Mike Matusow Goes Off On Russ Hamilton

 
Mike Matusow is busting out and finally speaking about Russ Hamilton cheating him.

The guys on the Hardcore Poker Show landed an interview with Mike Matusow where The Mouth unloaded on Russ Hamilton.

To sum it up:

• Hamilton kept calling Matusow to play heads up, and MATUSOW KEPT LENDING HAMILTON $50K to play him heads up. We put that in all caps for emphasis, btw. "Can you ship me $50k so we can play heads up and I can steal it from you?" Man that guy has balls.
• Matusow claims to have evidence that proves Russ is 100% guilty (not that anyone doesn't think he is).
• The incident has changed Matusow's style of play negatively (we've heard this from other pros too).
• Other poker players are "pussies" for not being more vocal on the issue (couldn't agree more).

Listen: Clip 1| Clip 2| Clip 3| Clip 4| Clip 5

UltimateBet Awards Phil Hellmuth Pot on Losing Hand

 
UltimateBet's Phil Hellmuth has seen better days.

All right now, how many times do we have to say, "Quit playing on UB and Absolute Poker"? How many times?

Just when you think UB has bottomed out, another scandal. And this one involves their biggest star.

As first reported at pokerati here, Phil Hellmuth was involved in a pot during a $200/400 limit hold'em game where he held the losing hand yet was shipped the virtual cash.

The player on the losing end, DOUBLEBALLER, contacted customer support and eventually got his money back, but not before UB sustained another black eye on yet another software glitch.

While it's widely believed inside the industry that Hellmuth has had absolutely no involvement in any of the UB cheating scandals, this certainly won't help his rep to the masses.

Read more here and watch the hand play out here.

CEREUS Blocks Kentucky IP Addresses

Charlotte McKenna is a model from UK. Because we're arrogant U.S. Americans, we immediately thought that meant she went to the University of Kentucky. But no, apparently there is some "United Kingdom" across the Atlantic Ocean from us. Whatever.

The CEREUS network (comprised of online poker cheating sites Absolute Poker and UltimateBet) won't allow Kentucky IP addresses from accessing their sites. This is in accordance with Franklin County's  Circuit Court’s recent orders (from the domain seizure case).

From a press release:

"In complying with the Court’s orders, Tokwiro has agreed to implement an IP Block across its Absolute Poker and UltimateBet websites (both .net and .com), plus utlimatebet.tv. The Block will prevent players with IP addresses originating inside the Commonwealth of Kentucky from playing using AP and UB software, logging in or registering a new account, making deposits to the cashier, and transferring or receiving funds from other players. The IP Block will allow players with IP addresses originating in Kentucky to make withdrawals of existing account funds, but these players will not be able to make any new deposits or transfers.

Paul Leggett, Tokwiro’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We have taken this action in order to ensure that the vast number of our customers, who do not reside in Kentucky, continue to have access to our sites and to enjoy playing online poker without disruption or inconvenience.”

Love how CEREUS sites have suddenly developed a conscience. Hopefully everyone in the 49 other states will do a self-imposed banning of the CEREUS network now.

Dan Druff to Address 60 Minutes Fall Out, Mason Malmouth Bashing

The 60 Minutes feature on the Absolute Poker and UltimateBet online poker cheating scandals earned a collective "meh" from the Entities.

Yeah it wasn't great for online poker but it could've been way, way worse. The final piece was far from the outright "hatchet job" we were told it would be.

Not everyone shares this opinion though. Taking a lot of heat right now is Todd "Dan Druff" Witteles for his closing comments:

"The people who did this were very greedy and very blatant. But the scary thing is there may be other accounts out there like this, maybe even on other sites that are not being done with the same sort of recklessness. And maybe this has been going on on more than Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, maybe it's going on in several other places, and maybe it's still going on on these sites."

Pretty legitimate concern (although we don't believe it is happening), especially if you were actually one of the people who was scammed, as Druff was.

But Druff is getting slammed on 2+2 (start reading here). Even Mason Malmouth went on a 2+2 podcast to use Druff's comments as an opp to smack down NWP and call for some weird "regulations" of sites within the poker industry.

The funny thing about this is Druff was one of the guy's who helped unearth the Absolute mess, doing the poker community a big service. Dude is getting no slip-up equity for that. And in the 2+2 podcast, it was also revealed that Druff even clarified his "controversial" statement that he did feel safe on other sites, but 60 Minutes didn't air it.

