompted. So I guess all this does is prevent the bot-runners who have other things to do from using their bots. Bot-runners who don't have other things to do can sit and babysit their bots, and nothing will change.
Comments
http://www.pokerforum.ca/forum/index.php?topic=4719.msg39506#msg39506
Actions against bots are good, though Party's logic behind their determination of who is a bot seems a bit shaky (meeting customer needs in a professional manner has never been one of Party's selling points though ).
I hope they and other sites come up with a better means of catching bots. While bots are not really a direct threat to beating good players, they are certainly an indirect threat if they pull away a chunk of the very bad players money before us humans can.
However, for an average or not so good player, bots are pretty lame. I still watch this bot destroy unsuspecting fish HU and feel bad for its victims.
PS Go Leafs.
On a side note, I got an e-mail from Empire Poker telling me my Deposit bonus was about to run out, and I had 102 of 125 raked hands already played towards this bonus... the odd thing.. I never put any real money at Empire Poker, signed up like 2 years ago, played the Freebie did not like the UI and bailed. I sent them a reply telling them they made a mistake, and sent this to the wrong person and they tell me they never sent me the e-mail. Odd.
http://www.pokerforum.ca/forum/index.php?topic=6171.msg51035#msg51035