Easy Street Sports vs. Cory1111

Introduction

My awareness of the conflict involving cory1111 and Easy Street Sports (ESS) emerged when I saw a post discussing it on my Wizard of Vegas site. SBR Forum has a lengthy forum thread where the complainant has made contributions.

Executive Summary of the Case

Here is my understanding of the key details of the case. Feel free to correct me if any of this is inaccurate.

• Cory1111 won $46,000 playing video poker at ESS.
• ESS, which utilizes DGS software, is refusing to acknowledge these winnings because they claim the speed and precision demonstrated by the player are beyond human capability, implying the use of a bot, which violates casino regulations. The player’s three royal flushes within 8,762 hands raise suspicions of potential misconduct.
• ESS proposed to fly Cory to Costa Rica for a lie detector test to verify his playing speed. Although the player was open to showcasing his speed, he declined the lie detector test.
• There are allegations suggesting that the player takes advantage of bonuses. However, my understanding is that the player wagered around 400 times his initial deposit of $250 plus an additional $250 bonus, while the actual requirement stands at 25 times.
• A mystery expert from theRXforum.com ESS received a decision favorable to them, which they were obviously pleased with. In an effort to respect copyright, I won't reproduce the expert's verdict, but it is accessible at therxforum.com .

My Response to the Verdict

Here’s my detailed response to the six points made in the report.

1. The report indicates that the player managed to play 8,762 hands in just 499 minutes, equating to a rate of about 1,053 hands per hour. I consulted with Bob Dancer, who is undoubtedly one of the leading experts in video poker. His feedback was as follows:

   A hand rate of 1,000 hands per hour is achievable for a select few players, while maintaining perfect play over an eight-hour stretch is even rarer. Most experts will inevitably make mistakes. If you’re considering the possibility, then yes, it could happen. If you’re leaning towards the probability of occurrence, then the answer is no. Could I achieve that? I might succeed once out of five attempts, though I would likely err on the other four.

   The expert from ESS characterized this pace of play as a 'statistical impossibility.' While it may be improbable, I wouldn't label it an outright statistical impossibility.

   In relation to the claim that the player executed perfect plays, I understand that the public access play history does not detail the exact cards involved. If ESS is asserting claims of perfect play, they should disclose the hand history that includes card specifics to substantiate this assertion.

   Ultimately, I don’t see why legitimate casinos would prohibit bots, apart from live poker scenarios. After all, every casino game carries a house edge, making them profitable regardless; thus, bots shouldn't be unwelcome. If the intent is to combat bonus exploitation, then the bonus framework itself should be reevaluated.

2. I have no opinion to share on this issue, as it has not been cited as a reason for denying payment.
3. The report asserts that the player did not take a pause after achieving a royal flush, which seems like a natural reaction. He also appeared unaware of specifics regarding the royals he hit. There are several potential explanations for this behavior.
   • Cory might have been playing at such a rapid pace that he didn’t register that he hit a royal flush in the moment it occurred.
   • As a seasoned video poker player who has experienced numerous royals, he may have become less excitable compared to earlier times.
   • Cory emailed me that ESS questioned him about his last royal flush a week and a half after it had occurred. When they inquired about how he achieved it, he misunderstood their question regarding the number of cards drawn to the royal, jokingly responding, 'I was dealt it.' Personally, I find it hard to recall all details of royals I hit ten days later as well.

4. The expert contends that obtaining three royal flushes in 8,762 hands is 'statistically impossible.' Let’s work with the same 1 in 40,000 odds he suggests, which seems reasonable. Statistically, one might expect to see 0.2191 royal flushes over 8,762 hands. If we utilize the Poisson distribution, the probability of landing exactly three royals in those hands is e^-.2191 ? 0.2191³/ 3! = 0.001407, or 1 in 710.

   I believe that this expert's credibility has significantly diminished on this point. A chance of 1 in 710 cannot justifiably be claimed as 'statistically impossible.' To base part of their case on this assertion reflects poorly on ESS, in my perspective.

   Additionally, I am informed that the player actually played 22,000 hands at ESS. The likelihood of scoring three royals in that total is 1 in 64, which is certainly not 'statistically impossible.' It appears that ESS selectively focused on only the 8,862 hands from the sessions where Cory achieved a royal.

5. The expert indicates that an average of 1.3 seconds was spent on the drawing aspect of each average 3.4 seconds per hand. I would prefer experiencing the game myself or viewing a video before making a definitive statement on this.
6. Now the expert claims that the player engaged in play to 'overwhelm the RNG and create advantageous conditions for the player.' What? I was unaware that random number generators could tire from a play rate of one hand every 3.4 seconds and begin yielding royal flushes out of frustration. Having programmed computers for three decades, I have never encountered a scenario of RNG fatigue.

At last, I have not come across a situation where an expert’s testimony was provided without disclosing the expert’s name.

My Suggestion

Bob Dancer and I have been in ongoing communication about this matter, as evidenced by his quote presented earlier. As a top authority and player in the world of video poker, I have proposed that Bob personally evaluates the player's speed and skill, and he has agreed to do so.

Cory has accepted this challenge provided the circumstances mirror those at ESS. I have reached out to ESS for comments regarding this matter but have yet to receive a response. If ESS is open to negotiations, I am willing to temporarily lift the blacklisting until we can come to a satisfactory resolution.

Blacklisting

Eighteen days prior to blacklisting EasyStreet, I issued a warning, inviting them to address my concerns in order to seek a resolution. After receiving no response, they were added to the blacklist on April 25, 2011.

DGS Systems

As far as I know, the software provider DGS Systems has stayed silent concerning this issue. That is their choice. However, I can’t help but recall an incident when Heroes casino denied payment to a player for a significant keno win, prompting their software provider to step in and compensate the player while also discontinuing business with Heroes. It would be heartwarming to witness a similar outcome in this situation. Galewind For further information regarding the case against ESS, please review the

Links

Mathematically sound strategies and insights for various casino games, including blackjack, craps, roulette, and countless others available for play. video and case summary by Justin7 of Sportsbookreview.com.

Written by: Michael Shackleford