Earlier this week, a thread titled "CoinPoker Froze My 10,000 USDT Account" gained traction on the CoinPoker Reddit forum. In the thread, the author – 'Far_State_8335' – claimed that their CoinPoker account was "suddenly frozen and later banned due to an accusation of using real-time solver assistance (RTA)," despite "virtually no concrete evidence provided."
'Far_State_8335' went on to provide their side of events, including background information on their playstyle, details regarding the timeline of the situation, and images of the five hands that they claimed CoinPoker used to justify its decision, in order to "warn others about the risks of playing on CoinPoker." In the replies, select commenters expressed sympathy and thanked the author for their warning while others showed skepticism about the claims made.
In an initial response, CoinPoker posted the following statement in the thread:
"CoinPoker takes all account-related investigations very seriously and follows a thorough internal review process before any decision is made. Every case is handled individually and in accordance with our compliance and integrity policies. While we understand that such decisions can be frustrating, we can confirm that the case in question was reviewed carefully and in line with our internal compliance standards. The user was informed of the outcome, and all relevant data has been documented. As stated in our communication, CoinPoker will not disclose specific investigative details publicly in order to protect the integrity of our detection methods. However, we are fully prepared to present all relevant evidence to the appropriate regulatory authorities should it be requested. CoinPoker remains committed to fairness, transparency, and maintaining a safe playing environment for all users."
As stated above, CoinPoker was at first unwilling to disclose details from its internal investigation. On Thursday, however, CoinPoker Ambassador Mario Mosbock took to social media to clarify the decision-making process and provide evidence sourced from the site's security report, which was completed with the help of GTOWizard's Fair Play Check.
Mosbock brings the receipts
In his post, Mosbock shared three hands which, when cross-referenced with GTOWizard's Fair Play Check tool, proved to occur at the same time as GTOWizard inputs for boards with the exact same cards. With this evidence, CoinPoker made the decision to ban the player's account and confiscate and redistribute the ill-begotten funds to players affected by the foul play.
When it comes to transparency in these matters, online operators are often caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they want to be forthcoming with details about confiscated funds and account bans. On the other, revealing the processes for identifying foul play can jeopardize efficacy in future cases.
"It's very hard for sites because from a business perspective it's hard to share information. From a legal perspective, it's hard to share information," Mosbock told PokerOrg on Friday. "With cheaters, it's often times not bulletproof. With this case specifically, it's bulletproof and clear."
"It frustrated me that our security team had to read that Reddit post," Mosbock added, speaking to his motivations in sharing the information.
World Poker Tour (WPT) Host and professional poker player Tony Dunst responded to Mosbock's post with: "Good thread here Mario, appreciate that you and CP were willing to be transparent. It’s definitely hard to find the balance between sharing why/how you know someone cheated, and what the process for stopping them is."
It's not the first time CoinPoker has acted with transparency in matters of this nature. In late October, the site took decisive action to ban several accounts found to be utilizing seat-scripting technology.
"We spend a lot of resources, money, and time to build out the best tools," Mosbock explained. "The better the software and the better the detection system, the faster these people will be caught."
