Ilya Pavlov

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

For those not understanding what you see on the screen, on the left there is a GTO 3bet range in the MP vs BB situation, and on the right, there is an average 3bet range in the MP vs BB situation obtained using MDA. This is how awkward it is, while Fedor declares a witch-hunt on Twitter and claims that using MDA to create strategies is unacceptable and should be forbidden, he actually sells a course that is based on MDA.
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Yes, I get that it needs time to sink in. Let’s go over it again. Fedor, being poker ambassador of the highest level, announces cooperation with the security service of the leading platform, while at the same time selling courses (not cheap, by the way, at the time of publication it is 1.2k USD/year) content of which is based on MDA. The screenshot above is not a lone occasion of using MDA, the word “population” appears in most of the videos.
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Now let's try to figure out together how sincere Fedor is in his statements and whether he is really interested in fair play or maybe he just sold out and now pushes forward what is beneficial to the site he represents?

Simultaneously with these innovations, the site is introducing a withdrawal limit of 5k USD/day funny coincidence, right?

I said it before in platinum community in Discord, but I’ll repeat it here as well:

A huge request to the GGPN management and specifically to the Information Security Department from me personally and from the entire community: find competent people to start an open dialogue with a competent representative of poker community, so we can move together towards the solution, if you really are interested in fair play.

And another request to the community: spread the information as much as possible. I really want the average player to think critically and to evaluate the news looking at the whole picture, not just the beautiful part where Fedor Holz (Poker Star) joins the Security Council and announces radical changes => Sure thing the changes are good for us, Fedor himself watched over every step.

Maybe then, through maximum publicity, we can convey the dissatisfaction of community to the management of the site and, for once in a lifetime, defend the interests of the players.

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

Hi guys, brought you longread about GG's @GGPoker decision to ban trackers and Holtz's @CrownUpGuy hipocrisy.

You can find it on 2+2 forum here:
https://t.co/YsUri3zLyM

And there is longread for you in twitter format under the tweet

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

1. Fight against RTA (real-time assistance)
2. Fight against MDA (mass data analysys)
3. Fight with Collusion (collusive plays/ghosting)

The only respond I got to my question under the post was a ban. That’s the behavior worthy of a network ambassador and a representative of the Poker Integrity Department, which should serve as a connection between Information Security Department and the community, isn’t it? But let’s put this one aside for now.

I would like to focus the reader’s attention on point number 2 (MDA). To begin with, we will dive into the background of the issue; the Holdem Manager Twitter page was created in October 2009 and we will use this date as the point of appearance of hand history tracking as such. After all, it is the moment Security Department of rooms allowed the use of tracking software that set the entire course of industry development up to this point. One can argue endlessly about how exactly the number of stables and use of MDA during development of a player in any poker school affect the industry, but the fact remains that the networks are responsible for the chosen course themselves.

Yes, the presence of trackers has given rise to a certain number of scammers who use them to write strategies for bot farms, etc., but also the presence and ability to use trackers is a guarantee of fair play for the player.

*Just a reminder: when you get a tetanus shot there is a possibility of death, when you start using atomic energy there is a possibility of nuclear war, etc.

Speaking of fair play: the poker community has shown its effectiveness in the fight against bots and identifying super-users on various sites precisely thanks to the presence of trackers and MDA. No one, of course, can tell who does more percentage wise, the Information Security of rooms or community enthusiasts; but if you compare the number of refunds from rooms with the public cases where enthusiasts had a hand, it seems that it is at least close.

However, the security systems of the rooms and GGPN in particular, have shown their incompetence, both in the fight against bots (how can your strategy be effective if the community identifies bots better than you do?) and in the fight against super users (moneytaker69 and who knows how many more people have used the ineffectiveness of the software).

Among other things, don’t you think, my dear reader, that introducing rules into the user agreement of the site that go against the PUBLIC rules of other sites and forcing this way law-abiding players to choose between playing other sites with tracker or playing GG and other sites without one (while lawbreaking players just find a new way of bypassing the security system), is - to put it mildly - an action that is aimed not only at maintaining the purity of the game?

