by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor
The world of online poker is facing more trends of fraudulent activity, most recently in the form of “multi-accounting.” The industry is disappointed to learn that in many instances, high profile professional players are involved the use of more than one account in an online tournament. While pros should know better, their actions are proving detrimental to the industry, giving credibility to the argument that it is impossible to regulate online gambling sites. Those who serve as role models to many aspiring poker players have been found guilty of multi-accounting; most recently Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi.
Mizzi, along with any other professional player, is aware the multi-accounting is one of the more serious offenses in the industry. Perhaps the temptation for some is too much to overcome, as violating such policy can prove most profitable. At least, this is the only logical explanation in Mizzi’s case, having been banned from Full Tilt Poker just last year for such activity. Posing on Full Tilt as “BluffMagCV,” who was later found to be a poker writer, Mizzi won a Sunday Millions tournament. Later he played as “SlippyJacks,” with similar success. Mizzi cut a deal with BluffMagCV, promising to share the earnings if he could play under the screenname. The tournament winnings were handed to a player known as “Kongsgaard” following Mizzi’s disqualification.
Mizzi was caught violating PokerStars policy as well this week, and after appealing to the online poker site, had his suspension reduced from six months to three months. PokerStars has not disclosed how they came to uncover this fraudulent activity, although it shows the severity of such an offense.
According to Mizzi, this time he had a friend fill in on a tournament he was unable to finish because he was scheduled to fly that day. Because he was ahead in the tournament, he claimed he would rather have a friend play than abandon the game. It may seem innocent enough, but given his history, PokerStars were not lenient with Mizzi.
Mizzi is not the first nor the last high profile player found to be involved in multi-accouting. PartyPoker player “JJ Prodigy,” or Josh Field, is an example. Just 16 years old, Field was caught cheating after boasting to friends that he had won $140,000 in a $500,000 tournament. When his friends attempted to confirm his winnings on a poker forum, it was found that user “ABlackCar,” also Fields, won the amount in question. “JJ” had busted out early, and PartyPoker management was informed of the sketchy details. PartyPoker officials confiscated Fields’ earnings from the tournament, as well as $40,000 from another account. Fields didn’t stop here! Already banned from PokerStars for the same reason, he had accomplices transferring money to another account that he had opened. He admitted to the multi-accounting after his ban, and he and his friends were all banned shortly afterward.
Another example of multi-accounting comes from Nick “gbmantis” Niergarth who received ban status from both PokerStars and Full Tilt after it was found he was involved in fraudulent activity with other players, including JJProdigy. It was discovered that Niergarth would take over a friends’ usernames after he was eliminated in a tournament.
CardRunners instructor and Full Tilt professional player Brian Townsend, a much respected individual in online poker, was found multi-accounting in several popular high stakes tournaments. In Pot Limit Omaha tourneys, ranging from 25-50 to 200-400, Townsend would play as his well known virtual self “sbrugby” as well as “Stellarnebula,” as well as “Makersmark66” on PokerStars.
British professional player Mark Telscher was stripped of $1.2 million in his PokerStars WCOOP first prize winnings after he was caught multi-accounting as “TheV0id,” funded by his sister’s bank account. Telscher and his sister disputed PokerStars’ allegations, although were inevitably found guilty of violating the site’s policies.
Finally, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, essentially tattled on himself for multi-accounting when he posted on poker forums of a software glitch that would allow a player to open multiple sessions using different accounts if one clicked rapily on a PartyPoker icon. He was found to have used at least 6 different log-in usernames in one tournament, and was banned and then stripped of approximately $100,000 in winnings from the accounts. His multi-accounting occurred in both tournaments on both PartyPoker and PokerStars.
Multi-accounting is not taken lightly in the online poker industry. Aside from the possibility of bans, and the obvious moral reasons to refrain from such cheating, players should consider the eventual effect that such fraudulent activity could have on the industry as a whole. Among arguments from those wishing to criminalize online gambling is that the industry is nearly impossible to regulate. The longer such actions continue, the more difficult it will be to prove otherwise.
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