SharkScope Banned by PokerStars

PokerStars.com, the largest of the online poker sites, recently added SharkScope.com to their list of banned software. SharkScope is a subscription service that allows you to access the win/loss history for sit 'n go players. PokerStars uses the following criteria to determine which 3rd part tools to include in their ban:

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 or hands played 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.
4. The practice of datamining (observing games as a non-player for extended periods to build up a large collection of hand histories for future reference) is prohibited.
5. Any software that offers advice on the appropriate action to take, and which is also programmable or configurable beyond a simple slider to choose a level of aggressiveness or tightness.

I understand and fully agree with PokerStars desire to ban software that meets one or more of the banning criteria. However, I do not think SharkScope meets the criteria. It might brush up against number 2 on the list, as you an use the information in SharkScope to help you profile players. But you can not obtain hand history from SharkScope, and there is no integration with a client that helps you made decisions while you play.

Because SharkScope is a web-based tool, there is nothing PokerStars can do about you accessing and viewing the website. What they can do is to limit the information that SharkScope is able to extract from the PokerStars databases. This means that the PokerStars player information you view through SharkScope will become increasingly less accurate which will impact the quality of your initial player profiling.

However, the good news is that PokerStars lists Tournament Indicator as one of its accepted programs. I use Tournament Indicator to help me make solid decisions while playing sit 'n go poker tournaments online. Tournament Indicator does keep a small database of player history locally on your computers but only information from the tables that you have played at or observed. You can use this information to determine the playing tendencies of people you have played against previously. The tool tracks things like how tight or loose the player is, whether they are aggressive or passive after the flop, aggression factor, and even breaks information down so you can see how they change their game in response to changes in their m-zone. If PokerStars were to ban Tournament Indicator, I would discontinue playing on the site.

You should check to see if the tools you use while playing are acceptable to PokerStars. You can see a full list of the programs and sites approved and banned at the PokerStars website.

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