Empire won't believe my hand history file

[LVGamb00ler]

A5s, I raise 1st in from middle postion, only BB called. But, I don't see the flop come out for many seconds. I'm playing another table which seems OK. At the problem table, I'm frantically trying to test my connection by typing in the chat window, clicking Sit In/Sit out, etc.
After many seconds I see the flop come out (Axx), but my hand is folded and BB gets the pot. I'm dealt out of the next hand. I type ?? in the chat and someone answers, 'u were disconnected'. What?? I still had a disconnect protect remaining! I took a screen shot for later proof.

After MANY e-mails to Empire support, they steadfastly maintain that I simple didn't act in time and that properly my hand was folded (BB checked the flop!). But the .txt file written by Empire client clearly states 'Connection lost for some reason'.

I have simply asked for the hand to be declared dead and my $60 refunded. Empire says No Way! They support their claim using their version of the hand history available by e-mail that shows that I didn't act. But of course, the version stored on my computer states otherwise.

BEWARE they won't believe their own hand history written by their program onto your hard drive. They only believe what their version shows!

So long Empire!!!

G'luck all,
LVGamb00ler

[bozlax]

[ QUOTE ]
BEWARE they won't believe their own hand history written by their program onto your hard drive. They only believe what their version shows!

[/ QUOTE ]

This sucks, and I've had the same thing happen where one game is running just fine and another freezes. It's due to the fact that the Party skins use a huge number of individual servers to provide all their games, and between you and these servers are different routers. If you're 4-tabling, the odds that all four tables are on different servers are 100%, and the odds that the network traffic takes different network routes to get from you to each server is pretty much the same. That's WHY it happened.

I also don't entirely understand Party disconnect-protect, but I think that it only applies when you've got a bet on the table and it's action back to you (so if he checked, you bet, he raised and your client froze). I'm also not sure it applies HU.

As far as the HH file is concerned, I'm not sure exactly what you're saying your HH file says compared to theirs. But it doesn't matter...how are they supposed to validate your HH file as authentic? If the seats in the game were reversed and your opponent timed-out (after you finished cursing at him for trying to use disconnect-protect to win the hand), you "won" the hand and then 2 weeks later Empire came to you and said, "Your opponent produced a file from his computer that shows that he was mysteriously disconnected, so we're declaring the hand dead and taking away your money and giving it to him," what would you have to say then?

[LVGamb00ler]

[ QUOTE ]

But the .txt file written by Empire client clearly states 'Connection lost for some reason'.


[/ QUOTE ]

I took the quote (within ' above) directly from the hand history .txt file of the hand in question. I thought it was a rather peculiar wording that didn't convey ANY details of why the poker client thought it was disconnected.

I'm not asking them to take the pot back from the winner....just pay me the $60 for their mistake. Their log on my computer says I was disconnected but their log on their server says I wasn't. Sure, I could concoct a fake hand history file. That's why their log on my computer should contain more details. Perhaps those details would allow them to verify the accuracy of their log on my computer. In any case....the two versions of the log disagree and since they are responsible for BOTH, I must consider it THEIR ERROR.

G'luck all,
LVGamb00ler

[bozlax]

[ QUOTE ]
This sucks, and I've had the same thing happen where one game is running just fine and another freezes. It's due to the fact that the Party skins use a huge number of individual servers to provide all their games, and between you and these servers are different routers. If you're 4-tabling, the odds that all four tables are on different servers are 100%, and the odds that the network traffic takes different network routes to get from you to each server is pretty much the same. That's WHY it happened.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just re-read this and realized that it's not really clear. You may not have been disconnected before you timed out, is the point. If there was a surge of traffic on an intermediate (between your client and the server) router, then you would have still be "connected" but unable to communicate. If the condition persisted for 35 seconds, or whatever, and THEN the router crashed due to the overload, well, the server would have folded your hand due to inactivity, and your client would wind up reporting that you got disconnected from the game. So, actually, both versions of the story can be "true."

'Nuff said. Internet poker sucks.

[bozlax]

[ QUOTE ]
In any case....the two versions of the log disagree and since they are responsible for BOTH, I must consider it THEIR ERROR.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, unfortunately they consider it YOUR responsibility:

[ QUOTE ]
Players MUST accept the risk of disconnection.

[/ QUOTE ]

(Taken from Empire's Disconnect-Protect Policy.)

[stigmata]

If you play for long enough this will even itself out.

[J_B]

i've had this happen on Eurobet. Same type of scenario. But I didn't make too big a deal of it as I think my AA was cracked on the river anyhow. Probably saved me an extra bet.