GGPoker Superusers? Players and room pronounce

Author

Vargoso

Published

12/29/2023

Updated

12/29/2023

The last controversy of the year came from the hand of GGPoker and the complaints of alleged super users after seeing unusual winnings from the player MoneyTaker69. After the complaint in the 2+2 forums, the room mentioned that it had detected the security problem, blocked the account, and would return the funds to those affected. All the details are on our blog.

MoneyTaker69 and superusers at GGPoker

A new account, "GGSuperUser," on the 2+2 forums created great controversy in the online poker world by denouncing the presence of potential superusers on GGPoker.

The complaint mentions that the user MoneyTaker69 has won at an incredible rate of 90bb/100 in 8,900 hands on the GGNetwork with a 53% VPIP (in theory, a player with these statistics should lose at almost 50bb/100), in addition to having won almost $50,000 in a $150 tournament in the room. The user also commented that the site was aware of the situation, which resulted in a public statement hours later.

The post included some unusual hands in which the player bet with hands such as J2 or 58, losing in some but winning many big blinds in others with only high cards. Some of the possible explanations include the possibility that the player could see the cards of his rivals because even using an RTA (Real-Time Assistance) could not result in such winnings.

The poker community, including big names such as Phil Galfond, Joey Ingram, Mason Malmuth, and Sergi Reixach, among others, commented on the issue, requesting the room to pronounce itself as soon as possible.

Response from GGPoker

GGPoker officially commented on the alleged superuser MoneyTaker69 in a security update, mentioning that they identified a vulnerability of the poker client, which allowed the player to take an unfair advantage through cheating. The user's account was blocked, and $29,795 was confiscated to refund the affected players.

The technical explanation is complex. We highlight:

MoneyTaker69 identified a vulnerability in the Windows client, which allowed it to intercept and alter the data traffic of the room.
Taking advantage of this, the player customized his version of the client, creating one that did block updates and allowed him to deduct the equity all-in.
The security breach was identified and fixed on December 16, although as the player had a client that blocked updates, he could continue accumulating data for longer.

GGPoker pointed out that MoneyTaker69 did not have access to the data on the servers, including hole cards. They also thanked the poker community for their complaints and for maintaining a safe gaming environment and mentioned that they would double their security and game integrity team.

Our opinion

For many years, the online poker industry has not faced severe complaints about the presence of super users in leading rooms. Then, we considered them of the utmost gravity, even with the rapid statement of the site.

The promptness of the rooms in pronouncing the matter is essential, although it comes after a public complaint that reached thousands of players.
Only today, the room mentioned that they blocked the account and would compensate the players (initially, it talked about $30k and then added that it would also answer for tournament winnings).
Although we consider that the above is the correct procedure, the recognition of the error by the room should be accompanied by additional measures and perhaps some promotion that clears doubts about the integrity of the games.

We consider GGPoker a safe room to play online poker for real money. However, it is necessary for the site to be more transparent with players and to allow the use of tools that monitor player performance, such as SharkScope, which is not enabled for the site, among other measures.