Online Poker (hacker) Spyware

I became aware of this forum via the DoctorCheckRaise forum.
This is my first post here. I hope this an appropriate subject.

I'm concerned about the number of times I've seen the same player make large bets (calls or raises) with a poor hands then
consistently hitting a "miracle" board.

Is this my imagination or are some players using poker spyware software to cheat their opponents?

Does anyone know if this type of software exists and, if so, how widely used it it?

It seems foolish for me or anyone else to play where an opponent can see my hole cards or the dealers cards before they are dealt.

I would appreciate any knowlegeable feedback. Thank you.

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Originally Posted by IceGold

I became aware of this forum via the DoctorCheckRaise forum.
This is my first post here. I hope this an appropriate subject.

I'm concerned about the number of times I've seen the same player make large bets (calls or raises) with a poor hands then
consistently hitting a "miracle" board.

Is this my imagination or are some players using poker spyware software to cheat their opponents?

Does anyone know if this type of software exists and, if so, how widely used it it?

It seems foolish for me or anyone else to play where an opponent can see my hole cards or the dealers cards before they are dealt.

I would appreciate any knowlegeable feedback. Thank you.

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Nobody is looking at your hole cards unless you have been tricked into installing some sort of "trojan horse" program by one of your opponents.

Here is some advice to avoid this happening:

1) DO NOT open e-mail attachments from unfamiliar sources, or from familiar sources that appear to be sending something you wouldn't expect. (For example, if your mother is e-mailing you a picture of Megan Fox nude, her account was probably compromised, and "Megan" is probably a virus.)

2) DO NOT EVER click on any attachments sent over a messenger like AIM, Yahoo, MSN, Skype, etc -- even if it's from a seemingly nice poker acquaintance who just wants to show you an interesting picture. This is how most top pros get cheated.

3) DO NOT register your poker accounts to AOL e-mail addresses, as these can easily be hacked.

With that said, I think what you're witnessing is just variance/luck, and nothing more.

i notice the same thing. peaple going all in with 63 off suit and hitting 2 pair i dont haveany trust in internet poker i wont deposit real money on line ill take my cash to the casino were only i see my cards and the board is random.i dont have any proof its rigged im just letting you know my thoughts on the matter. i play on line for fun.itry winning money and playing with itand building a bankrollbut im not quitting my day job.

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Originally Posted by dirtyoldog

i notice the same thing. peaple going all in with 63 off suit and hitting 2 pair i dont haveany trust in internet poker i wont deposit real money on line ill take my cash to the casino were only i see my cards and the board is random.i dont have any proof its rigged im just letting you know my thoughts on the matter. i play on line for fun.itry winning money and playing with itand building a bankrollbut im not quitting my day job.

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You see this because it's a lot more common for a hand like 63 offsuit to beat AA than you think.

For example, 6s3d will beat AhAs (all in) almost 1 out of every 6 hands. The only spot where you REALLY have someone crushed pre-flop is a pair to a common card and a lower card, such as AA versus AK.

In reality, if you are playing low-stakes online and do not communicate with other players via AIM or other messengers (or rarely do so), your chance of being cheated is pretty low.

So if you have been attacked with this "trojan horse", how do you get rid of it?

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Originally Posted by fatman548

So if you have been attacked with this "trojan horse", how do you get rid of it?

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Certain anti-virus programs will automatically remove it, but I would suggest this:

1) Write down all of the symptoms you see of infection

2) Google those symptoms

3) When you see something that matches, follow the remove instructions

However, never pay for any software you find online that claims it will remove it (unless it's from a huge, reputable company). There are a lot scams out there claiming to fix viruses when in fact the scammers are either causing them, falsely detecting them, or lying about their ability to repair them.

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Originally Posted by fatman548

So if you have been attacked with this "trojan horse", how do you get rid of it?

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What makes you think your machine has been exposed? Be specific.

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Originally Posted by Dan Druff

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Originally Posted by fatman548

So if you have been attacked with this "trojan horse", how do you get rid of it?

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Certain anti-virus programs will automatically remove it, but I would suggest this:

1) Write down all of the symptoms you see of infection

2) Google those symptoms

3) When you see something that matches, follow the remove instructions

However, never pay for any software you find online that claims it will remove it (unless it's from a huge, reputable company). There are a lot scams out there claiming to fix viruses when in fact the scammers are either causing them, falsely detecting them, or lying about their ability to repair them.

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Except for the last part I disagree, respectfully. Malware diagnosis is difficult to get right, pros like Sonatine could be trusted to get it right while amateurs like me despite being well ahead of common knowledge are definitely not skilled enough to do things the hard way like you described. A beginner armed with a hunch and the world wide web is a recipe for lost time and data at a minimum, at worst who knows? The topic at hand deals in a range of topics that are very delicate, with malware you want to be sure you are infected firstly (not really easy anymore and not getting easier) and if you determine that your machine is infected proper sanitization is a must for most people (people who have something to lose anyway.)

With all due respect I think it's a bad idea in general to advise people who don't know what they're doing to take matters into their own hands and google for all the answers. Don't get me wrong, being self taught myself I know where you are coming from and it should be within the grasp of most people to figure out on their own, but advising people to do so publicly sets a precedent that anyone with an internet connection and some patience can effectively master systems administration which is lol. Chances are great either malware survives or never existed in the first place, it is rarely going to go well IMO.