Opponent disconnects deliberately to avoid calling an allin

[TwoShedsJackson]

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed)

SB ($20)
BB ($33.10)
UTG ($84.27)
UTG+1 ($24.35)
MP1 ($50.95)
MP2 ($16.55)
MP3 ($48.65)
CO ($20.75)
Hero ($24.25)

Preflop: Hero is Button with J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
UTG calls $0.50, UTG+1 calls $0.50, MP1 folds, MP2 calls $0.50, MP3 folds, CO calls $0.50, Hero calls $0.50, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($3.50) J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(7 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 bets $2</font>, MP2 folds, CO calls $2, Hero calls $2, SB calls $2, BB folds, <font color="CC3333">UTG raises to $5</font>, UTG+1 folds, CO calls $3, Hero calls $3, SB folds.

Turn: ($22.50) 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">UTG bets $8</font>, CO calls $8, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to $18.75 (All-In)</font>, CO calls $7.25 (All-In).

River: ($64.50) 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players, 2 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: $64.50

Results in white below: <font color="white">
UTG shows Ts Qh (straight, queen high).
CO shows Kd 7d (one pair, nines).
Hero shows Jh 9c (full house, nines full of jacks).
Outcome: Hero wins $53. UTG wins $11.50. </font>

This hand happened a few minutes ago, I had heard of people pretending to be disconnected to avoid calling an all-in and thereby saving the last bet they had put in (is that it? Can't decide why UTG (the disconnector) got $11.50 back).

Is this worth reporting to Party or is it simply an exploit that unscrupulous folk can continue to take advantage of?

[unagi]

i'd guess that unless he's a tightwad, he probably didn't do it on purpose - $10 isn't that much, especially considering his solid hand. anyway, if you ever suspect it though, you should report it to PP. they don't automatically reprimand. i've been accidentally disconnected and reported - all they did was notify me and said that since i've been playing there for quite awhile (well, about a year when this happened.. which i guess isn't THAT long, but i did play very regularly and all that) and have never done it, they aren't going to be taking any measures.. however, i did report it when someone disconnected to a $20 reraise i made (they bet about 10 seconds ago, so i find it highly coincidental that they just all of a sudden lost connection).. and they investigated it and removed that guys' all-in privileges, after noticing a "suspicious" history and the convenient nature of all his disconnects. report it, the worst that can happen is they say "not enough history/proof" and they move on. they might end up marking it as suspicious and if it happens again in the future, they may revoke his all-in protections. or, if it has happened in the past, your e-mail might be all it takes to finish off the slew of complaints they might have received.

[unagi]

Here is the actual e-mail.. i removed the person's player ID for obvious reasons:
--------------------
We appreciate you taking the time to report situations of alleged disconnect protection abuse at PartyPoker.com.

Starting with the hand histories (or hand #s) that you sent to us, we performed an investigation that would allow us to examine thoroughly the account in question; “IDremovedbyme”.

We have looked into the players records and collected all previous hands in which this player used the protection. Our goal was to look for a pattern where the player usually disconnects in key moments.

Some of the parameters we use when investigating possible protection abuse:

The player’s cards at the time of disconnection.
The player’s previous action (whether he was betting/raising) and also the actions of the other players at the time of disconnection.
The benefit obtained by a player disconnecting.
The timing of disconnection.
A player's pattern of disconnections.
Previous allegations made by other players and/or the system.

Using the information listed above we have investigated the history of the player thoroughly and have found that not only was the hand you reported suspicious but this player has shown a pattern of suspicious disconnects in the past. Based on this information we have taken away the disconnect protection privilege for this player. In the event he is disconnected in the future his hand will be folded. We have sent an email to the player informing him of the investigation.

We thank you for taking the time to report your suspicions. Keeping the games honest is our highest priority. If you need any clarifications or have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us. We will be more than happy to assist you.

[sniperd]

That's awesome man, good to know they will do something! Good job reporting!

[Pokerho]

I think that's an awesome response. I think, however, that I prefer Poker Star's method of no all-in protection. In the days of broadband internet, disruptions just aren't that common. Certainly, they are FAR less common than in the days when the modem was king.

[fatduck]

A few weeks ago this happened to me, the situation was slightly different in that my opponent did not have a made hand but had a gutshot straight draw that he didn't want to pay an extra $60 to catch on the river so he disconnected...he ended up hitting it and I lost the pot. Someone in the game said "that guy does that all the time" so I reported him and I got a similar response from partypoker. Glad you also got a positive response.

[burningyen]

Wow, I'm very impressed by their response!

[SkippingGoat]

Anyone have any idea why UTG got $11.5 back?