Anyway, more high school drama is sure to ensue. Listen to Mason's chat here.

Read more on NWP here. Druff to go on NWP Radio as well.

Watch the full 60 Minutes piece below for more perspective in case you did miss it.

Watch CBS Videos Online

60 Minutes Online Poker Cheating Expose - What Did You Think?

 
Absolute Douchebags: Potripper and other online poker cheaters were finally featured on 60 Minutes last night.

60 Minutes aired its online poker cheating story last night. Some initial thoughts:

• Could've been worse.
• Especially when Steve Kroft started it off by saying that you can simply access an on site by logging on to the "world wide web..." At least he didn't go with "Information Superhighway^TM."
• Come on, Todd. You could've at least told them to refer to you as Todd "Dan Druff" Witteles. Nice NWP representing nonetheless.
• The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is absolutely useless.
• The fact that no criminal action has been brought against Russ Hamilton is disgusting.

We're currently working on a major Russ Hamilton story, and like 60 Minutes, tried contacting him about a month ago and had similar results. We know of a few big name pros who Hamilton personally stole money from through a super-user account. The dude is a slimeball.

More to come...but read more on the scandals here, here, and here.

Surely You Can't Be CEREUS

CEREUS is the name of the new Absolute Poker + UB super poker platform, which not ironically at all is also the name of the genus name for a cactus plant, as CEREUS will likely leave your account as dry as a desert.

In what has to be the best news ever for people who enjoy buying timeshares, taking part in pyramid schemes, flushing their money down the toilet, or simply getting robbed, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker have decided to "integrate customers and features" and create one big super user account scamming online poker platform called CEREUS.

According to the press release:

Today, the management of both Absolute Poker and UltimateBet announced the upcoming launch of CEREUS: a new poker platform that will integrate the customers and features from both poker rooms, instantly making CEREUS the third largest online poker network.

Also according to the press release:

CEREUS is the result of more than 12 months innovation and development.

We'd love to sit in on those R&D meetings. "Ok guys, we've developed some ground-breaking super-user technology that will more randomize results so the guy manning the account doesn't actually win EVERY SINGLE hand, minimizing short-term profits but enabling us to present more logical long-term winnings." "Brilliant!"*

There is so much wrong and ridiculous about this it's, um, ridiculous. Doesn't matter though as it seems most people don't care and keep playing these sites. Regardless, read the full press release on the WCP forum here and pick out your favorite lines. For a reminder on why you should never, EVER play on these sites, go here, here, here, and here.

Related, Joanna Krupa doing Ed Hardy is cereusly super.

* Sadly, this conversation might've actually happened.

BREAKING: 60 Minutes Interviews Mark Seif, Mike Sexton, Greg Raymer on Online Poker Cheating Scandal; Feature Rumored to Be a "Hatchet Job" on the Industry

The long awaited 60 Minutes feature on the Absolute Poker online poker cheating scandal took a big step to hitting the small screen today. And Wicked Chops Poker is the only site with photos of the news event.

Anchor Steve Kroft, 62, interviewed Mark Seif (wearing an Absolute Poker jersey), Mike Sexton (not wearing a Party Poker one), Linda Johnson (why? was Shari Flanzer unavailable?), and Greg Raymer (wearing a Poker Stars shirt). The interviews took place in an empty Rio Amazon Room around 11am.

We overheard Raymer discussing the need for the U.S. American government to regulate online poker, and we can surmise because we're smart-like-that that the rest of the messaging from the group was on point with the PPA's platform. Raymer, a Libertarian, said he doesn't see why the government should regulate his actions if they cause no harm to others. Johnson (why her again?) and Sexton both agreed with the need for regulation and taxation.

The wild card in this mix is that 2+2 poster and founder of the AbsolutePokerCheats.com website (here), Michael Josem, was also interviewed. How the stories weaved by Seif and Josem regarding the Absolute scandal will surely be a focal point of the piece and may eventually influence (ever so slightly) how legislators decide to handle the legality of online poker moving forward.

Unfortunately, word from our sources indicate that this 60 Minutes feature will be an outright "hatchet job" on the online poker industry. Although that's really not much of a shocker. But it's certainly not good news either.

More photos from the interviews below. The one of Josem with Seif in the background (second from left) is particularly great.

View the full 60 Minutes online poker scandal photo gallery here. If you swipe photos we appreciate the link back to WCP. And definitely re-watch Mark Seif's interview on the Absolute scandal from last October here or view it in its entirety after the jump.

