Fedor Holz to tackle data mining and MDA

In his new role as Integrity Ambassador at GGPoker, Holz says his priority is cracking down on prohibited data mining practices.

Last week Jason Koon left GGPoker and Fedor Holz stepped into his role as Integrity Ambassador. 

Holz has already hit the ground running and set out his first goal in his new role. 

He has revealed his priority is tackling data mining and mass data analysis at GGPoker. 

I believe we all cherish poker in its purest form—mind vs. mind.
That's why my first security priority is the strict limitation of usage of mined data & MDA with HUDs.
It's more than unfair - it's predatory.@GGPoker will be stepping up enforcement against harmful third-party…

— Fedor Holz 🐧 (@CrownUpGuy) February 13, 2024

Data mining is prohibited at GGPoker. This is where a third-party tool is used to record hand histories on tables that the user is not playing in. The information can then be used in a HUD (also prohibited, other than the in-house HUD at GGPoker) to gain an advantage against players who have never shared a table with the HUD owner. 

Mass data analysis is also banned. It is used by poker stables and is when mined hands in their millions are shared between players. This is sometimes to glean information about how the whole player population at a site/stake/format is playing, rather than just individuals. This aggregated data essentially shows how the average player is playing in 2024. 

Some advocates of data mining and mass data analysis point to the fact that the same tools have been used to uncover cheating online, in particular the two botfarm and super user scandals that started the year. Other players might be concerned that bots and RTA are the bigger immediate threats to online poker. 

However, an argument for why data mining is a bigger threat than RTA is the edge that can be gained. RTA helps a player become difficult to exploit, which does not necessarily mean they will crush the game. Data mined information on individual or population leaks can be used to extract much more from an opponent, much faster. 

If you are unfamiliar with the issue of mass data analysis, it was covered extensively in a roundtable hosted by Solve4Why last year:

Is this the right area to target first for Fedor? Let us know in the comments: