Poker News

‘Play for Haiti’ at UB and Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker and UB, which are both owned by Tokwiro Enterprises, will host the event this Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 20:30 ET.

The tournament buy-in will be $5 with a turbo rebuy format and Tokwiro will match 100% of the cash that is raised through the tournament.

"Along with the rest of the world, we've watched the headlines and news unfold with growing horror as the magnitude of the devastation in Haiti has been revealed," said Paul Leggett, Tokwiro's CEO.

"We believe we have a duty to do what we can to help raise funds and awareness for the plight of the people of Haiti, and our 'Play for Haiti' tournament is one small way we can work with our players to contribute."

Concerned players won’t walk away empty-handed as UB and Absolute Poker have added over $10,000 in prizes including a $2,500+$100 entry into Ultimate Bet Online Championship Event 8 for first place.

All the money from the tournament will go towards the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

The event can be found under ‘Play for Haiti’ in the special tournaments lobby on both UB and Absolute Poker.

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Eric Baldwin (basebaldy) Signs with UB, Wins Player of the Year

On Tuesday, 2009 CardPlayer Player of the Year winner Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin became a sponsored pro of the USA-friendly online poker site UB.com. He defeated Cornel Andrew Cimpan and Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko in the Player of the Year race.

In April, Baldwin came out on top of the field in a $2,500 No Limit Hold’em event held during the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza and earned $198,000. The colossal six-figure score set up a monumental run at this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP). Baldwin won his first bracelet by besting Danish pro Jonas Klausen in a $1,500 buy-in Limit Hold’em event to the tune of $521,000. About a week later, he grabbed third in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em, boosting his bankroll by another $259,000.

After the 2009 WSOP, Baldwin’s quest to take down the CardPlayer Player of the Year title hit full stride. He told Poker News Daily, “"At the start of the year at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, my friends and I were talking about how much fun it would be to chase after that award. I like the structure of a competition like that. It’s so much fun to me. It gives me a goal and something to work with. At the end of the WSOP, I thought it could be my year." In October, Baldwin final tabled the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic for $126,000. This month, he padded his resume by winning a $1,000 buy-in preliminary event held during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $256,000.

He was rewarded for his efforts with a contract from UB.com, where he’ll play under the moniker “eric_baldwin,” abandoning his “basebaldy” nickname for the time being. On the November re-launch of UB.com, Baldwin told Poker News Daily, “I thought everything looked slick. I like the new logo and everything runs smoothly. I like the new website and the new features with videos of the pros. We’re going to get into some strategy things on the site that will help people a lot. Everything looks slick, runs slick, and it’s exciting.” UB.com makes its home on the CEREUS Network along with Absolute Poker. Both online poker rooms are owned by Tokwiro Enterprises.

Baldwin is a former baseball player from Wisconsin and will appear on this week’s installment of the UB.com poker news show “Poker2Nite.” He joins a cast of characters at UB.com that already includes Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp, Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire, Brandon Cantu, PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok, Matt “mattg1983” Graham, Michael Binger, and “Amazing Race” contestant Tiffany Michelle.

The site’s marquee poker tournament is the $200,000 Guaranteed, a $215 buy-in event that takes place every Sunday at 4:00pm ET. Over the weekend, JohnnyCashGame earned $45,000 for outlasting the 1,014-player field, defeating Bonezee heads-up. All was not lost for Bonezee, however, as the UB.com member received a $27,000 consolation prize. The top 99 players finished in the money and the tournament is also open to customers of Absolute Poker.

In a press release announcing Baldwin’s signing, Duke commented, "Eric Baldwin isn't just a new UB pro, he is UB. Eric loves this game more than anything in the world, he plays to win, and he's respected for his passion at the tables. We really couldn't be more ecstatic to have the Player of the Year on our team." Besides Baldwin, Cimpan, and Timoshenko, others in the top ten on the 2009 CardPlayer Player of the Year leaderboard include Vitaly Lunkin, World Poker Tour Five Diamond Champion Daniel Alaei, Jason Mercier, and 2009 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Cada.

According to CardPlayer, Baldwin earned nearly 7,000 Player of the Year Points in 2009 and piled up $1.5 million in earnings.