Now let's return to where we started for a short time. Probably everyone knows that Fedor Holz is the owner of the Pokercode. I bought a subscription to his wonderful product to check one thing out (in reality, I got the invaluable experience of buying crap for money). And, OH GOD, WHAT A SURPRISE, in the very first random video I open in MTT course from Fedor I see the following:

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

I don’t really get the point of view of the majority of more or less influential people in the community regarding the latest innovations in the GGPN network (Poker, etc.). For my part, the least I can do is note everything that is going on right now.

It all started with Holz’s post on Twitter, where he enthusiastically announced the start of cooperation with the information security department of GG network and voiced 3 points that he wants to focus on in the near future:

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

Hi guys, created a thread on 2+2 about the latest changes in ToS of GGPN

https://t.co/mypdDV8Eu5

spread it please

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

@beriuzy @GGPoker @CrownUpGuy hi man, created thread on 2+2 about last updates in GGPN ToS, can u please read it and repost if u want

https://t.co/mypdDV8Eu5

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

@beriuzy @GGPoker @CrownUpGuy they just don’t care, bro

spent couple of hours speaking with platinum support on discord server - their incompetence is fkng ridiculous

but there are a lot of gems like this:

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

@GGPoker

Hello guys, we have something like a players council here in connection with your latest innovations in the user agreement and we would like to ask you to initiate a public dialogue with someone competent enough to lead it from your security team.

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

@GGPoker Hello guys, we have something like a players council here in connection with your latest innovations in the user agreement and we would like to ask you to initiate a public dialogue with someone competent enough to lead it from your security team.

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

@CrownUpGuy @GGPoker lol, one more shitty decision from GG
on one side of scale there is TylerRM that found MoneyTaker69 and probably did for poker community more than all security services combined and on another side Fedor that did ... nothing ? nice move

[Viacheslav @Hofrful]

1/2
Hello, many of you may have encountered me at poker tournament tables ranging from $55 to $1050 on Pokerstars under the nickname Hofr, on WPN as ArkaduktusFrRM, on IPoker as Hofr, and on GGPoker as GodspeedYou!. I am a regular in ABI 250 and an active coach in two Russian-speaking teams, with a combined membership of over 150 people (https://t.co/LQRXN3H7M9 and https://t.co/GJUKkKCqRw).

Three months ago, I was banned from GGPoker with the following explanation:

"Hello GodspeedYou!,

This is to inform you that following a thorough review of your account activity, and feedback, we have concluded that you have breached our Security & Policy for the USE OF REMOTE DESKTOP & SCREEN SHARING PROGRAMS and/or USE OF VIRTUAL MACHINES & EMULATORS.

GGPoker Network aims to provide a safe and enjoyable playing environment to our players. The use OF REMOTE DESKTOP & SCREEN SHARING PROGRAMS and/or USE OF VIRTUAL MACHINES & EMULATORS is a significant obstacle to achieving this goal and an indefensible breach of our Security and Ecology Agreement. Please refer to provision 15. and 17. of our Security & Ecology Policy for further details.

As a result, we have closed your account and permanently banned you from GGPoker Network. Please contact your cashier to cash out your remaining balance.

Please note that GGPoker Network refers to all skins on the Network. Should we discover that you have created and/or played on any new or pre-existing accounts on GGPoker Network, we will proceed to permanently close these accounts and confiscate any funds held therein."

Understanding that there must have been some mistake, I promptly assured the security service that I am an honest player, an active coach, and am ready to undergo any verification process. However, their response was curt and seemingly hopeless:

"Hello GodspeedYou!,

As we have mentioned, we have closed your account and permanently banned you from GGPoker Network. And please contact your cashier to cash out your remaining balance. Lastly, we would like to inform you that our decision is final and will not be overturned."

Let's take a closer look at the points referred to by GGPoker's security service.

