888Poker Acts Against Players Using Artificial Intelligence Aids

By Brian Cullingworth, Last updated May 7, 2018

Growing number of players receive notifications terminating their accounts

The publication Professional Rakeback reported over the weekend that a growing number of players have reported receiving communications from 888Poker advising them that their membership has been terminated for using artificial intelligence tools, and confiscating the positive balances in their accounts.

Forum reports indicate that a number of players received the communication, which reads:

“This is the Operations Team at 888poker and we are contacting you with regards to your account with username XXXXX.

“As you may be aware we carry out security checks on all of our members at some point during their membership with us. During a security check on your account we have been alerted to suspicious game play indicating that the use of Artificial Intelligence may be involved.

“The use of Artificial Intelligence is strictly against our terms and conditions and will not be tolerated on our site. This email is to inform you that we no longer require your membership on any site owned or operated by Cassava Enterprises.

“Please refrain from opening any further accounts as these too will be closed from use and no monies refunded.”

Poker Rakeback reports that when contacted, several forum posters complaining about the 888Poker action denied any wrongdoing and said they were using third party aids allowed by the operator such as tracking programs, like HEM2 and PT4, and hotkey utilities that make it easier to manage multiple tables.

The publication speculates that optional add-ons could be the cause for 888Poker’s action.

It notes that some of these add-ons “automatically take notes on opponents’ play and display them at the tables. It also identifies when there’s a potentially exploitable scenario during gameplay by displaying opponent-specific badges. This type of functionality could easily be treated as advice that’s given to the player in the middle of a hand, which could cause the staff at 888poker to consider it a form of proscribed artificial intelligence tool.”

Complainants on the forums have been assured by a 888Poker representative that their appeals have been forwarded to the operations team for review.

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