Dad Who Bankrolled Absolute Poker Wins Event #11

Phil Tom (above) is not your typical WSOP bracelet winner.

And that's not just because he's a newly elected Davidson Matthew Club member.

Or that he denied Greg "FBT" Mueller his second bracelet in two years.

No, Phil Tom is one of the dad's who bankrolled the launch of Absolute Poker back in 2003.

According to Absolute Detectives:

"AP was started by Scott Tom and a few Ivy league friends back in 2003. Phil Tom and the other fathers of these kids bankrolled the venture, and Absolute Poker was born. Phil Tom is Scott Tom's FATHER, not his brother. The IP address that this 'other' account was logged in from was traced to the home cable modem of Scott Tom, CEO of Absolute poker. [email protected] is apparently the CEO, and is also the owner of account POTRIPPER. Scott Tom is also apparently the owner of the STEAMROLLER account."

Read the full Absolute Detectives "who's who" report on Scott Tom here.

While none of this at all implicates Phil Tom in any of the Absolute Poker scandal from last year, it's an interesting wrinkle that's not widely being reported by the so-called poker "media."

For the win, Tom banks $477,990, or just a few mil shy of what Potripper stole from people in high-stakes games.

Get full payout and results here.

Easing Back Into Poker News with Joanna Krupa

After a nice long Memorial Day weekend, we're going to ease back into this whole "poker news" reporting thing. And with the 2008 World Series of Poker just a few days away, what better way to do so than with the hottest girl to ever play in a WSOP, Joanna Krupa. In fact, we're pretty sure we've used the above pic in a post before. So what. Like you care. 

• Sam Grizzle apparently gives "Deadbeat" Dayne Baverman a run for his money as the world's greatest dad. (link)
• Poker pro David Singer wins FTP's $25,000 Heads-Up Online Poker Championship. (link)
• With apologies to the Sports Guy, the "homeless man's version" of the WSOP, the Second Annual Binion's Poker Classic, has been announced. (link).
• Those 2006 WSOP Joanna Krupa pics leave you wanting more? Get your Joanna Krupa fix with this compiliation gallery. (link)
• Players at an underground poker club are robbed thousands of dollars. Looks like the perps got away, avoiding induction (for now) into our Stupid Poker Criminals Hall of Fame. (link)
• And finally, Dr. Pauly on the UB online poker cheating scandal. (link)

60 Minutes to Take on Absolute Poker Insider Cheating Scandal

Online poker is about to get some unwanted mainstream media attention.

Word from various sources is that 60 Minutes, the venerable television news program watched mostly by people who do the early bird and smell like mothballs, is doing an investigative story on the Absolute Poker insider cheating scandal, which didn't so much rock the online poker world last October as much as it became forum fodder for a few weeks then fizzled.

According to Nat Arem, the Atlanta kid who helped break the scandal wide open, veteran reporter Steve Kroft will be getting his Mike Wallace on in places like Canada, Costa Rica and Las Vegas as he does a "soup to nuts" piece on how AJ Green, a VP at Absolute Poker, was able to swindle millions of dollars from online poker players by using a "super user" account that allowed him to see opponent's hole cards.

From Arem's blog:

"A few weeks ago, I was contacted by 60 Minutes in conjunction with a reporter from the Washington Post regarding a story about the Absolute Poker scandal from last fall. I was told that they wanted Adanthar and myself for on-camera interviews with Steve Kroft. I later found out they were also interested in interviewing Michael Josem and Marco Johnson. Basically, I spent a little while on the phone with the producer and the Washington Post reporter and recapped the whole story as well as I could from memory. I talked about my involvement and contribution, along with all the other people who were involved."

Absolute Poker Scandal: Final Audit Released by Kahnawake Gaming Commission, Everything We Thought Happened Confirmed, $500k Fine Imposed

In the biggest scandal to rock poker last year that nobody cares about anymore, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC)--the organization that licenses to approximately 60% of global online casinos and poker rooms--has released its final audit assessing the conduct of the douchebags at Absolute Poker--the organization whose executive douchebags (at right) scammed millions of dollars from of its faithful customers through a super-user account.

Not surprisingly, the audit confirmed that a form of insider cheating through the super-user account had occurred at AP. However, the cheating did not necessarily benefit the AP corporate organization, but instead super-asshole accounts like Potripper (at right). This cheating began approximately on August 14, 2007, which would absolve Mark Seif from those who believed he cheated in one "questionable" session.

