Prohibited Online Poker Software FAQ

What is this all about?

With the explosion in online poker, people have developed programs to help them play better online. We think it is okay for players to use some of those programs. However, some of those programs go beyond what we consider acceptable as an aid in playing online.

There is a range of things that a player can do to improve his chances in a poker game. For instance, he can play a lot and gain experience, or he can read a book about poker. Both of these techniques are clearly appropriate. At the other end of the spectrum, he can work in collusion with another player, sharing information about hole cards and teaming up against other players. This is clearly cheating.

In between those two extremes are many programs - some of which we consider to be too close to cheating. For example, there are people building huge databases with profiles of every player on PokerStars, and they are selling access to these databases. A player with access to such a database can call up detailed information about every one of his opponents without ever playing against those opponents himself. We believe this gives that player an unfair advantage against others at his table.

Obviously, reasonable people will disagree over what is appropriate and what is not. We have developed what we consider to be a reasonable compromise between letting players take every possible fair advantage, but prohibiting the unfair ones.
Why did this all get started?

We have gotten emails on this subject from many players. Some want to use these "aid" programs and are asking if they're okay. Other players are concerned that their opponents are using aid programs. We needed to establish a policy so we could draw a line between acceptable and unacceptable programs. We made this decision only after thorough discussion within PokerStars and with poker experts outside PokerStars.
In general, what kind of programs are acceptable?

1. Programs (or charts) that simply tell you odds, starting hand recommendations, etc.
2. Programs that profile your opponents, but make use of only information which you have accumulated by your own play.

Why is this an issue?

Consider this: you are playing at a six-person table and the other five players at that table are using a shared database program. After each hand, they are able to see what cards every other player (except you) had. Do you want to play at that table?
Can you give me a list of acceptable programs?

This is a list of programs that we are aware of and permit:

1. Calculatem Pro
2. Coach Rounder
3. Draw Poker Source
4. GameTime+
5. Holdem Genius
6. Holdem Indicator
7. Holdem Manager
8. Holdem Partner
9. Insight Poker Hound
10. Omaha Poker Coach
11. Paragon Poker Pal
12. Poker Academy Prospector
13. PokerAce HUD
14. Pokerbility
15. Poker Buddy
16. Poker Indicator
17. Poker Office
18. Poker Sharpener
19. Poker Sidekick
20. Poker-Spy.com
21. PokerStat.com
22. Poker Tracker v2
23. Poker Vitals
24. Poker Weapon
25. Poker Wingman
26. Sit and Go End Game Tools
27. Sixth Sense
28. SmartBuddy
29. SnG Power Tools
30. Spade ICM
31. STT Analyzer
32. Stud Inspector v1
33. Telescope by SpadeIt
34. Texas Calculatem
35. ThePokerDB
36. Tournament Indicator

This list was last updated September 1, 2007.
In general, what kinds of programs are prohibited?

1. Any program that shares hole card data with other players or programs is colluding, and is prohibited.
2. Any program that works off of a central database of player profiles is prohibited.
3. Any program that plays without human intervention (a "bot") or reduces the requirement of a human playing. For instance, an "auto-folder" is prohibited.

Can you give me a list of programs which are prohibited?

This is a list of programs that we are aware of and prohibit:

1. Advanced Poker Calculator
2. Gambot
3. Holdem Hawk
4. Holdem Pirate
5. Holdem Inspector a.k.a. Online Holdem Inspector
6. Magic Holdem
7. Mandraker
8. Poker Android
9. Poker Bot+
10. Poker Edge
11. Poker Inspector a.k.a. Online Poker Inspector
12. Poker Prophecy
13. Poker Sherlock
14. Poker Table Manager
15. SharkScope [pending]
16. Sit n' Go Brain
17. SpadeEye
18. Stars Hand History (SHH)
19. StarSpy
20. TheCashDB
21. WinHoldem

This list was last updated September 1, 2007.
There's a program I'd like to use, but it's not on either list. Now what?

Please send an email to support@pokerstars.net with all the information you have about that program. Please include a URL to a website about that program if at all possible. We will review the program and let you know if it's permitted or not.
May I use a permitted program to record information about players from hands in which I am not playing?

No. You may only collect hand histories and player information from hands in which you are a participant.
What steps are you going to take to prevent players from using prohibited programs?

We are going to look to see if any of those programs is running on a player's computer. If we find one of the prohibited programs, we will alert the player that he is running a prohibited program and tell him what the program is. We will ask that he stop running the program immediately. If he complies, fine. If not, then we will prevent the PokerStars client from running on his computer.
Are you going to look for anything else on players' computers?

Absolutely not. Our sole interest is in protecting our players and our site from programs that we believe are bad for the integrity and fairness of our games.
Are you going to confiscate the account funds of somebody running a prohibited program?

While we reserve the right to confiscate the funds of somebody running a prohibited program, we are not going to do this lightly. We want to educate our players - not punish them. However, we will confiscate funds if a player shows a consistent pattern of using prohibited programs after being warned.