Massive Online Poker Cheating Scandal Uncovered

Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:24PM EDT

See Comments (73)

I knew there had to be a reason why I was so bad at online poker. It's got nothing to do with my skill level at all. It's that the winners are cheating. Really, it's the only explanation, right?

Laugh all you want, but in the case of Absolute Poker, this really seems to be the case. The details of how the cheating was discovered make for exhausting but fascinating ongoing reading (and they involve a possible whistleblower from inside the company), but the short of it is that someone on the inside was feeding information to one of the players about what other people in a large tournament had in their hands. (And in fact, if you read the detail thread, it might have all been the work of a single player who cracked his way into a supervisory account.) The betting pattern by the cheater (who eventually won the tournament) really has no other possible explanation (and there were suspicions to begin with), and now there's forensic proof, too. As cheaters go, this one was, to be frank, patently stupid (or just got greedy in the end).

Online poker cheating takes many forms (collusion among players conversing through IM is a common one), but to date I've never seen a poker site operator implicated as implicit in the crime, even if it's through just having poor security. As the Freakonomics guys note, "online poker is a game of trust," and any trust in Absolute Poker's operation now has to be completely shattered. The company has yet to offer a response, though the accounts in question have been frozen. Now, as Freakonomics notes, the only way to keep their company intact is to sacrifice the cheaters and see that they're locked up tight, then issue copious apologies and free money galore. But even then, would you continue to trust the company?

Maybe it's for the best that lawmakers are cracking down on these games... Sigh, has it really come to this? Kudos to the sleuths who tracked them down, and for bringing this all to light.

LINK: The Absolute Poker Cheating Scandal Blown Wide Open 

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  • 66 Posted by manny688 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:05PM EDT Report Abuse

    also, i see the dumbest fools online that i never seen live and the dumbest online couldn't warm a seat in a live game faster than the dumbest live never could.the dumbest of online(98%) of onlineare dumber than any dumbest i seen live. live dummies would go broke in 2 hands in limit game just calling the small bets at the start and the heavy ones later.and these online fools raise on losers worse than the live foold call on better hand losers. and i know online is crooked, because i can predict what they are going to deal before they do almost all of the time. in a live game with a full deck, that is totally impossible to even hallucinate any such thing. i can prove it too. but not to the anesthetized brAin dead. playing for what you can afford is smart, like shopping , but that is money management. the 1st rule of poker is that no one knows where any of the cards are, INCLUDING THE DEALER WHO IS NOT IN THE GAME AS A PLAYER. it can only be ensured by all the competitors getting to shuffle and cut the cards if they choose , then the dealer cannot be suspected of being a card magician crooking the game in favor of a player that you don't know. all players have nails clipped very short, so there is no accidental(haha) scratching the cards. the less you have to look for the more obvious the game is fair. \

  • 67 Posted by manny688 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:05PM EDT Report Abuse

    and online has nothing to prove they are dealing the game at all, so they are major league of what? nothing it seems. but a game of solitaire. fools think someone is ok if they are not proved to be crooks. practical, knows they are thievin if they can't prove they are not. and refuse to satisfy the customer with any obviously reasonable requests. like getting to reshuffle the cards in a casino. no one playing is a sore loser because they lost, only if they are cheated. if the casinos(live too) let the players prove the deal is fair, they would never get these complaints from everywhere.they say it is fair, but hearsay is proof of nothiong. professional business, lets the customer satisfy hisself. not argue and refuse to let the other guy cut up the cards real good.

  • 68 Posted by manny688 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:05PM EDT Report Abuse

    when they have nothing to hide, they are happy to let you see that for a fact.when i am in a key hand for the game, i always seem to get the best cards all game and never win. that is totally impossible, the mathematical %% of probability evens out , but after 3 1/2 years onlinee all you get is the same thing from every table in every game at every site. of couse the bad beats are gonna happen, the winning cards are in the deck. but they happen as often as they are used once for every no miracle card in the deck. now in live games, i used to win 1 of 10 in 7 man game and was biggest winner in the games(avg.)but online i get cards to play avg. about 1 in 60-100. i'd like to see these scams play on someone elses deal to prove what a pro player they are. it is called a card game for a reason, but these think it is a betting game think they can win a horse race without a horse.i'd like to see these superior beings pull that off too.

  • 69 Posted by srinija12 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    When money and a game of cards ae involved heavy security in every way needs to be put up. An online game is always at a risk so you just have to be careful players and website owners.... ---------------------------- Nithya Play The Poker League Today, the Poker League is Challenging, and Fun, for players at all levels with Added Cash and FREE Bonus Seats to Live Poker Tornaments Worldwide in 28 Selected Weekly Guaranteed MTT Tournaments, 4 Games a Day 7 Days a Week with a yearly prize pool of over %

  • 70 Posted by dbuffer on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    We can't avoid cheating specially on online gaming.. there are lots of software that are present nowadays which support online cheating.... Dan Play The Poker League Today, the Poker League is Challenging, and Fun, for players at all levels with Added Cash and FREE Bonus Seats to Live Poker Tornaments Worldwide in 28 Selected Weekly Guaranteed MTT Tournaments, 4 Games a Day 7 Days a Week with a yearly prize pool of over %

  • 71 Posted by sanathkumar_83 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    Figures as much. Every game is figured out by the lower forms of life, too bad it is so hard to tell the difference. Nobody ever got rich by playing by the rules.That has been proven over and over ===================== johnson789 FREEROLLS EVERYDAY 11AM TO 11PM WITH NO REQUIREMENTS. JUST DOWNLOAD AND PLAY POKER FREE 7 DAYS A WEEK. http://www.CelebPoker.com

  • 72 Posted by lynn_padgett2000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:01PM EDT Report Abuse

    Ive tryed over and over to get my money off fulltilt poker. Ive faxed a copy of my drivers license and utility bill twice. Ive sent numerous emails that they will not answer. I just dont understand why you have to sent all those personal documents to get whats yours. I feel this is a cheating site due to all those badbeats that are so unbelievable. Even tryed to transfer my money to another player, but they refused it. Help lynn_padgett2000@yahoo.com Player whodit.

  • 73 Posted by ninerfan4ever14203 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    hey does anyone know where i can report a cheating scandal im sure ill figure it out if i get no replies. ive sent emails to the site , which in turn sent me through to gather additional info. when i collected all the info they are now not replying i told them they had 24 hrs. to fix it or atleast reply with an update with no response. oh yea the site is players only so be careful mainly in tourney's not sure about the sit and gooes

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