One of the top stories of 2009 was the arrival of the Scandinavian high roller “Isildur1” to the nosebleed stakes of Full Tilt Poker and the attempts of several players to chop his bankroll legs from under him. Caught up in those attempts was CardRunners’ Brian Townsend who, after compiling hand histories that he had obtained against “Isildur1,” gave the information to fellow CardRunners pro Brian Hastings, who dealt the fatal blow. The action set off a chain of events that has divided many in the poker community.
The information gleaned by Townsend, Cole South, and Hastings – and the confession of the use of that information by Hastings against “Isildur1” – led to Townsend’s status as a Full Tilt Poker “Red Pro” being suspended for 30 days on December 21st. At the time, Townsend himself admitted that the compiling of data violated the Terms and Conditions of Full Tilt Poker, but he further stated, “We (Hastings, South, and I) never shared hands where mucked hands were shown besides a few hands I posted on weaktight.org, and in fact all the information I received could be taken from watching the game.”
In a poll on the noted poker forum TwoPlusTwo, responders were divided on the issue. Over 48% of those who responded stated that Townsend’s “Red Pro” suspension from Full Tilt was appropriate. 52% of those responding said that Townsend’s suspension was unwarranted or that they need to see more information before making a decision. Some of the conversations between the members of the forum reflect the diversity of opinions among many of the posters.
“How many more times does he have to be caught breaking the rules before he is considered a cheater in your eyes? Your opinion on the rules or the ethics surrounding his indiscretions are immaterial,” wrote “JabrielP” on the forum. “A cheater is someone who acts dishonestly and/or looks to violate the rules deliberately. That is exactly what Townsend is/did. He is a cheater. There is no fairer description.” Poster “blackf1re” agreed with “JabrielP,” saying, “How can anyone vote no in this case? He has broken the T&C’s. Therefore he is a cheater. That’s all there is to it. What you personally think of this whole issue is totally irrelevant.”
Others, however, didn’t see anything wrong with Townsend’s actions, comparing the research and study as to what professional athletes do in preparation for big games. Poster “gianakki” said, “To me, this is no different than a pitcher receiving a scouting report on a team lineup. 0-2 facing Jeter, throw him cutters up and away; 3-1 versus ARod, jam him inside.” Fellow poster “aojr03” agreed, stating, “How is he a cheater? Because he went over HH and tendencies with friends? Because he studied the guy and sought out the leaks in his play? If you want to win you find a way to gain an edge. It’s poker, not ballroom dancing.”
Finally, there were those who recognize the gray area that Townsend’s actions fall under. “Depends if you think multi-accounting and data mining is cheating. People who do either or both probably don’t think he’s a cheat, people who don’t probably do,” stated “Lister27.”
Others tended to focus on how or why the rules are written the way they are. Poster “otacon” had that subject in mind when he stated, “This poll will no doubt be skewed by people considering what they perceive to be the ethical judgment on his actions, not the fact that the rules as written have been deliberately violated.”
Whichever side of the argument you agree with, it is obvious that the latest online controversy will continue to be debated well into 2010. As of now, Townsend is about ten days into his suspension. It remains to be seen if there will be changes by online poker sites regarding data mining of player information.
