Online Poker -- The Data Mining Dilemma

cardplayer.com, by Julio Rodriguez | Published: Dec 28, 2009

Brian Townsend's recent red pro suspension from Full Tilt has many in the industry taking a closer look at the rules of data mining and hand sharing across the various online sites. Townsend received a 30-day suspension after admitting that he gathered 30,000 third-party hands to supplement the 20,000 hands he played himself in preparation for a match against the high-stakes catalyst, "Isildur1." After his match with Townsend, the Swedish pro then went on to lose $4.2 million to Townsend's fellow CardRunners instructor Brian Hastings, prompting a heated debate over the ethics of data mining.

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It's easy to see why so many serious online poker players use data mining programs to give themselves a leg up on the competition. Players who take advantage of these programs have access to hand histories from opponents they've never played before, allowing them a blueprint for success before a match even begins. With that information at their disposal, a perceptive poker player can define a set of hand ranges for any particular situation and make better decisions on each street as a result.

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