AP was fined $500k for four cited breaches of the KGC's Regulations concerning Interactive Gaming, as well as the cost associated with the audit. Additionally, AP is required to post an unspecified sum of a security deposit against future violations. This sum will be held for two years.

Wicked Chops Poker spoke with our legal analyst, Oscar McGoldenstein, who said, "The official legal terminology for the fines and actions taken against AP would be called 'slap on the wrist.'"

More on the Absolute Poker Scandal audit at Poker News

Mark Seif's thoughts on the scandal

Dan Druff's response to Mark Seif

The Ten Most Wicked Stories of 2007 - Part V

We know. You've refreshed our site 1,000 times today screaming aloud, "Dammit Entities! Fucking put up numbers 1 and 2 already!" But all good things are worth the wait. So we apologize since this probably wasn't worth the wait. Whatever. Fuck off.

2) Absolute and A.J. Green Give Online Poker A Bad Beat. So, why isn't the Absolute Poker scumbags-super-user-AJ-Green-dipshit our #1 story? Because nobody seems to care anymore. After an initial dip in active players, Absolute's numbers rebounded quickly. The outcry died down. Life went on. Obla di obla da. That's too bad, because: 1) at a time when we're fighting UIGEA legislation, this scandal gives plenty fuel to the fire over the legitimacy of online poker, 2) all of those donks or 9/11-type conspiracy geeks got to say, "I know it! I lost all of that money because people were cheating against me!", and 3) some long-haired a-hole like AJ Green could take online poker players for $7M or so. That just ain't right. Watch Mark Seif's comments on it here, and Dan Druff's thoughts here. Read more here and here.

1) Phil Laak Extorted, and Murder in the Panorama Towers. That's right, we have dual Most Wicked Stories of the Year. Why? Well first, as we noted in our first "top stories" post, doing things two at a time reminds us of how we liked our woman back in the day. But also, both of these stories are messed up enough that they could make really good Lifetime movies. For a recap on both:

:: Some Brit ex-pat living in Thailand named Tom Grant posted a web page claiming that he befriended Phil Laak seven years ago, bailed him out of some trouble, went into an import/export business (drugs) with Laak and then after a snafu, claims that Laak sought to have him and his wife killed for $30,000 for no good reason. He threatened to release damaging evidence to back up these claims, then took down the site after Laak (likely) paid him off. Crazy shit. Read more about it here and good work from Bill Rini on it here (unless his site is still down, which it appears to be now).

:: William "The Manipulator" Gustafik, a 44-year-old Las Vegas chiropractor and poker professional, was found stabbed to death in his condo unit at the Panorama Towers, a luxury high-rise just off the Vegas strip that David Williams moved into as well as Antonio Esfandiari. Turns out his wife, Jill Rockcastle, did it, as she admitted in a 10 page letter, partly because she was sick of him losing money at poker. Naturally, killing someone is a much easier way to resolve a problem then just leaving the guy. Read more here.

All right, that's it. Happy and healthy 2008 to you all. And finally, a little Keeley Hazell to set your year off right here.

Absolute Poker Insider Cheating Scandal Downgraded to "Boring"

The Absolute Poker insider cheating scandal that first rocked the poker world a few weeks ago, or at least a few poker forums here and there, has gone from the stuff movies are made about (i.e. super user account, rogue employee swindling $7 mil, unicorns, plane loaded with cash crashing on take off, gay sex love fest between Montana frat boys who run AP*) to a total snoozefest.

Putting us asleep most recently was news that Nat Arem, one of the forum-ers who blew the scandal wide open, flew down to Costa Rica on PokerNews.com's dime to "investigate" the matter, and he came back unscathed and alive. Yep, no kidnapping, no roughening him up, no smoking gun found after sneaking into someone's office and going through their desk drawers only seconds away from being caught. Nope, the only thing we got was Arem signing a NDA and Absolute Poker releasing an "interim" statement from some nameless person that doesn't name names and says as little as possible to as few people as possible (statement, which you can read after the jump below, was sent primarily to a couple people on the forums).

The only thing that really woke us from our slomber was Arem saying on 2p2 that he thinks Scott Tom has retained "his ownership interest and is probably at least more removed than before from operational control." Not that we didn't expect this but it's just that with all the focus on AJ Green, not many people seem to be talking about Tom anymore even though it seems obvious that he was very much in the know with what Green was doing or had done and did everything he could to protect his friend (photo at right of Tom and Green in Montana last winter). It's also obvious that online poker players are still playing on Absolute Poker and thus don't really give a damn that with every hand they play they are still putting money in Tom's pocket.

