[casaubon]

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Scientific Method.
Assumption: The cheaters could actually see the hole cards.
Theory 1: Cheaters are a rogue group of hackers who somehow hacked into AP's servers and compromised hole card information
Theory 2: Cheaters actually work for AP and used "security" accounts or "super" accounts to view the hole cards

Prediction-Theory 1 If theory 1 is correct, the expected response from AP would be swift. The accounts would be closed, a press release issued to their customers detailing exactly what happened, and then a detailed response about how they will ensure this kind of security breach will never happen again.

Prediction-Theory 2: The response from AP would be slow, and perhaps non-existent. They would drag their feet while formulating an excuse, and perhaps release a few small PR's to judge public response-basically, what we're seeing right now.

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qft and well said these seem like the only two viable options to me as well at the moment.

whoever is doing this obviously is not covering up well and I believe can be caught.

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Just from a marketing standpoint, there's no way they would take the steps in theory 1. This isn't politics where they're doing spin control with a media that already knows about this. The people who know about this constitute a small % of their actual player base. Sending out a press release "AP gets hacked!" makes about as much sense and Dunder Mifflen calling a press conference to apologize for an obscene watermark.

Whether they got hacked or it was an inside job, their line would be to contain, kill the accounts behind closed doors, and hope the suckers never find out about it. And as some here have implied, they can do that with the understanding that most thinking players will cooperate, because publicly calling into question the legitimacy of the game kills everyone's golden goose, not just Absolute's.

Think about it. If you go to some live game with a bunch of awful players tonight, would you tell them about how Absolute is rigged? Or when they talk about how they always lose, will you just laugh at them and ask if they need help redepositing?