Corn Planter Fire

It seems that Full Tilt Poker Net is moving aggressively – and successfully –cut off the ability of some datamining operations to access the site.

For those not acquainted, PTR collects and repackages data concerning the play and results of real-money cash games on a variety of online poker sites. That data is sold to PTR members through a variety of channels that include charts, graphs and raw hand histories, among others.

Apparently the value of such data is in no small part dependent on the comprehensiveness of the data. PTR didn’t have much of a problem there, recommending members access to a confounding amount of the total hands played on Full Tilt Poker Real Money, until lately.

Despite the semi-entrenched nature and recognition of the services, there is a substantial part of the online poker industry and community that are forcefully contest to the basic premise of datamining. Opponents generally argue that datamining sites promote a skill and information gap between hardcore players with casual players, a gap that threatens the long-term sustainability of an industry that relies solely on casual players to grow.