Because it celebrates 20 years of the European Poker Tour (EPT) in Barcelona, PokerStars introduced a number of rule and process adjustments to take care of recreation integrity, together with new guidelines banning solvers and preflop charts for gamers and spectators alike.
Kenny Hallaert, a longtime event official who lately signed on as a PokerStars ambassador, introduced the adjustments on social media on Monday as EPT Barcelona kicked off with the €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Most important Occasion. They embrace reductions in shot clock time, new seller tips and adjustments to the redraw course of.
PokerNews spoke with the Belgian poker professional to be taught extra in regards to the recreation integrity rule adjustments, the vast majority of which he mentioned can be in place in Barcelona and going ahead at future stops.
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PokerStars Addresses Solvers
Hallaert wrote that, as of EPT Barcelona and for EPT stops transferring ahead, “no use of GTO-solvers/charts or related wherever in the entire event space at any time, additionally not for spectators.”
The solver coverage is printed in a brand new addition to the PokerStars Event Poker Guidelines, stating that “gamers should not permitted to make use of on the desk or wherever within the event room space at any time recreation principle optimum (GTO) solver software program, GTO charts (whether or not used on an Digital Gadget or in any other case) or any AI device or related algorithmic software program that’s able to affording the consumer a aggressive benefit within the Event.”
“We additionally don’t enable any spectator to make any use of digital units with solvers contained in the poker event space,” it continues.
The coverage comes after an argument on the World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) Most important Occasion closing desk earlier this summer time the place champion Jonathan Tamayo was accused of consulting solver outputs on a laptop computer being utilized by his rail. Tamayo has since mentioned that his rail was solely serving to him with “in-game changes” and that he wasn’t any solver outputs.
Following “LaptopGate,” a number of notable professionals, together with Daniel Negreanu, have known as on venues to make clear their solver insurance policies and put guidelines in place to ban spectators from utilizing solvers.
“There was a variety of debate within the final month after the Most important Occasion … concerning using solvers,” Hallaert instructed PokerNews in regards to the origins of the brand new rule.
Shot Clock Discount
One other change being applied by PokerStars includes shot clocks, which, up thus far, have given gamers 30 seconds to behave. This will likely be lowered to fifteen seconds, in line with Hallaert, who famous that point banks will nonetheless be price 30 seconds every.
The change is the most recent effort to deal with stalling in poker tournaments, which may drastically decelerate play as gamers attempt to sneak into the cash or ladder up pay jumps.
“We did discover that lots of people would attempt to purposely stall the sport by taking nearly their total time financial institution pre(flop) or principally at each determination if we have been close to the bubble (or) on a pay bounce,” mentioned Hallaert. “So to enhance the tempo of play, we determined to go to fifteen seconds.”
Hallaert added that the 15-second restrict is “extra according to what different operators are already doing in the meanwhile.”
No Extra Redraws
In one other effort to deal with stalling in tournaments, there’ll not be three and two-table redraws in EPT occasions.
As a substitute of redrawing, there will likely be a random breaking order from 5 tables onward.
Hallaert famous that the redraw course of can result in stalling from quick stacks in early place who know they’ll keep away from enjoying the large blind if a participant busts and the desk breaks.
Transferring to Sliding
One change that is not but in place in Barcelona however will likely be step by step applied transferring ahead includes the tactic by which sellers deal playing cards to gamers.
The vast majority of sellers pitch playing cards to gamers, which generally exposes the underside of playing cards. Hallaert mentioned he and different event officers have been lately made conscious of gamers probably utilizing hidden cameras in objects like AirPod instances to see the underside of playing cards being pitched and “achieve an unlawful benefit.”
To keep away from this, EPT sellers will slide playing cards to gamers going ahead “in order that the underside of the cardboard that is being dealt to each participant remains to be protected.”
Hallaert added that EPT officers have been contemplating banning digital units from the desk and rail outright however in the end determined towards doing so. “99.99% of the time, gamers do not have a foul intention (when utilizing digital units),” he mentioned.
Most gamers have reacted positively to the proposed rule adjustments, in line with Hallaert. That features 2013 EPT Monte Carlo champion Steve O’Dwyer, who mentioned he is lengthy pushed for the change from pitching to sliding.
“Lastly,” O’Dwyer wrote on X, “I’ve been advocating for this modification for over a decade.”
Not all gamers have been on board with the adjustments. German professional Dominik Nitsche, who was on the middle of the Most important Occasion solver controversy, criticized the brand new solver rule as “poorly written” and argued that it could be tough or unattainable to implement.
Editor & Reside Reporter U.S.
