Annie Duke Says She Used 'God' Software
In the wake of the release of new audio recordings that shed more light on the Ultimate Bet scandal, which bilked account holders at the online poker site out of some $23 million over a four-year period from 2003 until 2007, noted poker pro Annie Duke has released a statement via her Facebook page in order to clear her name and state, unequivocally, that she never utilized the so-called “God” software that allowed others at the site to view their opponents’ hole cards.
Duke says she never cheated
When the audio recordings were posted online earlier this month by a former employee of Ultimate Bet founder and WSOP champion Russ Hamilton, a flurry of backlash erupted anew against the site, though the existence and use of the software that allowed Hamilton and others to cheat first came to light back in 2008.
For her part, Duke says that not only did she not use such software, but that she also had no idea it existed until the whole sordid affair became public five years ago. In her Facebook profile, she lists herself as being a “public figure” and a “good decision maker.”
“The release of this audio has spurred accusations and I want to make it clear that I have never used a tool on a delay or otherwise that gave me or anyone else access to hole cards for use during real money play nor was I aware that such a tool existed until the scandal broke,” Duke wrote in the statement posted on Facebook.
Duke one of several pros to speak out against Ultimate Bet
Duke’s disavowal of the conduct of Hamilton and Ultimate Bet, which is no longer in operation, mirrors that of several other poker pros who have distanced themselves from their affiliation with the site in the days since the audio recordings were made public.
Last week, famous poker pro Phil Hellmuth released a statement of his own, and in his notoriously direct manner expressed his disgust at the brazen theft on the part of those behind the scandal.
“I trusted their team and believed in their ability to run a first class website and business. Most importantly, I allowed them to convince me that they were honest and forthright. I’ve never been more wrong about anything in my life,” said the Wisconsin-born Hellmuth.
“Listening to the recently released audio tapes of the UB founders has brought this situation back into the forefront of my thoughts. To hear them discussing this situation and actively deciding to keep me in the dark disgusts and infuriates me. They lied to me about their activities and I made a big mistake in trusting them for way too long,” he continued.
Duke no stranger to scandal
Duke was said to be closely involved to the management of Ultimate Bet, even relocating to Portland, Oregon for a couple of years while the room was in its development stages. Despite her managerial role, in her statement she makes no reference to her part in the operation of the site.
Annie Duke is, of course, no stranger to scandal, being the sister of Howard Lederer. Lederer was infamously associated with the downfall of Full Tilt Poker and attracted a lot of attention, most of it negative, upon the release of his own audio recording, an interview he sat down for last fall called ‘The Lederer Files.’
In that interview, Lederer attempted to minimize his own role at Full Tilt, though late last year he settled his case with the US government, agreeing to forfeit a laundry list of personal property, including bank accounts, real estate holdings in California and Nevada, and retirement accounts, amongst other things.