"15. USE OF REMOTE DESKTOP & SCREEN SHARING PROGRAMS
15.1. GGPoker strictly prohibits the use of any program that enables a user to remotely access others' devices or others to remotely access the user's device in conjunction with the GGPoker client.

15.2. GGPoker strictly prohibits the use of any program that enables a user to share one's own screen with others or others to share their screen with the user in conjunction with the GGPoker client to gain an unfair advantage over their opponents.

15.3. The prohibited programs include, but are not limited to, the following:

TeamViewer
Microsoft Remote Desktop
AnyDesk
LogMeIn
15.4. GGPoker strictly prohibits the use of such programs as they may facilitate additional breaches of our Security & Ecology Policy (SEP), including ghosting, use of RTA, botting, and multi accounting.

15.5. Actions taken for minor breaches: WARNING, TEMPORARY BAN

15.6. Actions taken for repeat/major breaches: PERMANENT BAN, CONFISCATION"

"17. USE OF VIRTUAL MACHINES & EMULATORS
17.1. GGPoker strictly prohibits the use of any virtual machines and Android emulators in conjunction with the GGPoker client.

17.2. The prohibited virtual machine programs include, but are not limited to, the following:

Oracle VM VirtualBox
VMware
Parallels
Microsoft Hyper-V
Nox
Bluestacks
MEmu
17.3. Users must run the GGPoker client in an operating system that is native to the hardware device one is using.

17.4. Actions taken for minor breaches: WARNING, TEMPORARY BAN

17.5. Actions taken for repeat/major breaches: PERMANENT BAN, CONFISCATION"

[Viacheslav @Hofrful]

Hello, many of you may have encountered me at poker tournament tables ranging from $55 to $1050 on Pokerstars under the nickname Hofr, on WPN as ArkaduktusFrRM, on IPoker as Hofr, and on GGPoker as GodspeedYou!. I am a regular in ABI 250 and an active coach in two Russian-speaking teams, with a combined membership of over 150 people (https://t.co/j4pwzJxoY0 and https://t.co/Qc1kiiCqYX).

Three months ago, I was banned from GGPoker with the following explanation:

"Hello GodspeedYou!,

This is to inform you that following a thorough review of your account activity, and feedback, we have concluded that you have breached our Security & Policy for the USE OF REMOTE DESKTOP & SCREEN SHARING PROGRAMS and/or USE OF VIRTUAL MACHINES & EMULATORS.

GGPoker Network aims to provide a safe and enjoyable playing environment to our players. The use OF REMOTE DESKTOP & SCREEN SHARING PROGRAMS and/or USE OF VIRTUAL MACHINES & EMULATORS is a significant obstacle to achieving this goal and an indefensible breach of our Security and Ecology Agreement. Please refer to provision 15. and 17. of our Security & Ecology Policy for further details.

As a result, we have closed your account and permanently banned you from GGPoker Network. Please contact your cashier to cash out your remaining balance.

Please note that GGPoker Network refers to all skins on the Network. Should we discover that you have created and/or played on any new or pre-existing accounts on GGPoker Network, we will proceed to permanently close these accounts and confiscate any funds held therein."

Understanding that there must have been some mistake, I promptly assured the security service that I am an honest player, an active coach, and am ready to undergo any verification process. However, their response was curt and seemingly hopeless:

"Hello GodspeedYou!,

As we have mentioned, we have closed your account and permanently banned you from GGPoker Network. And please contact your cashier to cash out your remaining balance. Lastly, we would like to inform you that our decision is final and will not be overturned."

Let's take a closer look at the points referred to by GGPoker's security service.

"15. USE OF REMOTE DESKTOP & SCREEN SHARING PROGRAMS
15.1. GGPoker strictly prohibits the use of any program that enables a user to remotely access others' devices or others to remotely access the user's device in conjunction with the GGPoker client.

15.2. GGPoker strictly prohibits the use of any program that enables a user to share one's own screen with others or others to share their screen with the user in conjunction with the GGPoker client to gain an unfair advantage over their opponents.

