 |
Only a matter of days after celebrating an emphatic victory over the mystery Swedish online sensation ‘Isildur1’, poker player Barry Hastings has been suspended by the online game-room Full Tilt after allegedly breaking house rules in the build up to the bout. The controversy stems from Hastings’ research in the build up to the high stakes match up. He is accused of violating the terms of service by “data mining” – researching his opponent’s hand history over a long period of time in an attempt to gauge and accurate reflection of his range in certain scenarios. Full Tilt considers such tactics to yield an unfair advantage and prohibits it. The scandal only came to light after the game was completed and Hastings had taken down the $4 million prize and divulged his tactics to ESPN.com.
Citing help from Full Tilt pros Brian Townsend and Cole South Hastings said "We've done quite a bit of studying of his habits. Honestly, I give most of the credit to Brian Townsend here. I mean, Brian is honestly the hardest worker I know in poker. He analyzed a database of heads-up hands that Isildur1 had played and constructed ranges of what Isildur1 was doing in certain spots. In a way, I feel bad that it wasn't Brian who got this win instead of me. Obviously I'm happy and I'll take it, but Brian did a ton of work. The three of us discussed a ton of hands and the reports that Brian made, so I'm very thankful to him and to Cole as well." This tactic clashes with the regulations Full Tilt have laid out and now the validity of the game has been thrown into doubt.
At this time it is unclear what action is going to be taken. Hastings has so far refused to comment or be interviewed on his tactics. Cole South, who aided the research, has denied any wrongdoing saying "I did not breach the site's rules in any way", though Townsend has admitted he has been suspended for a month by Full Tilt for his part in researching over 20,000 hands previously played by Isildur1. There has been no word from the site on whether the $4 million won by Hastings will be returned or whether the player in question has been suspended. Updates on the story are imminent in the next few days. |
