All In Poker and Skype

RoundTower

I just got this by email:

All In Poker Support wrote:

Dear David,

Did you know that you can set up private cash games and tournaments with your friends on All In?

Simply click on "Menu" and then click on "Manage Private tables" in the poker room client to set up your own table.

You can setup Private games for Free Rolls, Cash Games, Sit-n-Go's, Multi-Table Tournaments. It's very easy.

You can email your friends and start the games whenever you want. So what are you waiting for?

Also, why not use Skype to set up a free audio conference for up to 5 players so that you can all hear and talk to each other during the game as if you were in the same room ... FOR FREE.

...

If you require any assistance with setting up a private table please contact All In support at support@allinpoker.com. We will shortly be offering you our own Customer Support Skype account. Watch this space.

Is it just me or does this sound like a bad idea?

5starpool

RoundTower wrote:

I just got this by email:


Is it just me or does this sound like a bad idea?

Absolutely. Very dodgy, and surely not something any site would want to encourage.

cardshark202

Yeah I just got it too. I wonder what its prime use would be? I don't like the sound of it at all.

DeVore

I think the idea is that you get a private game going with your mates and then conference call them all for a bit of fun. Admittedly it looks a bit dodgy if you look at it with a suspicious eye but considering its the Operator who is suggesting this, I would imagine its innocent.

I don't know what you guys think is so terrible about this... you can operate skype for free with any site and phone your mates.... nothing new there really!

DeV.

Lafortezza

To have an online site encouraging the use of Skype (or IRC or MSN messenger or any similar software) isn't in the best interest of the game IMO.

It might be fun for a 'bragging rights' private table game but it's not an enormous leap for alot of players to join a cash table and talk to each other on Skype.

Is there anything in the All-In Poker T&C's about using other messaging software while at the tables?

Culchie

Jeez, not the best thing in the world for a poker site to be suggesting this.

califano

I have installed skype a few weeks now free calls so its a sweet deal. I even got a skype usb phone.
As long as its private invite tables its ok i reckon.

loosecannon

rounders, completely off topic, but how do u find that those Skype Usb phone's work and how much did it set u back?

cheers

Dub13

I am not mad about this,I can understand what Tom is saying but even if one group of mates out of 20 take the next step and play together it will not be good for All In.

rounders123 wrote:

I have installed skype a few weeks now free calls so its a sweet deal. I even got a skype usb phone.
As long as its private invite tables its ok i reckon.

For free calls check this site out,I downloaded it last week and I am very happy with it.

http://www.internetcalls.com/en/index.html

DeVore

If such theives needed it pointed out to them, I wouldnt be too worried about them...


Face it, I simply don't believe that there is a site out there that doesnt have cheaters and colluders. If you think they don't you're naive imho. What the operators say or don't say is utterly irrelevant imho. The tech is there, you have to presume at least SOME people already use it.

DeV.

califano

loosecannon wrote:

rounders, completely off topic, but how do u find that those Skype Usb phone's work and how much did it set u back?

cheers

It was about €40 on eBay. I find it grand. skype to mobile is much the same cost as mobile to moblie but skype to landline is cheaper than eircom. The good thing is that the other person isnt coming out over the computer speaker.

Lafortezza

DeVore wrote:

Face it, I simply don't believe that there is a site out there that doesnt have cheaters and colluders. If you think they don't you're naive imho. What the operators say or don't say is utterly irrelevant imho. The tech is there, you have to presume at least SOME people already use it.

DeV.

The casual player who wants to play a couple of games with his mates and shout at them over Skype, is very unlikely to have figured out how (or be bothered) to use Skype for colluding. Once he's got Skype up and running and he's chatting to his mates it's not a big step for both of them to sit at the same cash/STT table.

It's basically encouraging players to use Skype (and similar software) to talk to their friends while playing on All-In poker. I can't think of any other poker site that encourage users to use messaging programs to talk to their friends while playing.

This is only going to encourage collusion.

Culchie

lol .... can we get some 'shake head in disbelievement' emocions?

This is incredible actually.
I got the mail as well, so it must be sent to everyone.

shoutman

I think people are blowing this out of proportion, I hardly think this can be treated as All in telling people how to collude, everyone I know has msn messenger or some other instant messaging application, I think if people has thought about colluding they would of done whether or not they knew about skype.
As Dev said Collusion happens on every site at some point in time. This email will not increase the chance of collusion occuring in my opinion.

