Just Poker Talk

• Absolute Poker is Hacked by Employee

An Absolute Poker Employee hacked the online poker site. The employee modified the site and provided the ability for the employee to play on the site and see the hole cards of the other players. Internet forums had been discussing this possibility for almost a month. Previously Absolute Poker investigated the allegations and reported: 

“The result of our investigation is that we found no evidence that any of Absolute Poker’s redundant and varying levels of game client security were compromised. In other words, we have determined with reasonable certainty that it is impossible for any player or employee to see whole cards as was alleged. There is no part of the technology that allows for a “superuser� account, and there is no way for any person to influence the game software to their advantage.�

Source: MSNBC

New York attorney Serge Ravitch informed Absolute Poker that he felt cheating was going on. Ravitch informed MSNBC that Absolute Poker initially denied any cheating had occurred or was even possible. In fact according to the MSNBC story, Absolute Poker found no evidence that client security having been compromised. Absolute Poker went on to say that with certainty it was impossible for anybody to see other players hole cards. Also they said there was no way to modify the Absolute Poker game software to gain any advantage.

Absolute Poker provided hand histories to one of the players that had reported cheating. The hand histories provided hole cards for all the players and IP addresses as well as email addresses of the competing players. MSNBC requested an independent review of the re-created tournament and expert Ray Cooke, ex-head of security at Planet Poker online site, came away convinced that the hacker can see the hole cards. Here is the recreation provided by YouTube.

This video is one of four videos of the recreations. Here are links for the other three.
Absolute Poker two of four
Absolute Poker three of four
Absolute Poker four of four

This week a spokesman for Absolute Poker has informed MSNBC on the condition of anonymity that the hacker was an employee of the company who did it to prove it could be done. The spokesman said:

“This is literally a geek trying to prove to senior management that they were wrong and he took it too far,�

Your ‘Dead Money’ bloggers concern with this hacking is that it will make it more difficult to get the UIGEA repealed anytime soon. Also this will provide fuel for the online poker opponents to keep preventing US players from playing online.

Here are some other Just Poker Talk posts regarding UIGEA.

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• 2008 World Series of Poker Dates Announced

Harrah’s Entertainment has announced the 2008 dates for the World Series of Poker. The WSOP for 2008 will be held starting May 30th, 2008 and continue with over 50 separate events through the conclusion of the Main Event on July 17th, 2008. Once again the WSOP will be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Exact dates for the specific events have not yet been determined according to WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack.

“The team is still hard at work on the schedule of events for next year,” said Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP Commissioner, “but we’ve received so many requests for the dates that we decided to announce them now.” Source

The WSOP hopes that the Main Event registrations get back to at least as many as the 2006 Main Event. Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) seemed to contribute to the reduction in entries for the 2007 Main Event.

Your ‘Dead Money’ blogger posted numerous times about the WSOP and the WSOPE and if you missed them you can see them here.

2007 WSOP Main Event and bracelet was won by Jerry Yang with a straight he hit on the river when he was heads up against Tuan Lam. Tom Schneider was the 2007 WSOP Player of the Year by winning two WSOP bracelets. Freddy Deeb won the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship and bracelet.

During the 2007 WSOP tournament there were 55 events. The events received record numbers of players. While Harrah’s has not announced the details yet of the events, don’t be surprised if there are even more events during the 2008 WSOP. Information on the specific events will be on the WSOP site soon.

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• Norway to Ban Online Poker?

The Norwegian Minister of Culture is planning to introduce new legislation that would ban online gambling. The legislation would reportedly work very similar to the United States Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA). UIGEA stops Financial entities from making deposits to Online Gaming sites.

It was only a little over a month ago the Norway resident 19 year old Annette Obrestad won the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) Main Event. Annette was the youngest player ever to win a WSOP Championship bracelet and the only female to win the WSOP Main Event. Annette collected over $2,000,000 for winning the WSOPE Main Event.

Annette had quite a Online Poker reputation for her Poker ability. The online forums are full of her Poker achievements, which if the Internet forums can be trusted are quite impressive. Annette started playing Online Poker when she was 15 and according to her she has never deposited any funds to any Online Poker site. Again reportedly, she has won several hundred thousand dollars in winnings from the Online sites.

Photo Source: Poker News

I find it ironic that if the proposed Norway ban on Online Poker had been in effect just a few years ago Annette possibly would not have become such a great Poker player. Also, she probably would not have had the money for the $20,000 buy-in for the WSOPE Main Event. She would never had accumulated the Poker skills that allowed her to amass the bankroll that she now has at the tender age of 19. Annette is a member of Team Betfair and writes a blog for CardPlayerNorge site, again probably opportunities she would not have had if not allowed to play Online Poker from her home in Norway.

Here are some other Just Poker Talk UIGEA posts

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• Poker is it Luck or Skill the Debate Continues

 PokerPro Magazine has an analysis of the Luck vs Skill in Poker written by Tony Guerrera that is very detailed and is an excellent thought provoker. Your ‘Dead Money’ blogger when it comes to Poker of course isn’t very Skilled or Lucky it seems. Do yourself a good deed and click on the link and read the entire magazine article. 

You know about Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that has caused many Online sites to not allow US players to play any longer at their site. If Poker can be proven to be a game of Skill, Congressman Robert Wexler’s HR 2610 Skill Game Protection Act will have a better chance of succeeding. That success will hopefully open the Online sites up again. Here are some of the points made in the analysis.

