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Internet Poker Sites Crack
Down on Fraud
The world of online poker evidenced that it is becoming an even more secure
and fair place for the dabblers of games of chance to play when Partypoker
and Pokerstars slick detective work nailed one of the most resourceful poker
frauds on the internet.
A player using the handle ABlackCar, previously unknown, won $140,000 in the
$200 buy-in, $500,000 Guaranteed Poker Tournament held by market leader
Partypoker. Supported by the incredibly large poker player base of the
internet’s biggest card room, the tournament draws thousands of players.
ABlackCars fortune ws not to last, however, as Partypoker did some checking
around and announced that ABlackCar was a fraudulent multiple account on one
of the top players on the internet, JJ Prodigy. Partypoker immediately
stripped first prize from ABlackCar and awarded it to the second player,
with a bump up in all subsequent players resulting.
JJProdigy argued in his defense on internet poker forums, stating that the
second account was in fact set up for his grandma to play on. His
grandmother turned out to be an especially astute player, and after she had
worked her way deep into the tournament, JJ took over and let other players
at the table know he was taking over the account. Unfortunately, the truth
came out, and the true story surfaced. JJ finally confessed to the deception
and then admitted that he had set up a second account at the end of 2005 and
played both during the tournament. JJ also stated that this was not a rare
occurrence among internet poker players, and that many of the sites used for
poker do not know that this is happening.
Partypoker’s terms and conditions are specific regarding fraud, and
violators can expect to have their winnings confiscated and any accounts
involved immediately cancelled, which they immediately did to JJ
Prodigy.Alerted by the incident, Pokerstars also launched an investigation
and uncovered more multiple accounts from JJ Prodigy. Other large operators
have been put on alert by the stories and are now increasing their security,
screening, and backup checks as well.
JJ Prodigy is reputed as one of the best young players on the internet. It
is unlikely that he will find many players willing to sit a t a table with
him after this event, though, an expensive lesson to have learned and one he
can reflect on back at McDonald’s. No doubt the tact taken by the online
poker industry- publishing the results of multiple account sweeps,
embarrassing and marginalizing the perpetrators of fraud- will serve to
deter anyone else who is tempted to walk in JJ Prodigy’s shoes. This
incident has led to a further shoring up of credibility for the runners of
online poker sites and greater confidence by potential and current honest
players.
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