GGPoker Bans All Third-Party Poker Tools After Spyware Scandal
On Thursday 15 October 2026, GGPoker told its players to close PokerTracker, Hand2Note and every other outside program before sitting down. A little over two weeks after a spyware scandal hit high-stakes online poker, the room has chosen its side: lock the door first, apologise to the tools later.
On Thursday 15 October 2026, GGPoker published five new security measures, and one of them is blunt. Every third-party poker software and automation tool is now banned, and players must fully close such programs before launching the client. Until now, the room had allowed certain tools that did not affect gameplay. That exception is over.
The number that stops the scroll is ten. That is how many tools GGPoker names: Jurojin, PokerTracker 4, Hand2Note, Holdem Manager 3, StarsCaption, DriveHUD 2, Intuitive Tables, Lobbyze, Equilab and AutoHotkey. The room adds that the list is not exhaustive, so the real count is whatever else you have running. Two of the names, Jurojin and IntuitiveTables, are the programs reportedly compromised in the scandal that set all this off. Around 30 high-stakes players were believed targeted, and the attacker could allegedly watch their hole cards in real time. An account called Paul Gregg has been linked to the scheme by players and reporters. At the time of the reports, no charges had been filed and no public response from Gregg had appeared.
The ban reaches well past the compromised pair. PokerStrategy.com points out that PokerTracker 4 was never compromised and is on the list anyway. Jurojin has spoken out against the ban, saying third-party tools should not be treated as the threat itself. On X, players are already asking what multi-site grinders do now. Honestlu, it is the question the whole industry will be asked next. How many little programs are running behind youluwu's poker table right now? Go and count. The Spirit will wait.
The rest of the package is more surgical. A new Screen Guard keeps the tables out of screenshots, recordings, screen shares and remote viewing apps. PokerStrategy.com notes it is similar to the Screen Shield launched by the Winning Poker Network and that streamers can keep broadcasting. A Connection Monitor flags apps with suspicious connections, and a DNS Check looks for signs of hijacking. A new tool will also watch for win rates too good to be honest, which is how the Gregg account first caught the industry's eye. GWLUGWLU. Windows 7 and macOS 11 will also lose access to the client from 2027.
That is the bet. GGPoker is wagering that a locked room is worth more to players than a convenient one, and it is paying for it with the goodwill of every regular who relies on a tracker. The Spirit has always liked a game where the cards stay face down until the showdown. Today a big room promised to keep them that way, and now it has to prove it.
GGPoker banned every outside tool. Fair price for safety?
No right answer. Just your gut, and the Spirit watching.