ECOGRA Certifies CEREUS Poker Network

The CEREUS Network has taken another step towards regaining the trust of its customer base.  The independent certification group eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) recently announced that CEREUS met all of the qualifications for the organization’s seal of approval.

According to an announcement on eCOGRA’s site, CEREUS passed the certification process with “flying colors.”  The eCOGRA staff traveled to CEREUS headquarters to review the software and the company that produced it.  The lengthy review process analyzed the company’s random number generator and its management team.  eCOGRA used its Total Gaming Transaction Review system to assess CEREUS’ gaming transactions in terms of fairness and efficiency.

When all was said and done, eCOGRA was more than impressed with CEREUS’ operation.  Sean Roberts, Compliance Manager for eCOGRA, commented on the group’s findings in its official statement: “The active measures taken, in light of events that impacted players, coupled with an impressive range of additional mitigating controls that have since been implemented, have contributed to the CEREUS online poker network’s software reaching the standards we require for software accreditation.”

The London-based eCOGRA has long been considered to be one of the more prestigious and reputable online gaming certification groups out there.  Sites are certified by the Board of Directors, which consists of Executive Director Andrew Beveridge and Independent Directors Bill Henbrey, Michael Hirst, Bill Galston, and Frank Catania.  The board also includes three non-executive directors.  The four executive directors include an accountant, a former board member of Ladbrokes PLC, a retired inspector from the British Gaming Board, and a founder and president of a consulting group.

Beveridge also serves as the CEO of eCOGRA and has been at his post since 2003.  He possesses more than a decade of knowledge and experience in the world of online business and gaming.  A former executive at International Gaming Networks, Beveridge expressed confidence that CEREUS would uphold the standards expected of sites with eCOGRA certification: “CEREUS management’s complete cooperation and commitment to an in-depth inspection and monitoring process involving the network’s transaction records and its software has been remarkable.  Going forward, we are confident that the network’s adherence to our standards and best business practice requirements will prevent any reoccurrence of the unfortunate incidents of the past.”

Obviously excited to hear the good news, Paul Leggett, CEO of CEREUS’ parent company Tokwiro Enterprises, conveyed his feelings about the certification in the official eCOGRA press release: “Doing everything possible to reassure the poker community that our operation and software are completely safe and secure is a priority for us. This is why we decided to work with eCOGRA and apply for the Certified Software accreditation seal,” Leggett explained.  “Their inspection team was extraordinarily thorough, looking at a wide range of elements in our software. We are proud that our product passed the tough requirements to achieve this important accreditation. We have learned a great deal from eCOGRA and we respect and support their ongoing efforts to make the online poker industry more accountable.”

This announcement is not the first time that an outside organization has commended the company for its efforts to improve the safety and fairness of its online poker rooms following the Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet cheating scandals.  Earlier this year, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) issued its findings on the scandal and stated that no one at Tokwiro was aware of the impropriety or was involved in the cheating.  Despite not finding Tokwiro liable for any of the theft, the KGC instituted a list of requirements for UB to retain its CEREUS-issued license, including KGC testing, independent testing, internal audits, and KGC approval on new employee hiring.

Hevad Khan Joins ESPN Inside Deal

This week on the ESPN.com poker show “Inside Deal,” Team PokerStars Pro member Hevad Khan relived some of his memorable antics from the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and gave his take on this year’s November Nine.

“Inside Deal” began by rehashing the week’s news, starting with the massive 730 player turnout in the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) London stop. Aaron Gustavson took down the event, besting 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate heads-up. “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee explained, “With 730 players, EPT London had a tremendous turnout, but it utilized several factors to its advantage.” Among them were that it piggybacked on the WSOP Europe festivities in London, the buy-in was only ?5,000, and 200 players qualified online through PokerStars, which sponsors the EPT.

Daniel Negreanu was quoted on the Hardcore Poker Show as saying, “Personally, I don’t think [Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker] should exist anymore, especially considering what happened at Ultimate Bet. I don’t feel we owe them any favors.” The sound byte led Lee to speculate that players will ultimately continue playing at the two sites as long as their present management, Tokwiro Enterprises, properly oversees the operation. Russ Hamilton was fingered as the main man responsible for the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal.

