The scandal of the super-user accounts at UltimateBet exposed (Part I)
The children of Wicked Chops Poker received a little over a month a list of the names of all persons involved in the scandal of the super-user accounts (those that could see the hole cards of players) in UltimateBet.
Since then, they have researched thoroughly the topic, interviewing people involved in research, high-level figures in the poker industry and players of high stakes with some knowledge of the case.
Connecting data from both sides have made up the story of how he created the super-user software, who knew of its existence and who were the people who used it.
The investigation concluded that the main culprit was Russ Hamilton , winner of the WSOP 1994 and one of the owners of the room.
Part I Russ Hamilton planned or how the scandal of the super-user accounts
This is the story of the authorized translation made by Wicked Chops Poker for his series of articles starting with The Super-User UltimateBet Scandal: Part I .
Here’s that first part.
The history of Russ Hamilton
“… A bully”
“… A liar”
“… A cheater”
“… The worst and the worst scammer betting on golf … Golf bet with anyone except Russ. “
After leaving the underground games in Detroit at the age of 36 years, Russ Hamilton became a successful player blackjack and poker in Las Vegas for years. But even winning the Main Event The World Series of Poker in 1994 had gone unnoticed in the game world.
In 1994 he celebrated the 25th anniversary of the WSOP, his silver jubilee. Jack Binion, a financial beating in front of the family business casino Binion’s Horseshoe and the WSOP, had promised that this year’s WSOP Main Event winner, and the first prize of $ 1,000,000, would receive their weight in silver.
Russ Hamilton won the WSOP Main Event. He weighed 360 pounds (163 kilos).
Despite having won $ 1,000,000 and to reach 360 pounds, when he stood on the scale to be weighed was filled pockets to get more money to Jack Binion.
Years later it still had a laugh. No matter how much he had, it always seemed that Russ Hamilton was placed with the rod to get more, at all costs.
Russ knows the founders of UltimateBet
In 1999, five years after Russ Hamilton’s victory in the WSOP, Greg Pierson and Jon Karl formed a company called ieLogic. Finally, Greg Pierson launched another company called Iovation from ieLogic and became its CEO. Iovation become the UltimateBet software suppliers overnight.
Like any new company, ieLogic / Iovation needed money. This is where Russ Hamilton.
Russ was, for either a man of success in their ventures. He was also known for investing in businesses related to poker. Greg was a minor player in the poker scene, but through the game got to know Russ. Russ became a man of money “for businesses of Greg Pierson and Jon Karl.
It is rumored that another former WSOP Main Event winner Russ near Mansour Matloubi joined financially from the start (1).
That agreement, as we know, Greg Pierson took the role of CEO and became, more or less the leader of the technological part of the project. Jon Karl took over the business development. Russ Hamilton acquire the role of consultant, although he was the owner of eWorld Holdings, who had a licensing agreement with ieLogic two bands. Matloubi Mansour lived in Thailand doing who knows what.
Like Russ, all sources that we spoke to who knew perfectly Greg Pierson now describe him as a “cheat” a “liar” and even as a “huge asshole.” Apparently, Greg could make a first impression on the people to the point of becoming friends with two of the most important public figures of UltimateBet: the winner of eleven WSOP bracelets, Phil Hellmuth and the best known poker player, Annie Duke.
Greg was so skilful impressing people Hellmuth went on to say it, “Pierson Greg is the best! Perhaps you’ve never heard of it yet, but stay with my words: the new Internet security company Greg Pierson will be worth one billion dollars in 2008. ” Also made it known to everyone “respect” that was Greg.
Annie was recognized as a close friend of Greg at the beginning of UltimateBet.
However, neither Phil nor Annie now maintain regular contact with Greg Pierson.
Although opinions on Greg have changed over the years, most of the people with whom we spoke who knew Jon Karl are describing as a type “decent”, “quiet and pleasant” and someone “unable” to deceive people (very well-connected three said they would “absolutely shocked” if Jon was involved in the matter anyway).
Russ, Greg and Jon went ahead (2) and UltimateBet launched in 2000, creating one of the first powers in the online poker industry.
Russ and Greg playing God
There are conflicting stories about how they created the “tool” super-user. Or more specifically, why it was created.
In conversations with our sources, one of them believed that originally, and from the beginning, it was intended to cheat. Another thought that the initial intentions were not so petty. What we need consensus is that only a small number of people within UltimateBet knew about the existence of this tool. The history that is woven to create this tool led to the worst cheating scandal in the history of online poker.
According to our sources, Russ Hamilton, initially said that he believed high-stakes players cheating on their poker room.
Greg Russ Pierson asked to develop a tool that could see the hole cards to catch the cheater. Greg did his team then created this “tool”.
Still, an insider regarding UltimateBet at that time told us that a few “top” thought it might be some moral implications of creating such a tool.
For this reason, a delay-enabled from 30 seconds to five minutes long (3) – to ensure that the tool could not be manipulated for use in real time.
As concerns grew about its existence, our sources claim that there was an agreement between senior managers so as not to develop updates to the version of the tool, effectively making obsolete and useless when the UltimateBet software was updated.
As far as many knew, this was the case and the application was put out of use.
Anyway, our sources say that Russ returned to the issue with Greg determined to “catch the cheater” and requested that the tool was updated without programmed delay. Greg hired an independent firm to update the tool without the delay, an implementation that internally happened to be called the “God Mode” (as God).
We have explained that the “God Mode” worked this way. The tool could not be used on the same computer that someone (in this case we say Russ) was playing. Someone else had to log into UB and plugging. That person could then see the hole cards of the entire site, and then pass the information to Russ while playing.
Of course, it is very possible that someone could put two computers next to each other, and just look at the hole cards while playing on a monitor in the other.
Either way, something that we get clear talking to our sources is as follows: Russ had access to it, Greg Pierson knew existed and was being used by Russ and around May 2004, began to be used not for catch cheaters in UB but really for cheating on the site.
Coming soon in Part II: how and who created the accounts and who used the tool .
1.Ninguna consulted our sources could confirm that Mansour was more than one shareholder isLogic / Iovation. But people involved with the launch of UltimateBet believe that he was among the first investors in the company .
2.Intentamos contact Greg Pierson and Jon Karl for comment, but got no response .
3.Tenemos two sources t
hat are to agree that a delay of three seconds was implemented in the tool and one that maintains that the delay was five minutes. However, although the delay time varies, which seems consistent is that Russ Hamilton asked that the tool was created and Greg Pierson made it so.
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