Brian Townsend is a player whose name is quite well known in the big cash game circles.  He plays a lot at the “Big Game” in Bobby’s Room and has made a pretty good living taking money off of those who have sat at his tables over the years.  He’s also a frequent online player too.  In fact, he plays so much he thought that he needed a second account at Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars.

Recently, Brian admitted to the practice of multiaccounting at both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars.  This is a big no-no at both rooms as multiaccounting often leads to collusion since a player could use both accounts in the same room or tournament.  In fact it’s happened many times in the past which has led many rooms to ban the practice. 

Townsend made his reason for engaging in multiaccounting rather innocent as he said the reason he did it was because he likes to remain anonymous sometimes when playing.  He also went on to say that he never tried to collude with his extra two accounts.  This apology came after Full Tilt and PokerStars received complaints that Townsend was multiaccounting.

This all makes me wonder whether Townsend, or anyone else for that matter, could truly avoid the temptation to engage in collusion when they are multiaccounting.  After all, the temptation to cheat would be pretty great if one has gotten away with the practice before.  And why would one want to risk public embarrassment at such a major room just so they could play under the radar?

Obviously I don’t have video evidence of Townsend secretly colluding with his two accounts at either room but it’s hard for me to believe this same reasoning that’s been used by others caught multiaccounting.  Especially when such a huge advantage could be gained when multiaccounting.