15.3. The prohibited programs include, but are not limited to, the following:

TeamViewer
Microsoft Remote Desktop
AnyDesk
LogMeIn
15.4. GGPoker strictly prohibits the use of such programs as they may facilitate additional breaches of our Security & Ecology Policy (SEP), including ghosting, use of RTA, botting, and multi accounting.

15.5. Actions taken for minor breaches: WARNING, TEMPORARY BAN

15.6. Actions taken for repeat/major breaches: PERMANENT BAN, CONFISCATION"

"17. USE OF VIRTUAL MACHINES & EMULATORS
17.1. GGPoker strictly prohibits the use of any virtual machines and Android emulators in conjunction with the GGPoker client.

17.2. The prohibited virtual machine programs include, but are not limited to, the following:

Oracle VM VirtualBox
VMware
Parallels
Microsoft Hyper-V
Nox
Bluestacks
MEmu
17.3. Users must run the GGPoker client in an operating system that is native to the hardware device one is using.

17.4. Actions taken for minor breaches: WARNING, TEMPORARY BAN

17.5. Actions taken for repeat/major breaches: PERMANENT BAN, CONFISCATION"

Just in case, I'll clarify that I received no warnings, never used remote desktop for gaming, and always played from my PC. The only thing that could have happened is that I might have forgotten to close the "remote desktop" program before a session because I have a server where I use programs like Simple Preflop, Simple Postflop, Simple3way for studying and working on my game. However, over more than 3 years of playing on GGPoker, this could have happened only once, maybe twice, which could simply be attributed to human error. I also admit that I occasionally streamed on Discord for my students and friends, but this practice is not prohibited on other sites, and I simply didn't know it was not allowed on GGPoker. I'm sure that almost all players have streamed tables on GGPoker for their friends; obviously, this is not a violation that should result in an immediate ban.

GGPoker classifies violations as minor and major. Therefore, violations such as using RTA, team play, and using bots should be punished as major violations. These accusations against me are very vague, lack evidence, and according to GGPoker's rules, should clearly be categorized as minor. In my initial communication with you, I provided all the accusations that were made against me, and there was no other letter with clear evidence of my use of, for example, RTA or an analysis of my hands that led to the accusation of ghosting because I streamed my screen.

In addition to me, another player with similar stakes - ShavermaSkrabom GG, WeMetAgain PS, was banned with the same wording. He is also a coach but in a different project - https://t.co/bF65snphiK. Finding ourselves in a similar situation, we hurried to create a thread on the most popular Russian-language poker forum GipsyTeam. This thread was the most popular on the site for a week: https://t.co/lQfUFETCty.

However, time went by, and GGPoker's attention to our issue did not increase. We decided to change our approach and reached out to the GGPoker Integrity Team led by Jason Koon. I first described the situation to him in direct messages on Instagram, but not receiving a response, we contacted the GGPoker Integrity Team by email. According to their statements, they would be able to help us.

@JasonKoon @CrownUpGuy @luckychewy, I couldn't find the accounts of other members of the Integrity Team.

"GGPoker has launched the Poker Integrity Council as it looks to protect the integrity of the game through various investigations.

The council, which will include Jason Koon, Andrew Lictenberge, Fedor Holz, Seth Davies, and Nick Petrangelo, will independently investigate allegations of cheating, conduct fair reviews, and enforce sanctions for suspicious behavior flagged at GGPoker tables."

We were very hopeful, realizing that we were under the patronage of these big names. "Now they will really get to the bottom of this with the security team!" - we thought. This was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate, not just in words but in actions, all the capabilities these guys have. They are unquestionable professionals with access to all the information the site has on a player. This was supposed to be the decisive all-in, after which it would be determined whether the decision was mistaken or hasty or whether gross violations on our part would be confirmed after analysis by professionals. You can't just take my word that I'm an honest player. Since GGPoker banned me, and I claim it's a mistake, a thorough independent analysis would be fair. GGPoker banned me without confiscating my funds, and I hadn't withdrawn them, hoping for a quick unban. All cheaters, who could be banned at any moment, keep almost 6 figures on their accounts, right? So, the Integrity Team, after determining the severity of my violations, could reclassify my offenses as major and confiscate my funds. In general, GGPoker's policy is quite interesting – they issue a lifetime ban that indicates I'm a dishonest player, but at the same time, they allowed me to withdraw my funds, presumably to keep me from making a big fuss.

