PokerStars regularly hosts events for players to enjoy online, including tournament series the brand has created themselves. The Turbo Championship of Online Poker is one such series that is popular with players as it offers quick game play and affordable buy-ins. The recent edition of the TCOOP has now resulted in questioning as to whether or not a runner up to an event was a bot or an actual human player.
PokerStars investigated the matter and has concluded that the player was real and not a bot used during game play. The incident took place during TCOOP 08 which was a no limit hold’em event with Turbo, Big Antes, and Optional Re-Entry. The event had a guaranteed prize pool of $200,000 and towards the end of the event, a representative for PokerStars opened a chat with HostMattieM to set a deal with the final two players IvanHaldi of Russia and LuckboxStami of Finland.
The PokerStars Host was requested by LuckboxStami to present the options left with $4,000 left to play for if both players agreed to a deal. The host came back with the final numbers that would give LuckboxStami just over $40,000 and IvanHaldi just over $39,000. Each could then win the remaining money and a TCOOP bracelet by claiming the final win.
LuckboxStami agreed to the deal immediately by stating “I agree” in the chat box. The opponent was silent. The host asked for someone to help in Russian but IvanHaldi still did not respond. A private chat was tried by the host but no answer still. After about an hour of trying to contact the player, LuckboxStami began to suggest that the player is actually a bot.
The host tried everything possible to make a deal due to the fact that big money was on the line. Play finally resumed and LuckboxStami asked PokerStars to look into the matter. In the end, LuckboxStami was able to win more, earning just over $48,000, with PokerStars stating an investigation proved the player was real and not a bot.