Absolute Mess Costs $500,000

Filed in archive Internet Poker on January 13, 2008

The absolute poker scandal that involved insider player's information to exploit tournaments and cash games with several different accounts had its audit completed recently. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission slapped the online poker room with a $500,000 fine, a two year probationary period, and several other stipulations for its role in allowing inside users of the "super" accounts to see other player's hole cards while playing in tournaments and cash games.

Haley Hintze from Pokernews.com reported on the audit results (click on the link for the complete story) :

The final report on the audit was scheduled for release in early December, 2007, but due to the complexity of the issues involved was delayed in its release for several weeks. The audit confirmed that on or about August 14, 2007, cheating began, in the form of a software exploit (reported elsewhere) allowing unnamed insider(s) access to the hole cards at the insider(s)' tables. Seven different accounts, two of which had multiple screen names, were connected to the cheating operation: GRAYCAT, PAYUP, STEAMROLLER, POTRIPPER, DOUBLEDRAG, XXCASHMONEYXX (also known as SUPERCARDM55), and RONFALDOXXB (also known as ROMNALDO). However, the audit confirmed that the cheating operation was not, by all evidence, an attempt to enrich AP as a corporate entity, but was instead an attempt by the unnamed insider(s) to garner personal gain.

The scandal definitely damaged the integrity of the online game, but having been resolved to the point of finding out why it happened and who was involved hopefully this case will be used as a benchmark towards preventing similar exploits in the future. The online player has enough to worry about with disconnects and possible collusion, they shouldn't have to worry whether someone is looking over their shoulders at their cards.