10 Most Notorious Poker Scandals in History
In the realm of poker, there have been numerous incidents that have stained its reputation. Some of these have made a great impact on the game, while others simply captured the attention of the public momentarily.
Writing about the latest tournament victor or analyzing massive pots in cash games can be entertaining, but nothing can rival a good scandal. The media's appetite for controversy is insatiable. It ignites the community and fosters a level of engagement that no Main Event success story can match, except possibly that of Chris Moneymaker.
Although this list of the most significant poker scandals is not ranked by magnitude, you can be sure that each one will be viewed differently depending on how it affected various individuals.
1. Black Friday
Despite the countless articles and anecdotes about it, Black Friday cannot be left out when discussing major poker scandals. This is arguably the most significant scandal the poker community has ever encountered, directly impacting countless players worldwide.
On April 11, 2011, the United States Department of Justice unsealed indictments against three of the top poker websites of the time: PokerStars, Absolute Poker / Ultimate Bet, and Full Tilt. Charging them with violating the UIGEA, the DOJ seized the sites' domains, instantly sending shockwaves through the entire poker world.
Players were immediately cut off from their funds, plunging many professional players into a precarious situation. With their bankrolls stuck on the shuttered sites, the future seemed grim.
PokerStars was the first to recover, with worldwide players able to access the site and their funds within a few weeks. However, US players had to wait much longer as PokerStars slowly and methodically regained control.
Full Tilt, on the other hand, faced an uphill battle. Once considered a major brand with big names in the community, the scam uncovered by the DOJ investigation revealed a Ponzi scheme that abruptly came to an end with Black Friday. Russ Hamilton, Chris Ferguson, and Howard Lederer, once-respected members of the community, became symbols of the industry's dark side.
While everyone was eventually repaid when PokerStars acquired the Full Tilt brand, the poker community has never forgiven the Full Tilt honchos for the turbulent experience they endured.
Absolute Poker was a disaster. The payment process for Absolute Poker began in 2017, using money leftover from the Full Tilt repayment fund. Some fortunate players received part of their funds, but the sluggish process left many Absolute Poker victims with little to nothing.
Even today, Black Friday is the biggest and most impactful poker scandal. It dealt a heavy blow to the US player pool, causing three of the largest sites to fold. This has forever altered the landscape of online poker, as the US remains barred from engaging with the rest of the world. While some US states have legalized online poker, US players can only play within their borders, or at least they would need to break the law to do so.
Although there are still smaller rooms catering to the US market, none compare in size or significance to PokerStars and what used to be Full Tilt Poker.
2. Lock Poker's Collapse
Though Black Friday provided a significant event for smaller rooms to gain customers by targeting the US market, Lock Poker's downfall was a direct result of it.
With bigger rooms being forced to abandon the US market, smaller rooms like Lock Poker saw an opportunity to boost their liquidity by attracting US customers.
To entice players, they launched a series of fantastic promotions, offering players extra value through bonus funds. With limited options and alluring incentives, many US players (as well as those internationally) signed up with Lock Poker.
In its early days, the room managed to keep things going, but trouble wasn't far behind. They started reneging on their promotional promises, retroactively adding terms and conditions that prevented certain players from cashing out their additional funds. Frustration spread as many players tried desperately to cash out and salvage what they could before it was too late.
In April 2015, the whole situation came crashing down. Remote gambling advertisements in the UK were banned, effectively ending Lock Poker's run as a US-facing poker site. While some players managed to withdraw their funds, several were left in the lurch.
Though Black Friday and Lock Poker's implosion may not have reached the same magnitude, each scandal has played a significant role in shaping the online poker environment.
Black Friday cut the US off from the rest of the world, leaving a massive hole in the player pool and effectively ending the careers of PokerStars, Absolute Poker / Ultimate Bet, and Full Tilt. While Lock Poker's collapse may not have had global implications, it further highlighted the uncertainty and instability experienced by US players, and emphasized the dangers of trusting any poker room with your money.
The poker world experienced a significant scandal involving two prominent online poker rooms, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, before the Black Friday incident. By this time in 2014, players hadn't been able to withdraw their funds since April 2014. LockPoker's inevitable collapse was imminent as traffic was at an all-time low, with Poker Scout reporting a 7-day average of only 10 ring game players. The estimated disappearance of around $15 million remains a mystery, with no chances of players recovering their losses.
The Black Friday scandal, on the other hand, saw many players receive full or partial compensation for their losses. In contrast, the $15 million vanished into thin air without hope of recovery for those affected.
The Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet scandals in 2007 and 2008, respectively, rocked the community when players raised suspicions: "POTRIPPER" from AP appeared to possess supernatural knowledge of other players' hands, while "NioNio" from UB exploited the same loophole. Absolute Poker later admitted to having super-user accounts and reimbursed players with $1.6 million, but this amount paled in comparison to the $20 million Russ Hamilton, responsible for the UB scandal, stole through his super-user access.
