Two common faces within the poker world have been notably absent from a well-liked, long-running event, and PokerStars is once more experiencing technical difficulties throughout occasions.
Ali Imsirovic after successful the $25K NLH Occasion on the 2018 Poker Masters. He’s lacking from this yr’s Poker Masters event, together with Jake Schindler, over allegations they each cheat at poker. (Picture: Drew Amato)
Just a few days in the past, because the Poker Masters was getting began, Daniel Negreanu seen that Ali Imsirovic and Jake Schindler have been absent. It was a bit of stunning, provided that each have been common fixtures at big-ticket tournaments.
Negreanu forecast on Twitter that the 2 gamers wouldn’t arrive, and he was proper. Poker Masters organizer PokerGO later confirmed that it had suspended the 2 grinders over dishonest allegations.
In a press launch, the PokerGo Tour (PGT) introduced “the indefinite suspensions of Ali Imsirovic and Jake Schindler, efficient instantly. The suspensions will prolong by way of at the very least the 2022 PGT season, at which level a evaluate will happen.”
For now, the suspensions will run by way of the top of the yr. That is the primary main poker circuit to take motion in opposition to the 2 embattled professionals.
Neither has publicly addressed the allegations, including to the suspicion that they’re responsible. After Schindler received his WSOP bracelet final summer time, he refused to debate the topic when the media approached him for feedback.
No Room for Cheaters
Imsirovic and Schindler have prompted an uproar within the poker neighborhood. A number of gamers have accused the pair of colluding in stay poker tournaments and utilizing real-time help (RTA) instruments in on-line tourneys to sport the system.
Each gamers are among the many greatest event grinders on this planet. Earlier than the dishonest accusations, Negreanu had dubbed Schindler one among in the present day’s greatest gamers. The 2 have mixed earnings of about $53 million in stay tournaments, in response to the Hendon Mob.
Final yr, Imsirovic, one of many favorites to prime this yr’s PGT leaderboard, received 14 main tournaments. He additionally earned the GPI and PokerGO Tour Participant of the Yr awards.
The poker ecosystem is taking a zero-tolerance strategy to dishonest, pushed by the brand new GGPoker-led Poker Integrity Council. That group hopes to convey transparency and honor to poker and desires to see your complete poker neighborhood again an industrywide blacklist for violators that might cowl stay and on-line occasions.
PokerStars Suffers Assault
Sunday was the massive day of PokerStars’ World Championship of On-line Poker (WCOOP). Among the many 25 tournaments on the calendar have been six Principal Occasions, together with a number of different tournaments.
Anticipation was excessive, as gamers dreamed of the money they may win. However at round 8:30 p.m., Flutter-owned PokerStars introduced on Twitter that issues weren’t figuring out. It had been compelled to pause all tournaments on the .com consumer due to technical points.
After an hour with the tournaments paused, PokerStars introduced that it was nonetheless working to resolve the technical drawback. Then, virtually two hours later, the platform introduced the cancellation of all tournaments. It added that the prize swimming pools could be distributed in response to the positioning’s cancellation coverage.
We’re extraordinarily sorry however we now have needed to cancel all tournaments at the moment working, with prizes awarded in accordance with our event cancellation coverage (this can be completed inline with our coverage, which yow will discover right here https://t.co/F3ZZKPUZbh). (1/2)
— PokerStars (@PokerStars) September 25, 2022
PokerStars had turn into a goal of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) assault. Somebody, or some group, intentionally sabotaged the day’s occasions, leaving the poker platform with egg on its face and 1000’s of gamers greater than a bit of pissed off.
DDoS assaults are comparatively frequent occurrences – within the second quarter, there have been 78,558 assaults globally, in response to Kaspersky. There are many instruments and websites obtainable that make launching one easy.
It’s unclear as to what instruments Flutter has in place to counter a DDoS assault. Whereas PokerStars indicated that there was no breach and it didn’t lose buyer knowledge, the compelled shutdown was nonetheless embarrassing.
The WCOOP Principal Occasions that ought to have occurred on Sunday are again on the calendar. Gamers can strive their hand once more on Nov. 6, supplied PokerStars doesn’t run into any extra points.