We guess we'll just have to rely on karma for Tom to get his due.

Check out part 1 of Arem's account from his Costa Rican trip over at PokerNews.com here.

Also check out Nat's own blog for the cliff notes version of the above here.

For the exact opposite of the above photo but just as scandalous go here.

* The Absolute Poker frat boys may not engage in gay sex frequently with each other a lot.

Dan Druff's Rebuttal to Mark Seif on RawVegas.tv

Todd Witteles, otherwise known as Dan Druff from NeverwinPoker.com is pissed. In our last episode of Wicked Chops Poker’s "The Toke", Mark Seif had some choice words for Dan. Now Detective Druff is in studio to defend himself and give his stance on the Absolute Poker Super-User Account scandal.

Watch Dan Druff's video rebuttal below or at RawVegas.tv

Heads Up: Neverwin Poker's Dan Druff to Respond to Mark Seif on RawVegas.tv, And Other Updates

Neverwin Poker's Dan Druff (at right) is set to respond to Mark Seif on RawVegas.tv on Wednesday around 9am EST. Click here around 9am to watch the video, or come back to WCP for the embedded version.

In case you missed AJ Green's potripper.com site launch, click here.

Earlier today, Seif blogged about his interview on RawVegas.tv, clarifying some key points. Read that post here. Watch his RawVegas.tv interview here.

For the top 10 topless movie scenes of all-time, a list that features poker player Shannon Elizabeth, click here.

Breaking: AJ Green Launches Website to Clear His Name

The dirty rotten scoundrel behind the Absolute Poker cheating scandal, AJ Green has reportedly resurfaced in Canada and launched a website to help clear his name.

On the site, which is not-so-ironically named Potripper.com, Green dances around the allegations leveled against him but does say that he wants to "make you understand" why he did what he did.

See what Green has to say at www.Potripper.com.

Developing...

Surprise! Absolute Poker Screwed PR Firm Out of $43,000

The New York Times, which is like the Gambling911.com of everyday news, except not as respectable (in the reporters with nice boobs department), did a story today on a PR firm that's reportedly owed $43,000 by Absolute Poker for services rendered in connection with a college tuition promotion that ran a few years ago (not to be confused with the "Intern for AP, Get Herpes" campaign.

The firm, Publicity Guaranteed, charges for each article it successfully pitches and after Absolute failed to pay in full, it took the online poker site to court. It also recently sent out a statement to about 100 newspapers, detailing Absolute's failure to pay.

Commenting on the public shaming, Nat Kurok of Publicity Guaranteed said, "We're just saying we're someone else that got shortchanged by Absolute Poker, and this should be public knowledge."

According to the article, an Absolute Poker executive named Paul Leggett promised he would call back with a comment but did not.

Check out the NY Times piece here.

In news just as shocking as the above, Paris Hilton once again looked like a stupid ho for Halloween.

Photo above of Absolute Poker spokesmodel Serinda Swan because we couldn't find a photo of Absolute Poker spokesman Paul Leggett posing provocatively in lingerie.

Mark Seif on Absolute Poker Scandal: "I Had Nothing To Do With This"

For this week's websiode of "The Toke," Absolute Poker pro Mark Seif talks about the super-user account scandal at AP and attempts to clear the air about his involvement while addressing accusations leveled against him. The two-time WSOP bracelet winner shares how he initially heard about the scam and gives his take on AJ Green, the creepy looking kid reportedly behind the insider cheating scam. Seif also says that what happened could also happen at PokerStars.com or Full Tilt. Later in the video, Seif addresses accusations that he himself cheated during a session back in 2006 and takes shots specifically at DanDruff, co-owner of NeverwinPoker.com, for "fanning the flames."

Watch the full Mark Seif video below or at RawVegas.tv here.

Software Flaw Led to Abuse by Absolute Poker Official, Lacey Jones is the Front-Runner

Gambling911.com is reporting that a known flaw in Absolute Poker's recent software update was used by at least one high ranking official to his advantage. Or maybe it was her advantage. Neh, chicks don't cheat people for money. They get fake boobs and hair extensions instead. Sure, some may say that's cheating too but we see it differently. Not sure how, but we do.

Anyway, according to G911: "While the abuse has been well documented, reports of how key individuals came to take advantage of key flaws remain a mystery until now."

