WCOOP Winner DQ'd

Filed in archive Internet Poker on October 17, 2007

online poker cheating has a couple of faces that fan of the game don't want to readily acknowledge for the teetering of government approval is based on a safe, secure game.

You can read the 2+2 and PocketFive forums for tales of collusion (some true, some because they lost to someone who didn't have their glasses on or brain screwed on right) on a daily basis. The Absolute Poker "superaccount" theorems have been floating around for about a month with some pretty damning hand histories for those involved, but unfortunately nothing has been resolved.

Enter the biggest online tourney of the year, the main event of the World Championship of Online Poker at PokerStars.com which awarded its winner over $1 million dollars. With the announcement from the PokerStars research team posted by Haley Hintze at Pokernews.com :

The investigation into the WCOOP Main Event has now been concluded.

We have determined, based on the totality of evidence, that the tournament

winner "TheV0id" was in breach of the PokerStars Terms of Service.

In the interests of Game Integrity, "TheV0id" has been disqualified from first place.

All other WCOOP Main Event prizewinners in addition to the player who originally bubbled in 415th place will therefore advance one place in the prize pool. The necessary financial adjustments to reflect the revised tournament places will be made within the next 24 hours.

Not exactly online poker's most shinning moment, but it DOES attest to PokerStars excellent customer service that they take accusations of collusion, bots, and "superaccounts" seriously and will thoroughly comb the hand histories before making a decision.

2+2'rs chime in on the announcement here http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=12508609&page=0&fpart=all&vc=1