The fallout from the latest software update at Partypoker continued recently when Rob Yong put out a call to arms.
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Partypoker’s Rob Yong has called for the industry’s top operators to join forces in an effort to beat the cheats. (Image: Partypoker Live)
Although reactions to the June 17 changes have been mixed, Partypoker is keeping up the pressure on cheats.
When the update took place, players were no longer allowed to download hand histories. This move tied in with an explicit ban on tacking software such as heads up displays (HUDs).
Partypoker Making Poker Less Predatory
During a recent interview with Pokerfuse, Yong and Partypoker’s head of poker Tom Waters said these changes were important. In their view, products such as Hold’em Manager create a predatory system that scares away new players.
To that end Partypoker has banned HUDs and limited access to hand histories. The hope is that it will encourage more beginners to ante up and, in turn, benefit the online poker community as a whole.
While some players have criticized the move, Yong sees them as part of a bigger effort to improve poker. During the interview with Pokerfuse, the Partypoker advisor alluded to a new cross-site coalition.
Tentatively called Online Poker Against Cheating (OPAC), Yong wants to create an independent body to stop cheaters. Building on Partypoker’s own efforts to tackle bots, OPAC would become an information-sharing body formed from the top operators.
At this stage, it’s just an idea but Yong’s call to arms is a serious one. In a recent Partypoker blog update, Yong said the site has “invested heavily” in security.
Although he was coy about what that entails, recent results speak for themselves. After employing a team of experts in 2018, Partypoker has shut down over 100 bots and returned more than $750,000 to affected players.
Change Causes Unrest
The company behind Hold’em Manager has argued the recent ban on tracking software will make it harder to catch bots and the like. Citing cases where player stats brought down notorious cheats, Max Value Software has said Partypoker may now be less safe than it was.
The operator has refuted these claims and believes its team is more than equipped to stop cheats. In line with this, Yong wants other operators to join the fight.
The poker industry as a whole is currently in the midst of a resurgence. As new players enter the mix, the top sites will want to retain as many of them as possible.
Based on that fact alone, Yong has invited PokerStars, 888poker and other to form a crimefighting alliance.
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