Online poker cheating has grown to epic proportions. While most of us play online poker to sharpen our skills and learn more about the game, some online players are taking liberties with the easy access to these sites to cheat at poker.
In September 2007, Absolute Poker began defending itself following accusations made by members of several online forums that the online poker room had a “superuser” account, which allowed one player to read the hole cards of another during the game. By October, widespread allegations of online poker cheating cheating led to the Kahnawake Gaming Commission beginning an investigation.
Although allegations of poker room cheating had been made about several accounts, one of the most blatant pieces of evidence was a complete history of an online poker tournament, which was won by a player called “Potripper.” This history was far more complete than normal, including all hidden hold cards for all of the players at the table and the IP addresses of players and third-party observers.
After reviewing the data, well-known mathematician and gaming expert Michael Shackleford said: “Potripper’s play was consistent with that of a player who had knowledge of every player’s hole cards. The majority of hands show Potripper bluffing at just the right times when his opponent’s are weak. Yet, when he was hopelessly outmatched, even with good cards, he laid them down.”
On October 19, an official source within Absolute Poker claimed that an employee had hacked the system to prove a point. They released a statement two days later: “It appears that the integrity of our poker system was compromised by a high-ranking trusted consultant employed by AP whose position gave him extraordinary access to certain security systems … we will pay for all losses suffered by the affected players as soon as our audit is finished and the amount are determined.”
In November, Absolute Poker issued an interim statement claiming that the online poker cheating had taken place over a period of 40 days and that the online poker site was refunding $1.6 million to affected players. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission issued its report on the incident in January 2008. Among other consequences, Absolute Poker was fined $500,000.
Come back on Friday for the next installment in December’s Poker Series on controversy in poker. We will continue with our online poker cheating theme, delving into another site that got itself into hot water.