Then, an interview with Phil Ivey aired in which he noted that he’s third in line for the Durrrr Challenge behind Patrik Antonius and David Benyamine. Ivey told “Poker Edge” host Phil Gordon, “[Tom Dwan] is probably going to have an advantage on me in the beginning because I’m not used to playing four games.” Dwan is halfway through his match against Antonius and leads by $700,000 after 25,000 hands. The contest pits the two pros against each other across four tables of $200/$400 Pot Limit Omaha for 50,000 hands.

Khan joined the “Inside Deal” set to talk about the “Hevad Khan Rule,” which bars excessive celebration at the WSOP. On the rule, Khan told Lee and “Inside Deal” host Laura Lane, “I like the rule. I had a rule named after me.” Khan lived in New York when he final tabled the 2007 WSOP Main Event, but has since moved to Las Vegas. On delaying the final table until November, Khan admitted, “Momentum is a big thing in poker. This whole period can turn amateurs into pros and pros into disasters. For me, I’m glad I got to play the next day.” Jerry Yang took down the 2007 WSOP Main Event to the tune of $8.25 million, his only WSOP cash to date.

Khan is 24 years-old and a former StarCraft aficionado. As such, he’s been able to take advantage of several aspects of StarCraft that translate to the poker world. Khan explained that StarCraft’s requirements of “multitasking and fixating yourself in front of a computer for hours on end with no other misdirection” have helped him succeed in poker. Other high-profile StarCraft players include Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, one of Khan’s close friends.

On the success of younger pros in today’s poker scene, Khan explained, “Young guys are able to play poker when they’re 18 and that’s a three year boot camp before they can enter the live felt.” Khan added that Darvin Moon, one of the elder statesmen at the WSOP Main Event final table, will finish third or better when the smoke clears in the $10,000 buy-in tournament next month, rationalizing, “People with big chip leads usually win the tournament.”

On which of the short stacks – James Akenhead, Antoine Saout, or Ivey – will be eliminated first from the Main Event, Khan explained that Ivey would: “You can imagine the amount of money he has on prop bets.” Therefore, Ivey’s focus would be on winning, which could result in an early exit as he attempts to double up.

Khan gained fame after recording a video while playing 30 sit and gos at once on PokerStars, which thought he could be a bot. When asked what the most number he ever played at a time was, Khan answered 43, with 32 to 38 being common. Nowadays, he refrains from playing sit and gos altogether.

Finally, Khan admitted that he is rooting for Ivey to take down the 2009 WSOP Main Event, saying, “It’ll bring the public together more.” Ivey is seeking his eighth bracelet overall and third of 2009; he also won three in 2002.

“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday on ESPN.com.

Sebok signs with UltimateBet

"I am very happy to be joining UB today and look forward to our future," Sebok said.

The pro poker player, radio host and website CEO will be wearing the UB patch at tournaments across the globe and yet another hat, as he takes on an expanded role as a media and operations consultant with UltimateBet.

"We are ecstatic to bring Joe onto Team UB," said Paul Leggett, COO of Tokwiro Enterprises. "He will not only serve as a pro player representing the brand, but more importantly will be instrumental in helping us create a poker site for and by poker players."

Earlier this month the Kahnawake Gaming Commission released its final decision regarding the UltimateBet cheating scandal.

According to the decision, the ability to view hole cards was enabled by illicit software placed on the Ultimate Bet servers prior to November 2005. A third party account was then used to view cards and the information passed on to the offending players.

The Commission named 1994 WSOP Main Event champ Russell Hamilton as the person it believes is primarily responsible, adding that there were 31 individuals who were associated to varying degrees with Hamilton when the alleged cheating took place.

A total of $22 million was returned to affected UB customers and new UltimateBet management company Tokwiro Enterprises, who took over operations in the midst of the scandal, was fined $1.5 million.

Stepson of the legendary pro Barry Greenstein, Sebok worked with UltimateBet's new management team to make sure players weren't left in the dark as the site worked to make things right for its players, a role he intends to continue with the team.

