Online poker has consistently had the problem with shooting itself in the foot regarding its activities. “God Mode,” bots, collusion and many other questionable activities have tainted the online game, almost to the point that a sizeable portion of the poker community won’t even play poker online. But when a noted poker forum stands up against an online operation and questions its activities, it is notable.
Over the weekend the Two Plus Two forum, which is arguably the most noted web forum for discussion of all aspects of poker, informed its readers that it has suspended advertising from the Winning Poker Network because of recent accusations that have arisen. Those accusations range from the presence of “bots” – poker playing programs which maximize profits through computerized decision making – to outright accusations of cheating by players on the site. It wasn’t a decision that was made lightly according to statements from the owner of Two Plus Two, Mason Malmuth.
In a post on the site to the players/readers, Malmuth elaborated on his discussions about the subject. “According to many posters on our site, some problems have developed on Winning Poker Network and we in Two Plus Two management agree that they need to be addressed,” Malmuth began his post.
“On Saturday, February 24, we sent their (Winning Poker Network) Chief Executive Officer Phil Nagy an email letter where we addressed four issues: late tournament registration (which we now understand has been addressed), bots, possible super users, and other possible collusion,” Malmuth continued. “We also made some suggestions as to how some of these issues could be addressed. As of the time of this writing (March 1, 2018), we have not heard back from them and have decided to take the following action.”
“Two Plus Two Interactive, LLC, will not accept any more advertising from Winning Poker Network and their sub-forum will be closed,” Malmuth declared. “Of course, this can all change if we do get a positive response from Winning Poker Network and they still want to advertise with us.”
Two Plus Two’s move isn’t out of the blue. Several online poker players, including top video blogger Joe Ingram, have warned against playing on the Winning Poker Network. Ingram, who once promoted one of the top rooms of the network in America’s Cardroom, issued a video on his YouTube channel where he advised players to avoid playing on the network. Ingram cited incidences of suspect play, cheating and bots in his warning to his viewers.
For its part, the Winning Poker Network hasn’t been winning any prizes for defending themselves. As with Malmuth’s requests for more discussion on the subject, the Winning Poker Network asked to see Ingram’s video before he released it. They then took a lengthy period before getting back to Ingram, leading Ingram to decide that the site and CEO Nagy “doesn’t give a fuck” about accusations against the site.
The Winning Poker Network is one of the poker networks that has thrived following “Black Friday” as they continue to cater to players from the States of America. It continues to promote itself through its flagship site, America’s Cardroom, which offers a wide variety of poker disciplines and sports betting through its online site. It also counts such sites as PokerHost, Black Chip Poker, FortuneJack, TruePoker and YaPoker amongst its member rooms.
The rise in popularity began after the closure of the “Big Three” online poker rooms – PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and the CEREUS Network rooms of UB.com and Absolute Poker – following “Black Friday.” With the big competitors out of the way, the Winning Poker Network and particularly America’s Cardroom continued to cater to U. S. players. The Winning Poker Network currently sits as one of the top ten online poker outlets in the international industry, following only PaiWangLuo (the former Bodog) in sites that accept American action.
At this point, there is no further contact with Malmuth from the Winning Poker Network regarding the issues that Two Plus Two presented. Neither has there been any further discussion between Ingram and the network. Whatever the reason for the silence from the Winning Poker Network, it puts a significant cloud over the site and its future operations.
