Last week rumors that Brian Townsend, Brian Hastings & Cole South had been cheating against Isildur1 started circulate on the web. It all started after that someone got to know that Brian Townsend, Brian Hastings & Cole South had been going through thousands of hands Isildur1 had played and also discussed different strategies on how to beat the Swede. They could do this thanks to that Tow[...] Read more » Brian Townsend cheated against Isildur1
What a joke. Now if the "average" player like any of us BRM members pulled this crap we would have our accounts closed and funds would be seized. Boo-Hoo take away the "red pro status" for a month, I'm sure not earning rakeback for 1 month is going to kill his bankroll now that he has much more in it due to cheating.
Joined: May '08
Location: Netherlands
Age: 53 (M)
Posts: 6197
(Source: PokerNews) Interview with Isuldur1:
There has been a lot of controversy regarding your match versus Brian Hastings. Were you aware before reading it on ESPN that Hastings had been able to study hand histories from matches you had played with others?
I had no clue about this, as I don't follow the forums or many poker sites. I had no idea. A few poker friends told me about it, and then I finally decided to see for myself and read it on the site.
Had you played Brian Hastings prior to the $4 million session?
I had played him before at no-limit hold'em, as well as a little pot-limit Omaha, so this was not the first time we played together; however, we also did not play very much.
We're sure you've thought back on the losing session quite a bit. Was there anything that was strange about the session when you look back?
In the days leading up to the session with Hastings, I played with Brian Townsend and Cole South a lot. They were always waiting for me. The last session where Hastings won all the money, it just felt like something was wrong. Everything that could go wrong for me did. Every time I tried to pull off a bluff of some kind, it felt as if it was being picked off. At the time, I just thought it was crazy luck, but now, knowing they shared a lot of their analysis of hand histories with each other, it makes a lot more sense. I feel like Hastings, and even South and Townsend when we played the last few times, had an advantage over me.
Since the session, have you had any conversations with Brian Hastings?
Were you aware of the Full Tilt rule that states: "The use of shared hand histories provides detailed information on opponents a player has little or no personal experience playing against, and is deemed to be an unfair advantage. Violating this policy is subject to the maximum penalties for prohibited software use?"
I was not aware of the exact rule that you just mentioned, but since seeing that it is in fact a rule at Full Tilt Poker, I think I am going to put through a formal complaint, as I think this is a case where the sharing of hand histories directly affected the match I played with Brian [Hastings].
Now that Brian Townsend has come out in his blog and admitted to compiling a database of about 50,000 hands he and others played against you to analyze your play, do you feel like you deserve to get a portion or all of your money back from the session?
Yes, I do feel like I deserve to get something back. I feel that Hastings had a big edge over me due to the hand history database. They were able to dissect the exact way I was playing because they analyzed the hands so precisely, and it was impossible for me to adjust, as I had no idea they were doing it.
Even though this information is not out there, since they admitted to sharing hand histories, how can I be sure that all three of them did not have input on the hands while we were playing?
Have you ever discussed hand histories with friends, or peers about any of the players you played in the big games on Full Tilt, or against any opponent for that matter?
I have never in my life studied hand histories. I have never studied books, or watched videos. I always have just played poker and played with every player who wanted to play me. To be honest, I never even studied my own hand histories.
What's next for Isildur1? Do you plan on getting back into the action?
Well, honestly I am going to stay quiet for a while now. I am planning on putting in the request to Full Tilt to look into this further, and until I hear back, I don't plan on playing much poker on the site.
Joined: May '09
Location: India
Age: 37 (M)
Posts: 4873
"This year Brian T., Cole, and myself have spent tons of time reviewing our own and each other's play, discussing hands, and analyzing our opponents ." "Brian, Cole, and I each played against him (isildur) some, reviewed our play extensively, and studied his game as well. No, we didn't ghost each other, it was one player per hand, but we were always there to offer each other encouragement and provide good constructive criticism."
he didn't admit sharing hand history for isildur game but as u said it'll be naive to assume that.
Posted by shokaku: What, talking with friends over the game?
that fineprint on poker sites is always hard for me to understand,
Joined: Mar '08
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 44 (M)
Posts: 6714
Brian Townsend has had his Full Tilt Poker Red Pro status suspended for one month in light of all this. So FT know or belive what he has done is wrong, so should isildur1 now get compensation?
Joined: Nov '09
Location: Canada
Age: 48 (M)
Posts: 302
he should be banned for ever try this if your not a red pro and your out for ever that sure wy do those guys have more than everyone else dont think its fair