"UB and I first started talking about a possible relationship almost four months ago and I made it very clear that I couldn't commit until that point in time when the names associated with the scandal began to be released," Sebok said.

"Paul Leggett has been instrumental in this process and I now feel comfortable and excited about joining the team, as we are heading in such a positive direction. While this process isn't entirely complete, I consider this to be one of my new responsibilities moving forward and intend to continue working very closely with Paul to ensure it happens."

Sebok made two final tables at the 2005 World Series of Poker and has more than $1.85 million in career tournament earnings, but is perhaps most famous for bubbling two World Poker Tour final tables in 2007.

At the 2009 WSOP Main Event this summer Sebok finished 56th cashing for $108,000.

Sebok will continue to run PokerRoad.com as he plays under the UltimateBet umbrella.

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Joe Sebok Joins Ultimate Bet in Consulting, Sponsorship Role

Long considered to be one of the top poker professionals without a major sponsorship deal, it was announced late Monday evening that Joe Sebok will be joining Ultimate Bet’s roster of poker pros. Sebok will also take a prominent position inside of the Ultimate Bet organization in a deal orchestrated by 11Management.

While he joins Team UB and will be wearing the site’s signature black and gold colors at tournaments around the world, Sebok will also undertake a major consulting role with the company. Because of his abilities in the world of internet radio and podcasting, Sebok will accept a position as the site’s Media and Operations Consultant. In this capacity, Sebok will help bridge the gap between the Ultimate Bet brand and poker players. His in-depth knowledge of the online poker world will likely raise the bar and make Ultimate Bet the only place players will want to visit.

Sebok had previously gained the industry’s respect for his founding of PokerRoad.com, an online media outlet that provides poker fans with fresh, innovative, and often irreverent content from an insider’s perspective. Online poker fans around the world continue to look to Sebok and PokerRoad.com, where he serves as the company’s CEO, for a unique perspective on everything related to land-based and online poker.

“We are ecstatic to bring Joe onto Team UB,” said Paul Leggett, the COO of Tokwiro Enterprises. “He will not only serve as a pro player representing the brand, but more importantly will be instrumental in helping us create a poker site for and by poker players. His commitment to the brand was invaluable, as he worked closely with me to help begin to bring closure on the details surrounding the cheating investigation from last year. I’ll continue to work with him to ensure that we always do everything possible to satisfy the poker community’s concerns and will continue to work together to make Ultimate Bet the premier poker site. I couldn’t be happier to welcome Joe to the team today.”

“UB and I first started talking about a possible relationship almost four months ago and I made it very clear that I couldn’t commit until that point in time when the names associated with the scandal began to be released,” Sebok stated during the announcement. “Paul Leggett has been instrumental in this process and I now feel comfortable and excited about joining the team as we are heading in such a positive direction. While this process isn’t entirely complete, I consider this to be one of my new responsibilities moving forward and intend to continue working very closely with Paul to ensure it happens. I am very happy to be joining Ultimate Bet today and look forward to our future.”

While he has not captured a major title as of yet, Sebok is one of the best young poker players in the game today. Learning from a master of the game in his father Barry Greenstein, Sebok has earned over $1.85 million from live tournament poker over the last five years. He can count preliminary tournament victories at the 2006 Mirage Poker Showdown for $150,165, the 2006 Heavenly Hold’em Championship for $209,060, a 2006 Festa Al Logo Classic event for $267,295, and a 2007 L.A. Poker Classic event for over $96,000 as some of his most notable cashes. More recently, Sebok made a deep run at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, where he eventually finished in 56th place for $108,000. In joining fellow poker professionals Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke as members of Team UB, Sebok will bring further credibility to Ultimate Bet’s championship lineup of poker talent.

Tokwiro COO Paul Leggett Offers Thoughts on KGC Report

More than a week has passed since the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) issued an 11-page report documenting its lengthy investigation into the cheating that transpired on the online poker site Ultimate Bet between 2003 and 2007.  Tokwiro Enterprises, the company that currently owns and operates both Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, issued its official statement last weekend, but earlier this week, the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Paul Leggett offered his personal thoughts on the matter in his official UB blog.

