|
|
|
|
 |
|
Online Poker In Crisis
|
16 October 2007
October 16 - Online poker is in a state of turmoil, facing a far bigger challenge right now than any piddling anti-gambling law. The credibility of online poker has been threatened over the past two weeks by two separate cheating scandals that have been dealt with (so to speak) in two diverse ways - one transparent and laudable, and the other not so much.
The Absolute Poker superuser debacle has been discussed in my latest column, and the investigative work done at Pocket Fives continues to make for incredible reading and to leave this particular card room searching for its top players, who are leaving (rightly) in droves.
I urge you to read Todd Witteles` account available online at PocketFives.com of what he thinks transpired at Absolute. Todd goes by the name "DanDruff" in online poker, has won a WSOP bracelet and is a high-stakes online player with an excellent reputation in our community. After reading his analysis under the "poker discussion" heading on Pocket Fives I can now categorically state that he is very sharp, and has probably uncovered what really happened there.
Basically someone got hold of an old test account at Absolute, which enabled that person to see all the hole cards at any given table. He then stole or created (that part is moot for me) real-money accounts and used them to steal a fortune from unsuspecting players. To divert suspicion those dummy accounts then played heads-up and lost all the money they had won to other rogue accounts, also controlled by the thief (either directly or indirectly), and these accounts cashed out the six-digit winnings.
There is a breach at Absolute Poker. I would not play there for now, and would advise everyone else to pull their money out and boycott the room until they deal with this. Their feeble response - essentially pretending that nothing is amiss and that there is no such account - has been most disturbing, because it is clearly and knowingly false. Why should anyone trust them right now?
On the other hand, Poker Stars have responded perfectly to another cheating crisis. The WCOOP Main Event is a major poker tournament. It requires a buy in of $2,600 and paid out a top prize in excess of $1 million. So when the winner was accused of being a dummy account controlled by a well-known pro who was simultaneously in the same tournament under his own name it was a serious moment for Stars.
They handled it with aplomb. They admitted straight away that there was a potential problem. They went public, and asked for time to sort it out. They took two weeks, found out that there were irregularities with the winner, and acted decisively. They have confiscated and redistributed the prize money to those players who finished below the cheater, and that account has been banned.
It is worrisome that the integrity of online poker is being assaulted by a small percentage of thieves, but that has to happen when you consider the amount of money that can be won. It is a fact of life for every business, and the crux of the matter is how it is handled. Stars will stay in business and thrive. Absolute has days to decide whether it will do the same.
Posted by: Marc at 16:07
0 Comments
Related Posts:
> Daniel Negreanu`s Big News
> Oldest WSOP Winner Paul McKinney Arrested
> Poker Tournaments Will Be Taxed As Gambling
> It Is Time To Redefine Poker
> $800,000 Hand Played In Full Tilt`s TV Cash Game
> Pot Limit Omaha Pussy
> Online Poker Multi-Tabling - Man Vs Bot
> Don`t Tell Me You`re A Poker Pro
|
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