Read how, more or less, here.

Meanwhile, Wicked Chops Poker is reporting that former Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones (in photo above) is by all accounts the front-runner in our hottest girl in poker search. Some may accuse us of favoritism because Lacey is our favorite and when we say favorite we mean she's the girl who knows all of our dirty little secrets, ones that could send us to prison and we can't go to prison. We're way too pretty for prison.

Keep emailing in and/or posting your picks for hottest girls in poker. Think outside the box, so to speak.

Heads-Up: Mark Seif Video Interview Coming this Afternoon

Mark Seif stopped by the RawVegas.tv studios yesterday (we love those guys) to chat about the Absolute Poker insider cheating scandal, and among the topics discussed include:

- Meeting AJ Green and his impressions of the most hated man in online poker
- How he found out about the scandal and how he feels about the way Absolute's handled the situaton so far
- His response to the accusations of cheating leveled against him on the forums
- NWP's Todd "Dan Druff" Witteles and why he may sue him

Full video interview to be posted here at Wicked Chops Poker and RawVegas.tv this afternoon.

Until then, watch this related video of booth babes at the WSOP talking about "suck outs". Come to think of it, the video has nothing to do with the Mark Seif interview. But neither does this photo of Grace Park and that shouldn't stop you from looking. At least it didn't stop us and we're frickin' role models.

Absolute Poker Scandal: New Statement Released, Nothing New Said

Absolute Poker just released a new statement about the super-user account scam through its Costa Rican neighbor PocketFives and Nat Arem on 2p2 that basically says exactly what its old statement said.

The gist is that Absolute was a victim, the perp was a "consultant," Absolute responded "immediately" every step of the way (are "stonewall" and "listlessly" synonyms of immediately?), and the problem's been resolved and people will get their money back.

Ironically, it doesn't claim unicorns are real.

No name appears to be attached to the statement but our guess is it's from the guy in the image to the right.

Read the new Absolute statement after the jump.

WTF Baby! Scotty Nguyen Pimping Absolute Poker at US PokerBowl

Looking over at CardPlayer's coverage of the inaugural US PokerBowl, we couldn't help but notice the photo of Scotty Nguyen decked out in an Absolute Poker cap. Anyone know how to say "super-user account scam" in Vietnamese? If so, get with the former World Champ who we last saw pimping Full Tilt Poker at the 2007 WSOP.

Oh wait, we see that Scotty was playing on Team Detroit Absolute Nuts along with fellow Absolute Nutters Mark Seif, Kenna James, Kathy Liebert, Nick Brancato and Nickelback fan Rick Fuller. The embattled poker site run by cheaters for who knows how long, allegedly, must have been the team sponsor.

The Absolute Nuts. Frickin' hate the poker world sometimes.

In related news, the US Poker Bowl concluded, one of the teams won and we're pretty sure no one cares. Maybe it will play better on television when it eventually airs on Fox Sports. Kind of like the "So You Think You Can Porn" reality show we're working on.

Get results from the US PokerBowl here.

Learn how to master the swipe in Scotty Nguyen's break dancing tutorial here.

Photo of Scotty Nguyen from CardPlayer.com

Absolute Shocker: Did AJ Green et al. Scam $7 Mil with Super User Account?

Online gaming portal Point-Spreads.com is reporting tonight that it has well-placed sources in Costa Rica who are claiming that the Absolute Poker super-user account scam has been going on much, much longer and involves much, much more money than previously thought:

"[T]he scam has been going on for three years and the actual amount that was skimmed from online poker players is estimated at close to $7 million, not the 700k amount that was previously reported. The actual amount is still unknown as an internal audit is underway.

A former employee of Absolute Poker confirmed to Point-Spreads.com that the security department at AP suspected something years ago and we're told it was just the owners testing out the system and to forget about it."

Their sources are also saying what most already believed to be true, that it was Scott Tom who was observing tables using the super-user account while AJ Green (seen in photo with Gambling911's Jenny Woo and her breasts) played as Potripper.

The story goes on to say that the plane carrying Scott Tom, his pregnant wife Gilda Cortés, Oscar Hilt Tatum IV (Absolute's director of CS) and Tatum's wife Sarah Bennet that crashed on the runway in Costa Rica this past September was rumored to have also been carrying a cargo of $2-3 million in cash. How anyone would know that, besides the Toms and Tatums, beats us.

Finally, sources in Costa Rica confirm what we've been hearing more and more from our sources, that AJ Green was a divisive personality, or put another way, a total shit-head.