Like many of Ultimate Bet’s customers, Leggett was pleased to see that the report included the list of screen names connected to the scandal.  While the report failed to mention any people directly except for former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Russ Hamilton, the long list of screen names was perhaps the most anticipated component of the report and something that those affected by the scandal had been requesting for months.

Obviously, Leggett also expressed enthusiasm that his company, Tokwiro, was not found liable for any of the cheating that transpired, with the bulk of the blame going to Ultimate Bet’s previous owners.  “It is very important to us that everyone understands that our company had nothing to do with the cheating on UltimateBet,” Leggett wrote in his Tuesday blog entry.  In an effort to clear up any confusion regarding other information released in the KGC report, Leggett dedicated the rest of his post to discussing his own thoughts on the findings.

He began by trying to put the scope of both UB’s internal investigation and the one conducted by the KGC into context.  Leggett claimed most avenues the investigation explored resulted in dead ends, in part, because the KGC lacked resources of a law enforcement agency since it is simply a regulatory body.

“This limited the Tokiwro and KGC investigations because the only evidence available was data,” Leggett explained, before he moved on to address the data itself.  The COO claimed he did not know definitively who the other 31 people listed in the report are, but he said he could “make a very educated guess as to which names were included.”

Many who have read the report chided the KGC for releasing only Hamilton’s name and suggested he is being made to be the scapegoat for the actions of many.  Leggett agrees with the KGC’s assertion that Hamilton is the person who masterminded the operation:

“In my opinion, the KGC released his name because there was an overwhelming amount of evidence that showed he was the person using the software and accounts to cheat, that his close associates helped facilitate the changing of usernames and the movement of monies, and that he was the main beneficiary of the proceeds from the cheating,” wrote Leggett.

As for any potential legal action that may be taken towards Hamilton and others in the future, Leggett remains skeptical and blames the lack of regulation of online poker in the U.S. for the difficulty inherent against pressing charges and opening up a legal investigation.  He explained, “The current legal environment in the United States, relating to online poker, makes it very complicated for the proper authorities to work with us and for us to bring a claim against individuals in the United States.” He then went on to make his own case for pushing for online gambling regulation in the coming months.

Leggett concluded his thoughts by expressing his own personal frustration and sadness dealing with the investigation over the past several months.  He even acknowledged his de facto role as bad guy to several members of the online poker community, but concluded by suggesting the worst is behind Ultimate Bet and the $22 million reimbursement and $15 million settlement with UB’s previous owners are two big steps towards proving that the site is a safe and fun place for people to play poker online.

Tokwiro responds to Kahnawake verdict on Ultimate Bet cheating scandal

Tokwiro Enterprises, the owner of Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker has given its response to the Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s report on the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal.

UltimateBet Parent Company Tokwiro In the Clear

Although the naming of Russ Hamilton and other UltimateBet cheaters in the Kanawake Gaming Commission’s (KGC) decision on the 2008 UltimtateBet cheating scandal stole the show, the exoneration of Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG, parent company of UB, is...

Tokwiro Responds to KGC’s Report

Online poker room Ultimate Bet (UB) issued an official response to the Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s (KGC) 11-page report discussing their conclusions about the UB cheating scandal. The report, issued on Thursday, claimed former World Series of Poker Main Event winner Russ Hamilton and 31 co-conspirators used 117 screennames and 23 different Ultimate Bet accounts to cheat users on the site out of over $22 million from 2003-2007.

On Friday, Tokwiro Enterprises, the company who currently owns both Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, released their response to the report in which they highlighted some of the major points made by the KGC, especially those that expunged doubts that anyone from Tokwiro or currently affiliated with UB had anything to do with the cheating activity. Paul Leggett, the Chief Operating Officer for Tokwiro offered his thoughts on the KGC’s findings as part of the company’s official response:

“The welfare of our players is our top priority and we are very pleased they now have access to the details of the fraud and all the facts and findings released by the KGC included in their report,” he stated. “A lot of our players have been patiently awaiting the release of the full list of usernames involved in the cheating incidences, and we can now answer any of their outstanding inquiries related to their refunds.”

