On October 19th, 2007, in an incident showing the dangers of online wagering, an online poker site commented that a computer hacker took advantage of the security problems to gain an advantage in the high-stakes, Texas Holdem events.
The hacker was able to see the hole cards of the other players. The hacker, whose winnings were at $400,000 and $700,000 by one player, was a staff of AbsolutePoker who hacked the computer system to show that it is possible. The company spokesperson said that it is an employee that is trying to prove that it can be done.
AbsolutePoker, which is based in Costa Rica and controlled by a parent organization owned by the members of the Kahnawake Mohawk Tribe in Canada, issued a reaction acknowledging the hacking problem and promising to refund all of the players' losses.
The company also promised to release further details on the problem. The spokesperson from the casino said that they are thinking of filing a case against their staff. AbsolutePoker initially denied the expose of the group of players that become victim to this scheme.
The players said that the players that have aliases named "Graycat", "Potripper" and "Steamroller" had questionable skills at the table. Some players who have played against this people is that the players played aggressively and without fearing the unknown. 27-year old Serge Ravitch from New York is the first one to raise cheating allegations in AbsolutePoker.
A lot of poker players were initially wary of the charge but they have believe it when the players posted a recreation of the game were Potripper played in the event. AbsolutePoker initially said that their investigation is that they have found no evidence that their security have been compromised.
AbsolutePoker also said that there is no way that the hole cards can be seen and there is no way that the technology will allow any account of this kind.
11/05/2007 04:57 PM