• Games of Skill

Wikipedia’s definition of a Game of Skill:

as one in which “the outcome is determined mainly by mental and/or physical skill, rather than pure chance” “games of skill can be mastered, and when two parties engage in a game of skill, the party with the higher level of skill is favored to win”

The analysis talks about Chess and Sports as the examples of Games of Skill that nobody debates. In the article Tony makes a point about the difference in the skill set of the competitors and the likeliness the less skilled competitor will prevail.

“games of skill can be mastered, and when two parties engage in a game of skill, the party with the higher level of skill is favored to win”

• Games of Chance

Wikipedia’s definition of Games of Chance:

“A game whose outcome is strongly influenced by some randomizing device.�

Tony talks about these games as the ones the games that random events determine the outcome. You know, shooting craps, playing roulette, playing the lottery, etc….You probably played lots of these Games of Chance.

The analysis moves onto Probability and Expectation Value (EV) and how Poker Players that are very skillful master this ability and apply it to Poker playing. The article goes into much mathematical detail about how to determine Probability and EV. 

EV = (Payout of Outcome #1)(Probability of Outcome #1) + (Payout of Outcome #2)(Probability of Outcome #2) + … + (Payout of Outcome N)(Probability of Outcome N).

I recommend you go to the story to better understand the EV formula, he provides examples.
The last part of the article provides extensive discussion about:

• The Poker Playing Process

Tony outlines the four sections that make up The Poker Playing Process.

1. Putting your Opponent on hand distributions
2. Evaluating your hand relative to opponent’s hand distribution
3. Predicting how your opponent will respond to each of your possible actions
4. Executing the line of play yielding the highest possible EV based on 1,2 and 3.

Tony explains each process expertly and makes numerous great points. This leads to the Summary section and we see these items:

The big difference between poker and other well-accepted games of skill is that chance events appear to have a much bigger effect on poker outcomes. However, the proper way to view poker decisions is to consider EV, which is a quantity that only makes sense when considering the long run.
accomplished poker players make decisions yielding higher monetary EV than those made by their less skilled counterparts, resulting in them making more money in the long run.

Since money is the metric by which score is ultimately kept, poker is, therefore, as much a game of skill as chess, basketball or any another commonly accepted game of pure skill.

Great analysis by Tony.

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• Card Player Magazine - Todd Brunson and UIGEA

Todd Brunson joins a long list of Poker Players that bash the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in this story in Card Player Magazine. Like many others Todd recommends getting U.S. regulation to online Poker and of course then letting the United States benefit by taxing the online Poker industry. He makes many of the same points that have already been made by others but says it a little more forceful. He indicates the elected officials that forced the UIGEA through with the the Port Security bill are ’small minded’.  

When these small-minded congressmen couldn’t get the bill through by itself, the proper, legal way, they attached it to a popular defense bill to increase port security. What does Internet gaming have to do with port security? What a cheap, slimy move!  source

In an earlier post I asked you to go to Poker Players Alliance (PPA) site and register to join the PPA and fight against UIGEA and while at the PPA site: Use the site to send letters to your elected Congressmen to support HR 2046 the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act and HR 2610 the Skill Game Protection Act. It is not too late to assist the PPA to get UIGEA modified to allow Online Poker. Please do it today.

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• New York Congressmen Oppose Poker Ban

Congressmen Steve Israel and Pete King a democrat and republican from New York both have expressed their support for Representative Barney Frank’s Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (IGREA) HR 2406. They published an editorial titled ‘Web Gambling: Tax, don’t Ban’ in the New York Post.

The congressmen find irony in the enactment and enforcement of the UIGEA.

“Years ago, the Treasury’s Secret Service agents used to help Harry Truman put poker games together in the White House,� they wrote. “Now they’d be locking him up.�

The two legislators believe there are more important items on the American agenda.

“Frankly, federal law enforcement officials have bigger fish to fry,� they stated.

Protecting the President, investigating counterfeit money and tracking terrorist financing were mentioned as better ways of spending U.S. funds.

American history and the basic right of privacy were cited.

“In the end, there is the question of how much we want government to be involved in our private lives: For many, playing poker with friends on the Internet is a way to unwind at the end of the day,� the men said. “Technology aside, Web gambling isn’t so different than the way Americans have relaxed and enjoyed the company of friends for decades.� source

In an earlier post your ‘Dead Money’ blogger requested that you support the Poker Players Alliance (PPA)  by going to their site and joining the Alliance. Also at the site you can easily send a letter to your representative to support HR 2406 and HR 2610 ‘Skill Game Protection Act’.

Now you have two New York Congressmen that are supporting your ‘Dead Money’ blogger. If you like playing online Poker go to the PPA site and register and send those letters to your congressmen to get the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) changed.

Feel free to add any Poker related comments, they are welcome always.

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• Poker Players Alliance

Needs your support. They have a goal of 1 million poker players to register for Poker Players Alliance. If you click the logo you will be taken to their site and see that they have over 660,000 registered PPA members. Ever since last October when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was signed into law Poker players have been joining this grass roots effort to assist in getting Poker back into the legal forefront of the United States.
The site has lots of information regarding Fighting for Poker including:

• Major Points
• Federal Legislation
• Latest Member Actions

The reason I am blogging about this today, is I saw on the site the ability to send pre-filled letters to your congressman to support HR 2046 the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007 sponsored by Rep Barney Frank and to support HR 2610 the ‘Skill Game Protection Act’ introduced by congressman Robert Wexler. The site even sends the letters for you. It couldn’t be easier to tell your Congressman that you support Poker and have the Country start down the path to removing the UIGEA law.

So your ‘Dead Money’ blogger is recommending that you join the Poker Players Alliance and click a couple links to send the letters to your Congressman. Please do it now.

Feel free to add any Poker related comments, they are welcome always.

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