A lot has been written lately about online poker players having multiple real-money accounts at the same poker site. Having several accounts allows players to sign up as several different people in the same online poker tournament. Recently, poker sites like partypoker and pokerstars have begun to crackdown on this rules violation and the players participating in the practice have found both their wallet and reputation a little worse for wear. One of the players affected by the crackdown is Justin Bonomo. On his website, ZeeJustin.com, you can read about his struggles and successes as an online poker player. As an online player, Justin has done very well and won a good deal of money. Should all of his accomplishments be tarnished by his multi-account practice? I say no.

The concerns have arisen from the fact that Justin was able to play as 4 different players in the same multi-table poker tournament. In doing so, he was able to see 4 separate hands simultaneously. This would raise great concerns if he was playing in a one-table tournament with only ten players at a table. Here, he would control nearly half the table and would be able to dump chips to one of his players to ensure that he ends up making money. However, this is not what happened. The tourneys in question are large multi-table tournaments with hundreds of players. With four entries in the tournament, a small chance does exist that two of his entries could be seated at the same table, but the possibility is remote until late in a tournament. In addition, there is no indication that he was dumping chips or conducting any other unethical practice. His crime was simply that he was playing as four people in the same tournament. In one case, the penalty for his crime was loss of a $100,000 tournament payday.

Let's compare Justin's actions to other practices that routinely occur today without question or retribution. In live play tournaments, professional poker players routinely have a stake in the winnings of other professional players. Much like investors who do not place all of their money in one stock, players staking other players helps to ensure that money will be made regardless of any one player's outcome in the tournament. Although efforts are underway to address this issue, player staking continues to occur today. What happens if players at the same table have a stake in each other? Will they go for the all-in knock out blow if eliminating their opponent means a reduction in their payday? Or, will they make a smaller bet that allows the other player to continue and possibly make it to the money? Also, how often are friends playing together in online tournaments? What is to stop them from instant messaging each other or talking on the phone while they play? Is this really that much different than playing multiple accounts? These issues all raise questions for discussion very similar to the practice of Justin and others.

Now, let's talk about Justin's actions. Have you ever tried playing at four tables simultaneously? With the speed of online poker, playing multiple tables greatly reduces the amount of information a player can absorb about the actions of the other players at their table. This is lost information that could potentially help them make the best moves against their opponents. Playing multiple tables puts a player's skill to the test as odds calculations and betting decisions must be made almost instantaneously. If you haven’t tried playing multiple tables, sit down at four separate tables and tell me if you have an advantage.

The events that have unfolded have left Justin embarrassed and shaken. His love of the game continues, but he feels his good reputation is in question. I say put it behind you and move on. You learned a costly lesson, but poker is where you should be. Whether you are sitting at one table or four, you clearly have the skills to bring home a victory. With limited information about your opponents, online poker is tougher in many aspects than live play. You have proven you have the skills to beat it and I'd be happy to see you sitting at someone else’s table in any online poker tournament that I enter.