Tokwiro’s statement primarily reasserted previous claims from Tokwiro that they were unaware of the cheat code housed in the normal code of the UB poker client when they purchased the site from Excapsa Software in 2006. Excapsa and Tokwiro recently reached a legal settlement in which Excapsa paid the company $15 million to go towards reimbursing the players on the site who were affected by the cheating.

The KGC’s findings may have exonerated Tokwiro Enterprises from much of the scandal, but the company is still being required to implement several new measures per the KGC’s request in order to maintain their KGC-issued Client Provider Authorization (CPA). As part of the conditions, KGC is requiring Tokwiro to submit their game logs to independent consultants for review and seeking approval from the KGC before hiring any new managers or executives.

Tokwiro’s statement also disclosed that Ultimate Bet was taking steps of their own from within the company to ensure this does not happen again in the future. Implementation of a new ethics code, new rules about screen name changes, and a revamping of how VIP players are handled are just a few of the changes the company listed.

Tokwiro also commented on the list of screennames. The company stated that because the site used to have a very liberal screen name policy, it is possible that one or more of the screennames now belong to users who are in no way affiliated with the cheating scandal since the site used to allow discarded screennames to be picked up and used by other players.

Along with the official statement from the company, Ultimate Bet representative Kathryn Farrell offered the company’s thoughts on the end of this latest chapter in the scandal story. “With the public release of that decision, we are finally able to close the book on that chapter of the company’s history,” she wrote. “While we vow to never forget, we look to the future as a company with a passion for the game of poker and for providing our players with the safest and most secure poker rooms on the net.”

A Closer Look at the KGC Report

The much-anticipated report from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) regarding the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal was released to the public on Thursday. The 11-page document determined that a total of 23 accounts, 117 usernames and 31 individuals were involved in the cheating operation and the KGC pointed the finger at former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Russ Hamilton as the individual who benefitted the most financially from the four years of cheating on the site. What follows is a closer look at what was included in yesterday’s report from the KGC:

In early 2008 the KGC first received a complaint about suspicious incidents on Ultimate Bet. By September the commission concluded there was impropriety taking place at the site’s virtual tables and leveled monetary and continuing performance sanctions on the current owners of UB, Tokwiro Enterprises. Though Tokwiro currently owns both Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, it was eWorld Holdings who controlled UB during the period in which the cheating began.

The most recent report lists the key facts uncovered during the twelve month investigation. The period of cheating occurred from June of 2003 until December of 2007—nearly two years earlier than the January 2005 start date asserted by Ultimate Bet in a press release from June of 2008. The KGC stated that all of the individuals involved in the cheating are no longer affiliated with Ultimate Bet or Tokwiro and that Tokwiro has refunded $22,054,351.91 back to customers affected by the scandal. In addition to issuing refunds, Tokwiro also paid a fine of $1.5 million to the KGC in addition to fully funding the cost of the Commission’s investigation.

Thursday’s reports revealed details about how the cheaters went about their scam, which involved an illicit piece of software that allowed two accounts, called “AuditMonster1″ and “AuditMonster2″ to the see hole cards of all the players at the table. The illicit code that created what the KGC termed a “stealth observer function” was located within the normal code base and was disabled by UB in February of 2008. The KGC report stated that Tokwiro was unaware of the code when they purchased the company because they were only provided with information regarding source code that had been changed or modified after November of 2005. Since the cheat code had not been modified during that time, it remained undetected by Tokwiro personnel.

Based on “anomalous player statistics” and the transfer of funds between various UB accounts, the KGC was able to cull its list of 117 screennames and 23 users connected to the cheating operation. There are no names listed of the 31 individuals who co-conspired with Hamilton, who is believed by the KGC to be the linchpin of the whole operation. An excerpt from their statement stated the following about Hamilton:

“The individuals who transferred money, changed usernames or withdrew money from accounts, all had ties to the eWorld Holdings Group and/or Russell Hamilton. The beneficiaries of these transfers and withdrawals were either Russell Hamilton or individuals who worked directly with Russell Hamilton or the eWorld Holdings Group.”

The KGC does not have any power to levy criminal charges on Hamilton, but within their statement they conceded his actions could be considered criminal behavior and, as such, they would be happy to cooperate with any law enforcement groups who may try to press charges against Hamilton. Within their statement the KGC said they have already passed along information about the 31 unnamed individuals connected to the cheating to pertinent law enforcement authorities.

