SwCPoker Fixes Software Bug, Issues Refunds

The Bitcoin-only poker site SwCPoker has fixed an error in its software that removed portions of cash game pots rather than awarding the entire pot to the winner. This bug was active for an unknown amount of time, perhaps as long as a couple of years. In addition to deploying a fix, the poker room has crunched the numbers to determine how much was inadvertently taken from customers. Starting on Aug. 30, 2017, the accounts of affected players were credited with the appropriate amount of chips.

About the Software Flaw

Several months ago, a few players discovered an unusual situation in which fractions of the pot would go missing. In order for this to occur, someone had to have put money into the pot and then left the table while the hand was still in progress. When the hand was over, the chips contributed by the person who had departed would not be included in the pot, and the winner was shortchanged by this amount. The glitch only affected hands where three or more players were dealt in. Because someone leaving a table after having put money into the pot is a somewhat rare occurrence, this was the sort of bug that would not be obvious unless someone was watching pot sizes very carefully. SwC deployed a fix in April, but this didn't satisfy those who had lost chips, or even just thought they might have lost chips, due to the malfunction.

The Refund Process

The process of identifying who might have been shortchanged and how much they were owed was a time-consuming one. On Aug. 12, a representative from SwCPoker posted on the bitcointalk.org forums, saying that there would be a complete audit of hand histories to collect the necessary information on who had suffered losses and how much had been erroneously taken from them. On Aug. 30, the site revealed that the investigation was finished and that players would see refunds hitting their accounts within 36 hours. The next day, “SwC_Poker” posted the following:

Regarding Over-Raked Pots

Refunds have been credited to all affected players. A corresponding amount of BCH has also been credited, and must be claimed through the BCH claiming method.

Thank you for playing SwC Poker.

Forumites on both bitcointalk.org and twoplustwo.com confirmed that they had received the appropriate credits to their balances.

Bitcoin Cash Included

Everyone who received a refund of Bitcoin (BTC) chips is also entitled to claim a matching number of Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Bitcoin Cash is the forked version of Bitcoin, and at the time of the split on Aug. 1, all Bitcoin holders also became owners of a corresponding amount of BCH. Because accounts at SwC are denominated solely in BTC, users don't have direct access to their BCH coins. However, poker room management decided to provide a process through which users can email bch[at]swcpoker.eu to receive instructions on how to get ahold of their Bitcoin Cash. Some entities that transact in Bitcoin didn't provide the option for customers to access their Bitcoin Cash, but it's good to see that SwCPoker isn't one of them.

Bitcoin Poker Is Growing

SwCPoker is perhaps the Bitcoin poker site with the longest pedigree, having arisen from the ashes of Seals with Clubs, which was the first online poker room in the world to conduct gameplay in crypto-currency. It's now not the only place for BTC poker on the internet because a lot of mainstream poker companies have decided, in recent years, to add Bitcoin to their list of cashier options. This is especially true of those sites that serve the United States. To learn more about them, check out our page about where Americans can use Bitcoin to play poker online.