We take the issue of collusion very seriously, and make every effort to maintain the integrity of our card rooms. It is a popular misconception that it’s easier to collude in online poker. In fact, collusion is more readily detectable online than offline. At World Poker Exchange, we have access to all of the game logs of every player, and any suspicious activity can be detected in real time as well as over a longer period. We use every tool available to us in order to detect and prevent collusion, and offenders are permanently banned from playing at our tables.

We are fully aware that two or more players may be sitting at different computers in the same room, or may be communicating by phone or other means. Not only could such players collude to raise the pot and drive out other players, they could also inform each other of the contents of their hands. In order to combat this potential problem, we have designed a series of special proprietary data-processing tools. We continually track the betting patterns of each player, as well as the correlation between the play pattern of any two or more players and their overall win percentage. Any player whose win percentage is out of line is immediately placed under investigation. Essentially, we monitor players who tend to play together frequently, in order to confirm that they simply enjoy playing together and are not engaging in any attempt at collusion. We also have software that assists our security employees by providing a warning when a player raises with a weak hand or folds a strong one, suggesting that he may be colluding. In most cases, an investigation of the hand reveals that the player simply made an error. However, in cases in which collusion cannot be ruled out, we will immediately send an e-mail to the player notifying him of our suspicions. If the suspicious behavior continues, the player will be permanently banned from our card rooms.

Our proprietary security-monitoring-system software is constantly upgraded to adapt to the ever-changing online environment. We have implemented security features designed to detect automated programs that enable the use of artificial intelligence at our poker tables. The use of such “bot” software programs violates our Terms and Conditions of Use, and is detrimental to other players. Our software monitors a number of predetermined variables. If a flag is raised on a suspicious account, our security analysts will conduct further investigation.

We cannot fully divulge the details of how our process and tools work in guarding against both collusion and “bots.” The detection of each requires a different set of standards, and divulging information of this kind could compromise our ability to prevent such rules violations in the future.

If any player is suspected of either cheating or collusion, his account is immediately frozen pending further investigation by our security staff. If this investigation determines that collusion has occurred or that a “bot” or another form of illegal software has been used in play, the account will be terminated WITHOUT the release of that player’s funds. We can then distribute those funds among our other players through a variety of means.

Our customers are of course our first line of defense against illegal play, and are always encouraged to notify us immediately of any suspicious behavior they may observe. Should you suspect that players are acting together during play, please forward the game information (including the hand # or #'s and the screen names of the players in question) and any comments you may have to support@worldpx.com. We will closely scrutinize any suspected case of collusion and take prompt and decisive action whenever necessary.