Read the entire Points-Spread.com piece here.

This post written while an Absolute Poker television commercial runs on ESPN during the WSOP broadcast.

Absolute Poker Changes Story Again, Digs Deeper Hole, AJ Green Implicated

So maybe unicorns aren't real. Absolute Poker has finally released an official statement on the insider cheating scandal that has rocked the online poker world this past week, and not surprisingly, no one is buying it.

On deck to deliver the Absolute bs word this time is Joe Norton (photo at right), an ex Grand Chief of the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake and owner of Tokwiro Enterprises, which holds a 100% interest in Absolute Poker.

While the statement (which you can read in its entirety after the jump) consists mostly of a bunch of empty words written by lawyers and spinsters that gloss over many of the glaring questions raised over the past month, we do learn that Absolute Poker is changing its "geek employee trying to prove a point to senior management" story and is now going with "a high-ranking trusted consultant whose position gave him extraordinary access to certain security systems."

So who be that?

Well Nat Arem and Serge Ravitch, two of the online poker players who've dedicated a ridiculous amount of time to uncovering the truth in the AP case and who should be hired by another online site and paid ridiculous amounts of money as security consultants, are suggesting on 2+2 that AJ Green is the man at the center of the cheating scandal. If you recall, Green is reportedly Potripper and Scott Tom's best friend. He was formerly the VP of operations at Absolute, was ousted and was a manager at Nine.com BUT, and that's a BIG BUTT, according to Arem, Green has in fact been "running daily operations at AP" and is actually the guy who was sending out and approving the early AP statments on the scandal.

So why don't they crucify Green for the sake of saving Absolute? As Arem surmises on 2+2:

"Think about how much he knows about both the money flow, ownership, other scandals, etc within AP and UB. Lots of people with heavy interests in both of those either don't want those stories coming out or they don't want their dirt being told to law enforcement. Basically, he has them by the balls because he has their dirt. Described at the simplest level as blackmail."

If this is true, expect Absolute to continue digging its hole deeper as online poker players refuse to let up until heads roll or Absolute is shut down. Or both.

We have more to say on this but it's time to go eat some tacos.

Read the 2+2 thread on Norton's statement here. See what the P5ers are saying here. Find out what Kemo Sabe means here.

ONE OTHER THING: Meant to post this earlier but unrelatedly, Scott Tom and Oscar Hilt Tatum were passengers in a plane that skidded off the runway in Costa Rica this past September. Some accounts suggest Tom is still the CEO and Hilt the CFO of Absolute and UB. Read the translated news story on the accident here.

UPDATE: Gambling911.com's Christopher Costigan offers some insight on AJ Green, including that he "is described by those who know him in Costa Rica as an 'a**hole'" and that he does not appear to be a part of the fraternity all the original founders belonged to. He also heard a rumor that the person implicated has a coke problem. Read his story here.

Absolute Poker Says 'Geek' Employee Hacked System, Unicorns are Real

It wasn't Scott Tom or AJ Green who cheated players out of hundreds of thousands of dollars on the online poker site AbsolutePoker.com, an anonymous company spokesman told MSNBC this afternoon.

In news that will surely be dismissed by those who have been following the scandal and likely only make matters worse for Absolute, true or not, the spokesman claimed that instead it was some "geek (employee) trying to prove senior managment that they were wrong" who hacked into their system and exploited a flaw that allowed him to see other player's hole cards.

"We acknowledge a significant internal security breach whereby a resource who was infinitely knowledgeable about the system was able to get into the accounts in question. He played on those accounts and he saw hole cards," the spokesman told MSNBC without naming the employee.

"We have closed that security breach and we have identified a very serious issue internally as far as communications flow and we’re resolving that," he said.

The spokesman also told MSNBC that the employee did not withdraw any of the money from the accounts that were used and that the company was contemplating filing a lawsuit and criminal charges against the employee.

Adam Small, co-owner of the Costa Rican-based PocketFives.com, talked with an official from Absolute Poker last night and is quoted in the article saying, "What they said on the phone was that it was not Scott Tom ... and that (the employee) has sort of framed Scott Tom."

Sort of framed? Say what?

In just as credible news, the spokesman concluded by saying he saw a unicorn the other day ridden by a stripper who's really into him.

Full article here.

Images of unicorns here.

Developing...