In conclusion, it would be fair to see a comprehensive data analysis that either confirms or refutes the inconsistency in decisions, screen captures of the desktop with the presence or absence of prohibited software. Perhaps they would have unearthed hands that don't fit my logic of play, or on the contrary, they could have assured that all my decisions were consistent. Maybe they would have determined that during Discord streams, I made decisions differently than when not streaming. In general, their job should have been to prove our innocence or prevent dishonest players from tarnishing the reputation of GGPoker's security service.

For more information, we attempted to establish personal contact with members of the Integrity Team, and we were thrilled when we managed to get in touch with @LuckyChewy on Discord. Justice was supposed to prevail very soon. After sending a collective appeal that spanned 7 pages to the Poker Integrity Council, we waited for a swift resolution to our problem.

However, reality turned out to be much less straightforward and more disheartening. Despite all our efforts to secure an investigation, our 7-page appeal, and our attempts to reach out to members of the council personally, we received a response... but not from the council members. We wrote to them via email, but it was the GGPoker security team that responded with an unmistakable response about the finality of the decision and a suggestion to withdraw our funds. That was it.

The people who banned me continue to work in their positions, and the PIC members are also carrying on with their work. Nobody seems to care that an unjustified ban could simply destroy someone's career in online MTT because playing high stakes is impossible without GGPoker. The forum thread about our ban on GipsyTeam was the most popular for about a week and caused quite a stir, but not a single ambassador took a stand against GGPoker. Yes, Anatoly Filatov tried to help us, but he didn't take a clear stance against the decision or voice his opinion. It's understandable since risking one's cozy position for the sake of justice is more akin to the plot of a romantic movie. An unjust ban ruined the careers of two guys? Well, anything can happen; what's important is stability and confidence in tomorrow. The fact that this is an extremely negative development that undermines the security of all regulars was simply brushed aside. If today, someone is banned without evidence and nobody stands up for them, tomorrow they could ban someone else, and there will be no one to advocate for them because everyone will be in their own safe spaces.

The reality is that you can be banned just like that. The reality is that no one will help you. The reality is that bureaucracy trumps justice.

If you find this decision unfair, hasty, and believe that GGPoker did not have the right to ban me for life based on the provided grounds, or if you simply empathize with me, then I suggest that you draw the attention of GGPoker and the PIC to this situation again. Let's tag their accounts and write to them. Let's stand up for each other's honor as members of the poker community.

I also suggest launching the hashtag #FreeGodspeedYou so that people remember the names of those who have fallen victim to arbitrary bans. It would mean a lot to me if, at the start of hands at the final table on GGPoker, you send this message in the chat: "#FreeGodspeedYou" to bring attention to my case.

Wishing everyone well.

@GGPoker @JasonKoon @CrownUpGuy @luckychewy

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

@StarsSupport your team didn't give me any useful information. There is no any time frames in their response etc. How much useful info u think i can receive from bot auto-answers?

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

Created already 2 complaints to regulators: MGA and eCOGRA. Maybe it will make you start paying a little more attention to your customers. @StarsSupport @PokerStars

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

Hello Stars @StarsSupport @PokerStars.
my account has been frozen for 10 days already and I still haven't received any information from your support about what it is all about. Any attempts to contact your support results in standard replies from your bot without any time frames

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

@BittrexExchange I have same #BittrexTrouble with verification of my account and access to my funds. Support never answers! Please solve request #707559

[Ilya Pavlov @pokanuktus]

@BittrexExchange hello guys, can u pls help me with solving troubleticket number: 544309