During the post-WSOP media scrum, 2010 winner Jonathan Duhamel confirmed that he uses Hold’Em Manager poker tracking software when playing online. The increasing use of such software is the bane of every recreational online player, as it gives sharks a surefire method of identifying the minnows in their midst. The Bodog Network has long been an advocate for tending to the needs of recreational players, which is why they announced a scheme to scrub hand histories, thereby reducing the capacity for such software to benefit the sharks.
PartyPoker has become the latest company to launch anonymous play on its site, currently restricted to heads-up cash games. Though the move is purported to be the company’s ‘latest move’ toward keeping their site recreational-friendly, most of the features Party has previously rolled out have been aimed at satisfying the needs of pros and semi-pros, such as arranging windows for better multi-tabling, advanced tools for deal making during MTT play, etc.. But hey, better late to the Party than never, right?
Ladbrokes announced a similar move toward anonymity last month, but their version goes beyond mere heads-up play, allowing for full table action among players identified only by a randomly generated tag. Rumors have been circulating that the company has sought a patent for their development, although intellectual property lawyers are dubious as to whether such a development would meet the criteria for patent protection.