The AP and UB scandals contributed to players' doubts about the fairness of online poker. The ease with which millions were stolen undermined their trust, causing a massive setback for the online poker industry.
Proposed as a premier competition for the best of the best, the Epic Poker League should have been a major success in 2011. It was a planned series of paid events leading up to a $1 million freeroll. However, due to Black Friday, only three of the four events took place, and the promised freeroll never materialized. The organization filed for bankruptcy in February 2012 with a debt of over $5 million, marking the league's end. Pollack and Duke were both blamed for the failed venture, though they were partially victims of unfortunate circumstances.
Prior to Black Friday, the popularity of televised poker encouraged many sponsors to support television shows with a poker theme. Once the US market was virtually inaccessible, the interest shifted, making it difficult for the Epic League to secure sponsorships. Despite not directly losing any money, players felt scammed because they never had the opportunity to compete for a share of the $1 million prize pool.
The Jamie Gold backing scandal represented yet another significant blight on the poker community. Jamie Gold is a well-known figure in poker. In 2006, Gold won the World Series of Poker Main Event, pocketing a whopping $12 million. The scandal emerged when suspicions arose that Gold was involved in insider trading, taking advantage of a player named Scott Tom's money on a horse named Best Pal, who Gold had a stake in, to win $387,000. Golf initially denied the accusations but later admitted in an interview that he had indeed backed the horse. The situation came as a massive disappointment to the poker community given Gold's iconic status and his win at the WSOP Main Event.
In conclusion, each of these incidents—LockPoker, the Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet super-user scandals, the Epic Poker League fiasco, and the Jamie Gold backing scandal—caused significant lapses in trust and left a lasting mark on the poker landscape.
Gold, known for his boisterous and confident demeanor, managed to secure a WSOP Main Event gold bracelet in 2006, winning a staggering $12 million. However, he wouldn't get to keep it all.
After the tournament concluded, it was revealed that Gold had an agreement with Crispin Leyser, the person who helped Gold participate in the event. In return for this assistance, Gold promised to split his winnings with Leyser - a sum that turned out to be a whopping $6 million.
When Gold refused to honor this promise, Leyser took the matter to court, causing a restraining order to be placed on the second half of Gold's winnings.
The final piece of evidence that sealed the deal was a voicemail Gold left for Leyser on the last day of the Main Event, confirming his commitment to sharing his winnings.
Unable to bypass the restraining order, 2006's WSOP champion resolved the issue by settling with Leyser privately in 2007. The specifics of the settlement remained undisclosed.
Once the situation was resolved, Jamie Gold made a statement, claiming it was all a misunderstanding and that he never intended to go back on his words.
6. Poker's Bright New Prodigy Exposed as a Cheater
Prodigies are nothing new to the world of poker. Engaging players like Tom Dwan, Isildur1, and Annette Obrestad have captivated the poker community numerous times, resulting in some amazing rousts and gripping games.
In 2010, another one of these prodigies emerged - this time, a young Portuguese player named Jose "Girah" Macedo. His initial acclaim was partially due to an endorsement from poker superstar Dan "Jungleman" Cates, who took Girah under his wing as one of his students.
As Girah progressed through the poker ranks, the mystery surrounding his identity was finally lifted when he reached adulthood. The young Portuguese player shared his story, and it was an exceptional one.
However, Girah's meteoric rise was short-lived. As his fame grew, certain suspicious details about his playstyle started to surface. He participated in multiple strategy groups and cultivated relationships with high-stakes poker players.
The real problem occurred when Girah urged others in these groups to play against "sauron1989" using Skype so he could view the opposing players' hole cards. At first, this wasn't concerning as high-stakes players scrutinize one another often.
Nevertheless, as time went on, more evidence against Girah mounted. Both "Girah" and "sauron1989" were seen logging on and off their Skype accounts at the same time, suggesting collusion.
Players began checking the statistics of "sauron1989" and found that he always outperformed his skill level and taking down tough opponents with ease. Eventually, Suspicions mounted, and they uncovered the connection between Macedo, the alleged "sauron1989," and the unusual patterns surrounding the two.
In 2011, Macedo made a public confession in a blog post, admitting he and "sauron1989" were colluding. This was a significant handicap for even a seasoned player; with hole card information, "sauron1989" could defeat almost anyone.
Despite the seemingly modest amount involved, around $30,000, many were left wondering why Macedo would cheat - especially when he seemed to have a bright future ahead of him.
His only explanation was that he needed to repay late friend, having introduced cheating to the game through "sauron1989."
Many speculated, but no clear conclusion was reached. The community will likely never receive any more answers about this mysterious story.
7. Chris Ferguson Emerges from the Shadows at the WSOP
The aftermath of Black Friday left many players stranded. With no access to their funds and an uncertain future, Full Tilt Poker employees and stakeholders found themselves betrayed, disappointed, and bitter.
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, whose image had been tarnished by the scandal, had to have known the situation was dire. Despite this knowledge, he remained hidden, out of sight and away from the public eye.