UPDATE: Absolute Poker has gone hush since yesterday while the forums continue to swell with chatter. One of the most interesting reads we've found has to be online poker pro Chris Savage's thread on PocketFives.com about a call he had last night with someone from the UltimateBet/Absolute Poker system. The person asked Savage: "What if the latest release from AP is all that they can give you? Are the people causing the most uproar over this going to risk killing online poker just to hang someone?" From what we've seen, most are responding to that question along the lines of P5er "New Shawboy" who said, "If the only online poker world I can live in is one where guys like Scott Tom can violate our trust and not be personally accountable, then I don't want to be part of it."

Check out the thread here.

Absolute Poker Talking; Statement on Insider Cheating Expected Today

We've been playing catch up on the Absolute Poker cheating scandal but it seems things are coming to a head now, whatever that means. In addition to the word late yesterday from Absolute Poker's Costa Rican neighbors PocketFives.com, Gambling911.com is also reporting today that the online poker site has finally admitted what everyone has been saying for the past month, that a breach had occurred internally.

Company officials have told Gambling911.com that "Absolute had only uncovered who the culprit was Thursday" and that "no management personnel were involved in this incident" which in layman's terms means they found a scapegoat yesterday. It also means anyone who still is playing on Absolute has the IQ of a shoe.

Finally, Gambling911.com was told that "Players who were affected by this unfortunately situation will be paid in full." But as Paul Phillips notes in a comment to one of his own recent blog posts, it is highly unlikely that Absolute will compensate everyone who was affected by the cheating as the list extends to anyone who has ever shared a table with these guys.

What hasn't been said yet is what will happen to the criminals who have stole hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, from online poker players for who knows how long. Tossing salad for a dozen years or so in a Costa Rican jail sounds like justice to us, but is unlikely.

Stay tuned here for the latest news on the Absolute Poker cheating scandal as an official statement from Absolute is expected later today. Or hang in the forums for the latest. They likely won't be napping this afternoon like us.

Breaking: Absolute Poker to Admit Insider Cheating Took Place

Well Mark Seif said earlier today that he wants to find out the truth as do the thousands of online poker players who have been following the Absolute Poker cheating scandal, and it looks like they're about to get it. Perhaps.

Adam Small, one of the owners of the Costa Rican-based PocketFives.com, just posted on the P5 forum saying that they have received a phone call from Absolute Poker confirming the suspicions of the online poker community over the past month.

"While we need to be vague in this post to respect their wishes, we can say that their systems were compromised, and that they are prepared to provide the details in a statement coming shortly," shared Small.

"Part of the statement will include a plan to refund players affected by this compromise."

For Small's complete post on the Absolute Poker news, go here.

While we've yet to express our opinion on what all this means for online poker, as some have asked, we will say for now that the guys we met a few years ago running Absolute Poker came across as a bunch of greedy, unscrupulous frat dards content with sucking and with very little concern in ever building a legitimate business operation. We also think that this is an extremely isolated incident involving a couple of despicable fucks who cheated players out of thousands despite, if the claims about Scott Tom and AJ Green are proven true, already making millions rather easily from running a poker site. And oh yeh, we can't understand how anyone is still playing on Absolute Poker but thousands still are right now. Baffling.

Developing....

Absolute Poker to Be Audited As Evidence Of Insider Cheating Mounts

After a month of allegations of cheating involving a super user account that could see player's hole cards, endless forum threads that seem to prove the existence of such and now damning claims that the super user account belonged to its former CEO and new Davidson Matthew Club member Scott Tom, Absolute Poker will now finally be audited by someone other than Absolute Poker.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which granted the gaming license to Absolute's owner Tokwiro Enterprises, has directed Gaming Associates to "conduct a thorough audit of all circumstances, provide findings and recommendations to the commission."

"The audit will not be restricted to examining theories circulating in Internet chat rooms and forums," said KGC commissioner David Montour.

The pending audit follows Absolute Poker's own investigation, which resulted in a statement posted on Mark Seif's blog on BluffMagazine.com that a super user account never existed but pots of gold at the end of rainbows do exist as do leprechauns, unicorns and strippers who dance just to get through college.

As of tonight, Seif, who reportedly has a stake in Absolute Poker, finally issued his own statement on the matter, saying among other things:

"I want to find out the truth. I want to know what, if anything, may have happened . . . I am open to the possibility that improper, unethical and perhaps even unqualified cheating may have occurred at AP. I am even open to the possibility that present or former AP employees, or executives may have participated, condoned or were negligent in failing to discover the alleged improper acts."