Zynga has a play money bot problem
We round-up some stories from last week including a doping issue in bridge and a super fan of poker passes away.
Zynga has bots
Most would assume that Play Money games would be safe from cheating but in poker and many video games, the ingame currency often has real world value.
That's what Zynga Poker has been dealing with lately. Poker Industry Pro have reported that despite being a free to play site, the number of bots at the site have become so overwhelming that they do not know how many of their users are real.
There is a black market specifically for Zynga chips (which you can still get for free) and some users on Reddit have suggested that this could be happening as practice for future attempts on real money sites. However, Nick Jones of Poker Industry Pro has speculated that these bots are already sophisticated.
Doping in bridge
Another head scratcher of a story that is relevant to poker. World Number One bridge player Geir Helgemo has been banned for a year by the Monaco Bridge Federation.
He was banned for using Clomifene, a synthetic testosterone used to help women with fertility issues.
It's curious because (as Liv Boeree ponders below) while the benefits of testosterone in a physical sport are quite clear, a mind sport like bridge (or poker) doesn't seem like it would help at all (in fact it could be a hindrance):
#1 ranked (male) Bridge player gets banned for... testing positive for synthetic testosterone & female fertility drug. What.
I’d expect excessive sex hormones to have a NEGATIVE correlation to card-playing skills.https://t.co/Pec78jr0xg
— Liv Boeree (@Liv_Boeree) March 2, 2019
Pat Humphries passes away
Sad news for poker fans who have followed the World Series of Poker as Pat Humphries, who along with his wife Mel would cheer Phil Ivey from the rail every year, has passed away.
They were a staple part of the ESPN broadcast since the Poker Boom and have been railing Phil ever since he was 17, playing underage in Atlantic City:
Pat Humphreys passed away this weekend.
Nothing defined the joy of the WSOP Main Event more than Pat & Mel Humphreys on the rail, w/ their Phil Ivey signs chanting, “Ivey! Ivey! Ivey!”
They were a delight to see & talk to each year.
The poker world’s heart goes out to you, Mel.— Norman Chad (@NormanChad) March 3, 2019
Team Pro vs Team Pro NSFW action
Finally, if you think being part of the same sponsored team with Unibet Poker would make David Lappin and Ian Simpson cheer each other on and root for each other, think again:
I hate @IanSimpsonPoker! pic.twitter.com/LJg9xmu6FE
— David K Lappin (@dklappin) March 3, 2019
Would testosterone help you at the poker tables? Let us know in the comments:
