Something smells fishy

Now damnit, I'm not a disgruntled Paradise player. I have results very similar to my live poker play and have always gotten along fine with Paradise staff in my email correspondences, in which I've asked for basic help with features, bad connections etc.


Today I played a $11 holdem limit tourney in which a hand came up where three players made nut hands. Jacks full (nut full house) quad 4's and King high straight flush. It was awesome. I immediately requested hand history (5 most recent hands) and continued the tourney. The player that made the straight flush is named CARDPLAYER.


CARDPLAYER never made a peep about this hand or any other. Of course many other players were chirping about it. Jokingly I started a dialog in which I suggested CARDPLAYER was a Paradise Bot and would take first in the tourney. I invited him to speak and he never did. He did take first, even after having had a big reduction in chips after the huge pot he got from beating two other 'nut' hands.


I never got my hand history. This is the first time ever my request for hand histories has failed. I made a second attempt (60 hands) and never got it either. I emailed support and asked for help. Sherry, from support replied with a 'hand history' which did not include the straight flush hand. It was a set of 5 close to it but not the specific 5 that would include the amazing hand. I've replied to her again but I WON'T get any satisfaction will I?


I am a bit concerned that I will soon cease to be an honorary member of the Paradise players list in good standing - lol.


Doesn't the handle 'CARDPLAYER' sound like a very early registration? One of Paradises' own I bet.


So, when they cancel your account, are you given your account balance back?


Nick

There's really no good reason to suspect Paradise (Parasite?) is running a straight game. Just go to your live game and you won't have to wonder when the really strange things occur (with much lower frequency).

You should have requested that specific game number. There would be no confusion and you would ALWAYS be able to request it at any time. Sounds a little off however and I would like to know the game number of that hand, as well.

Well Paradise came through with the hand history, so here it is. Straight flush over Quads and Full house:


Game #181064396 (Level II, Game #1) - 25/50 Texas Hold'em 2002/04/26-22:16:46

Table "Hunga" ($10 tournament) -- Seat 7 is the button

Seat 1: Nick4356 (960 in chips)

Seat 2: texaslady (350 in chips)

Seat 3: CARDPLAYER (980 in chips)

Seat 4: prettyboy7 (695 in chips)

Seat 5: texboy (710 in chips)

Seat 6: Out4Fun (680 in chips)

Seat 7: sugarbear2 (860 in chips)

Seat 8: veetee (740 in chips)

Seat 9: cruscher (965 in chips)

Seat 10: BOGGLE99 (1,060 in chips)

veetee : Post Small Blind (15)

cruscher: Post Big Blind (25)

Dealing...

Dealt to Nick4356 [ Js ]

Dealt to Nick4356 [ 7s ]

BOGGLE99: Fold=20

Nick4356: Fold=20

texaslady: Call (25)

CARDPLAYER: Raise (50)

prettyboy7: Call (50)

texboy : Fold=20

Out4Fun : Fold=20

sugarbear2: Call (50)

veetee : Call (35)cruscher: Call (25)

texaslady: Call (25)


*** FLOP *** : [ 4s Th 9h ]


veetee : Bet (25)

cruscher: Raise (50)

texaslady: Call (50)

CARDPLAYER: Raise (75)

prettyboy7: Fold=20

sugarbear2: Raise (100)

veetee : Call (75)

cruscher: Call (50)

texaslady: Call (50)

CARDPLAYER: Call (25)


*** TURN *** : [ 4s Th 9h ] [ Jh ]


veetee : Check=20

cruscher: Check=20

texaslady: Bet (50)

CARDPLAYER: Call (50)

sugarbear2: Call (50)

veetee : Call (50)

cruscher: Call (50)

*** RIVER *** : [ 4s Th 9h Jh ] [ 4c ]


veetee : Check=20

cruscher: Check=20

texaslady: Bet (50)

CARDPLAYER: Raise (100)

sugarbear2: Raise (150)

veetee : Raise (200)

cruscher: Fold=20

texaslady: Call All-in (100)

CARDPLAYER: Call (100)

sugarbear2: Call (50)


*** SUMMARY ***


Pot: 1,650 | Side pot 1: 150 | Board: [ 4s Th 9h Jh 4c ]

Nick4356 didn't bet (folded) [ Js 7s ] (two pair, jacks and fours)

texaslady lost 350 (showed hand) [ 7h 2h ] (a flush, jack high)

CARDPLAYER bet 400, collected 1,800, net +1,400 (showed hand) [ Qh Kh ] =

(a straight flush, nine to king)

prettyboy7 lost 50 (folded)=20

texboy didn't bet (folded)=20

Out4Fun didn't bet (folded)=20

sugarbear2 lost 400 (showed hand) [ 4h 4d ] (four of a kind, fours)

veetee lost 400 (showed hand) [ Jc Jd ] (a full house, jacks full of =

fours)

cruscher lost 200 (folded)=20

BOGGLE99 didn't bet (folded)=20

Mystery solved. This is nothing special, really. Big hands like this will happen. I hardly think that you will find a conspiracy here, but I will give you all credit for still trying. If everyone spent as much time improving their games as the do looking for a conspiracy, there would be many more great players on the Internet poker sites. Enjoy your search for ‘Ol Nessy!

I've only seen a straight flush beat quads once and it was in live play at the Mirage.


I've played at least a fifty more hours online than in live play.


Does this mean the dealers' shuffling algorithym at the Mirage is rigged?


D

now you're being silly

This doesn't look suspicious to me, either. Actually, the K high straight flush smooth-calling on the turn is not likely a play that would be programmed. The pot was sufficiently large at that point, and other players made it clear that they also had hands.


If you play enough, you will see everything. I played in a 4-handed 15-30 game at Hollywood Park a few years ago in which I raised on the button with 99, flopped quads and lost to a runner-runner straight flush. The very next night, same game, same table, same players (but full table this time) I flopped a royal flush and never got to put in a raise in a pot that was 4-way to the end. Go figure. [img]/images/smile.gif[/img]


...dan