While the KGC’s report placed the bulk of the responsibility squarely on Hamilton’s soldiers, Tokwiro will still have to take extra measures in order to ensure their KGC-issued gaming license will not be revoked. The Commission listed nine different conditions to the continuation of Tokwiro’s license which ranged from KGC testing of Tokwiro’s control systems to independent testing of their hand logging software to seeking KGC approval on any new executive hires.

The report ended with a sincere thank you from the KGC to those players who helped uncover the scandal. “The Commission is of the unanimous view that the voices of this online community will continue to play a key role in the shaping the future of online gaming regulation.” The KGC is also now on record that they believe the end result of the investigation led to an “equitable result” for those who play or have played on Ultimate Bet.

KGC passes judgment on UltimateBet scandal

The Commission once again confirmed that cheating did occur on the online poker site and that Tokwiro Enterprises, owner of UltimateBet, had returned a total of $22 million to its affected customers.

Tokwiro Enterprises was also fined $1.5 million over the incident.

"Despite the unfortunate circumstances that resulted in this cheating, we are satisfied that the actions taken by the Commission provided an equitable result for affected players - our first priority," said KGC Chairman Dean Montour.

"We remain optimistic that this experience and the lessons learned from it will result in a higher standard of gaming regulation for companies licensed and regulated within the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake and elsewhere."

According to the decision, the ability to view hole cards was enabled by illicit software placed on the UltimateBet servers prior to November 2005. A third party account was then used to view players hole cards and the information passed on to the offending players.

The user names on the accounts maintained by those responsible were changed often in an apparent attempt to avoid detection.

The Commission named 1994 WSOP Main Event champ Russell Hamilton as the individual it believes is primarily responsible, adding that there were 31 individuals who were associated to varying degrees with Hamilton when the alleged cheating took place.

Names were not released to the public.

In total, the KGC's investigation revealed 23 accounts with 117 different usernames were used to facilitate the cheating and the money was disbursed using player-to-player transfers on the site.

The Commission has provided the results of its investigation to law enforcement authorities, who will determine whether criminal charges should be laid against one or more of the individuals involved.

The KGC noted that UltimateBet has taken significant steps to modify its control systems to prevent cheating and other improprieties in the future.

To read the full text of the release click here.

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Online Poker Players Turning to Bank Wires in Wake of Funds Seizure

In recent weeks, Poker News Daily has featured exclusive news regarding the controversy surrounding the United States Government’s seizure of over $30 million in online poker player funds.  Many regular players are now concerned that their own bank accounts might be flagged and that the checks they receive might not clear.

Paul Leggett, Chief Operating Officer of Tokwiro Enterprises (the parent company of both Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker) spoke exclusively with Poker News Daily and explained how cashouts have been handled at the CEREUS Network sites: “Recently, one of our check provider’s bank accounts was frozen and it’s not known when the funds will be released.  The provider’s legal team and the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) are working on this matter.  Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet immediately refunded players the amount of their withdrawal along with a bonus for the inconvenience.”

Leggett added, “Customer service is extremely important in online poker, especially when it involves players’ financial transactions.  Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet recognize this and both sites continue to offer players the largest variety of easy-to-use deposit and withdrawal options.”

A staff member native to the United States working for Poker News Daily received a check from Absolute Poker for an amount between $500 and $750 last week.  The check came from a bank outside of the United States and was immediately cashed and cleared within 24 hours.

Reports have been coming in from U.S. online poker players who have received checks during the last two weeks.  For many, it seems that checks received after June 7th are clearing without issue.  Others have resorted to other means of withdrawing funds from Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars in the form of direct money wires.  For many, these incur additional fees, but offer a quick means of secure payment.  The bank wire method was suggested by the PokerStars Payment Services in a form e-mail sent to many players complaining of the longer turnaround time for checks:

Hello,

Due to a recent processing issue, we are currently experiencing a backlog of paper check cashout requests. This means that a number of paper check transactions, yours included, have unfortunately experienced a delay.