DeVore

So the problem here is:

Those people who have used chat software, or skype... but havent realised you can play cards and use them at the same time? As well as those who haven't found out about skype or chat programs at all.

intersecting the set of:

People who are willing to collude or cheat.

This doesnt seem like a lot of people to me. It just doesn't seem like something I'd be concerned about. If you think there are hundreds of cheaters out there waiting for a mail like this to tell them that their computers can multi task....:eek:

c[_] <--- #include storm.h

DeV.

Lafortezza

I understand the strom in tea-cup thing and the fact that it would be a small subsection of players who might be inspired to collude.
But by making it known that it is now acceptable to use Skype to talk to your friends while playing on All-In don't you think there will be in an increase in the amount of collusion?

Also,

lafortezza wrote:

I can't think of any other poker site that encourage users to use messaging programs to talk to their friends while playing.

What would the reason for this be?

cardshark202

Surely all-in have made it harder to prove collusion by doing this. And if this email inspired just one group of individuals to cheat it would be terrible.


[COMPLETELY_OFFTOPIC]PS: On a completely unrelated note (and I mean totally unrelated), how do I gain 'permission to view some of the forums such as: 'The Clique', 'Slydice Specials', etc which I notice in some of the mods lists. Don't know what any of these are but I'm curious.[/COMPLETELY_OFFTOPIC]

Dub13

cardshark202 wrote:

[COMPLETELY_OFFTOPIC]PS: On a completely unrelated note (and I mean totally unrelated), how do I gain 'permission to view some of the forums such as: 'The Clique', 'Slydice Specials', etc which I notice in some of the mods lists. Don't know what any of these are but I'm curious.[/COMPLETELY_OFFTOPIC]

PM lafortezza for access to Sliydice.

ps:what happens in Sliydice stays in Sliydice.

Culchie

What will the other Prima sites think of this?

5starpool

Could this actually be used as an excuse that would stand up to a collusion allegation?

Prima: You were colluding.
Player: Allin told me it was ok to use Skype to talk to other players in the same game.

Ok, I know it couldn't really be used as a valid excuse that would have them say 'Thats ok then', but I still think it is unprofessional.

I get Dev's point of course, as most people have at least heard of skype/other similiar stuff, but still, unprofessional is the most appropriate word I can think for it.

bohsman

They told people to sign up for Skype so that they could all chat while playing at the same table. They said nothing about sharing information.

5starpool

fine lines.

califano

Why only conferencing for 5 players i wonder. If it were a 6 handed game then one sucker is out in the cold.

strewelpeter

The time is fast approaching when it will be possible to play for larger stakes online on a site that includes skype like facilities.
That would go farthest towards ensuring integrity when you can see and hear via webcam that your opponents aren't working with other players on or offline.

Though as to what else you're going to see and hear ...the mind boggles :rolleyes:

hoolamoppa

imo it is wrong for any site operator to encourage the use of skype or any other forms of 'other' communications for online poker.

it encourages colluders and cheating. no need for this,

if u want to talk to ure mates while playing with them, meet up and have a game at home, live, where all is above board.

this type of idea encourages colluders and gives the already sceptical another reason to doubt !:(

DeVore

This is like saying "telling teenagers about condoms will make them want to have sex".

I cant believe the head-in-the-sand appraoch to this... the tech is there. Everyone has it. Lots of people play poker. How freakin' long do you think it would be before they put A and B together. AIP could have been a lot more careful about their mail but I doubt this will increase collusion at all. They'd want to be pretty thick colluders not to have thought about this before!

Oh and the 5 person conference call.... YOU would be the sixth (*boggle*)

DeV.

theslick

The poker client software should be able to query the OS for open tcpip sockets to other computers - like the windows netstat command. This list can be sent to the server and compared to lists from clients at the same poker table for peer to peer connections. If any are found then the pitboss could analysis play for possible collusion.

Dub13

theslick wrote:

The poker client software should be able to query the OS for open tcpip sockets to other computers - like the windows netstat command. This list can be sent to the server and compared to lists from clients at the same poker table for peer to peer connections. If any are found then the pitboss could analysis play for possible collusion.

That all sounds well and good but even if you could get it to work the cheats would just move to a phone line.

Marq

Right now there is nothing stopping me from calling four of my friends on skype and us all sitting down at a table on All-In Poker (or any other poker site). As it is, I can collude if I want to. All-In Poker are simply allowing something that could be abused to happen at their site, in a way that it can be completely monitored.

If you were going to collude using Skype, would you let the poker client set up the call or would you do it yourself?