While you should still receive the cheque within our stipulated 15 business day timeframe, may we suggest that you may wish to consider a bank wire transfer cashout as an alternative.

We have recently lowered the minimum cashout value for this payment method to $1,000 … the payment will be sent by wire to be credited directly to your account in 3-5 business days….

Should you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

PokerStars Payment Services

Extra fees for bank wire services can be between $35 and $50, so it’s suggested that you seek additional details before receiving a wire.  As posted on various forums, wire requests sent in on June 9th were processed by sites on June 10th and received by players on June 16th.

The opinions keep coming in from many of the world’s top online poker players.  Michael Pearson, better known as “Vizer02,” weighed in on the situation: “The seizure of the funds by the Department of Justice is definitely a scary situation.  Last year when the Government stopped some processor’s payments, I had to wait six weeks to receive my cashout, which was very frustrating.  News like this can hurt the poker economy since casual players will be less inclined to play online poker because they are fearful of never being able to cashout.”

For now, poker players are highly encouraged to do their research into withdrawal methods and contact customer support for the poker room to ensure the transaction will go smoothly.

Matt Graham (mattg1983) Joins Ultimate Bet Star Players Team

On Thursday, online poker room Ultimate Bet announced that it had signed World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder and top online poker player Matt “mattg1983” Graham to its roster of Star Players. He joins Tiffany Michelle, Tracy Scala, James “P0KERPR033” Campbell, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, and Michael Binger.

Graham's WSOP bracelet came after a grueling heads-up match against Bodog pro and “Survivor: China” contestant Jean-Robert Bellande in a $1,500 buy-in Limit Shootout event last year. Graham's win was worth $278,000, solidifying his name as a major force in both the live and online poker worlds. Graham also took down a $5,000 buy-in event held during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in December for $320,000, besting David Matthew heads-up. Finishing in the top ten of that tournament were a talented group of pros including David “The Dragon” Pham, Hafiz Khan, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and Marco “CrazyMarco” Johnson.

In a statement released by the Tokwiro-owned online poker site, Annie Duke welcomed her new colleague to Ultimate Bet: "I am so thrilled to have Matt Graham on the team. Matt epitomizes the all-around poker player. He has great results in all of the games, live or online. Matt is an amazing addition to the UltimateBet.com team." Duke and Phil Hellmuth serve as the primary faces of Ultimate Bet, which makes its home on the USA-friendly CEREUS Network. Late last year, the site combined its member base with that of Absolute Poker, creating the popular Network.

Michelle was the last woman standing in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, ultimately finishing 17th and taking home $334,000. Scala won the first season of “Best Damn Poker Show,” a reality series on Fox Sports Net pitting Duke and Hellmuth against each other to see who can groom poker's next superstar. The second installment of “Best Damn Poker Show” just wrapped up and was won by Patrick Karst.

Campbell is one of the top online players and can be found battling it out under the alias “P0KERPR033.” Levy finished fifth in the World Poker Tour's Festa al Lago event last year, banking $266,000. Stann was a contestant on “Best Damn Poker Show” Season One and is well-known for his skills at the blackjack table. Binger has nearly $5 million in career WSOP earnings, although he has not yet won a bracelet.

On his new employer, Graham noted, "I look forward to the opportunity to represent UltimateBet.com both online and in the live arena. I never would have thought I would be a site pro when I began my online poker career at UltimateBet.com four years ago, but now here I am. I am very excited to be a part of the future of this site." Online, the poker prodigy took down the Sunday Second Chance on PokerStars in August for $53,000. In the same month, he also won the PokerStars $100 rebuy, one of the most challenging tournaments in all of poker, for $38,000.

According to PokerScout.com, which ranks online poker traffic, CEREUS sits at number seven worldwide with a seven day running average of 2,400 real money ring game players. Its 24 hour peak, which occurs during prime time hours in the United States, is 3,321. The CEREUS Network is the third largest that accepts players from the United States, trailing only PokerStars (24,400 cash game players on average) and Full Tilt Poker (11,000). Both Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet are owned by Tokwiro Enterprises. The Network's Bad Beat Jackpot was hit last week for over $800,000 when a Royal Flush defeated a jack-high Straight Flush.