Though Ferguson may have not been involved in every aspect of the events that unfolded, he could have been aware of some of the dire consequences.
Despite the negative attention he faced, Ferguson returned to the 2017 WSOP, taking a seat at the 2017 Binion's WSOP "$55,000 No Limit Hold'em High Roller Rebuy."
The return was not without drama, as Old Lady Gang, a competitor, was highly vocal about his return. In the midst of the tournament, players exchanged pleasantries and lamented the damage caused by "Black Friday."
While the overall outcome of Ferguson's tournament run was relatively unremarkable, the fact he returned to the scene signified the release of another domino in poker's long and complicated recovery strategy.
Interested in new poker strategies? Check out the latest insights here!
🚀 If you liked this article, make sure to browse through our fifth issue of the Elevate Newsletter 🔥
People were expecting an apology or a show of regret, but none was given. Chris went into hiding and was not heard from for several years.
Out of the blue, Ferguson showed up at the 2016 World Series of Poker, as if nothing had ever happened. He joined the thousands of other players in Las Vegas to play like any other individual.
The poker community had mixed reactions. While some players didn't care, those who were impacted by Black Friday, including some well-known names, were outraged. They wanted the WSOP officials to do something and stop Ferguson from playing, feeling he didn't deserve to be at the WSOP.
The people running the Series saw it differently, believing that whatever "Jesus" did or didn't do had nothing to do with the WSOP from a legal perspective.
The outrage on Twitter didn't seem to bother Ferguson. He entered many events that year and had some impressive results. He avoided the media and refused to talk about the situation in 2011, focusing instead on the game.
In 2017, Ferguson showed up at the WSOP again and truly impressed, taking the Player of the Year title. This angered a part of the community even more. Despite this, there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.
No matter what people thought of "Jesus" as a person, he was always a good player and it seemed he was back in the game in full force.
In 2018, Ferguson posted a video apology directed at the community, drawing mixed reactions. Some took it as too little, too late. But in the video, "Jesus" said that the full story of Full Tilt would be told one day, and he was looking forward to it.
So who knows?
8. The Pitbull Poker Scandal
Most online poker players have never heard of Pitbull Poker. This was an online room that operated from 2004 to 2009, offering an instant-play site.
Pitbull was never a major player in the industry, but they had some nice bonuses and an instant-play platform in an environment where online poker was still quite new.
This allowed the room to get away with what they were doing for a long time. It was later discovered that there was "pot shaving" taking place at the cash tables.
This meant that the room collected the usual rake from the pots and then an additional, arbitrary amount.
Late in 2009, when the scandal came to light and players became aware of the fraud, Pitbull poker simply disappeared. It happened overnight. The employees at their Costa Rican office had no idea what was going on. They were sent home one day under false pretenses and returned the next day to an empty workspace.
No one knows for sure how much money the room stole from the players over the years, but whoever was behind the operation certainly got away with it.
Something like this wouldn't be possible today, as players have access to more information and regulation is much stricter than it was back then.
9. The Stripped WCOOP Title
In online poker, the WCOOP Main Event is just as prestigious as the WSOP Main Event.
In 2007, during one of these events, a player named "TheVOid" defeated almost 3,000 players, winning the title and just under $1.4 million in prize money.
However, it was later revealed that "TheVOid" was Natalie Teltscher, Mark's sister. This raised a major red flag.
PokerStars conducted an investigation and their findings were damning. They discovered that Teltscher had several accounts registered under different names. Multi-accounting is forbidden in online poker, and when PokerStars had enough evidence to be certain, they disqualified him completely.
This was great news for the other final table players, who moved up a spot, significantly increasing their prize money.
10. The Postlegate
In 2019, a big poker scandal unfolded at a relatively unknown Stones Gambling Hall. The hall had started streaming their games, attracting a diverse group of players.
One name stood out - Mike Postle.
Several players complained about his suspicious behavior, prompting an investigation. The findings were damning. Postle had been using surveillance equipment to watch other players and transmit the information to his colleagues, who would then relay it to him.
This clear collusion led to his disqualification and a subsequent ban.
The scandal caused a major stir in the online poker community, making it the biggest story of the year, albeit for all the wrong reasons.
In any situation, Postle consistently displayed exceptional skills at the card table. He made unfathomable judgments, daring moves, and emerged victorious most of the time. If it weren't for public streaming and commentary, this story might have remained a secret.
However, one day, things began to unravel. Veronica Brill, a frequent guest on the Stones' podcast, expressed her doubts.
Following her, several other members of the poker community joined the investigation. They analysed countless hours of live-streamed footage, dissecting Postle's hands. The deeper they dug, the more it became clear that something seemed off.
Postle's play seemed inhuman, with him seemingly always knowing his exact standing in the hand, regardless of how the game evolved.
People began to accuse Postle of cheating. The accepted theory was that someone on the inside was sending him information about the hole cards in real-time, as they weren't instantly revealed on the stream.
Despite the Stones and Postle denying these allegations, the case went to court. The Postlegate scandal, as it was called, dragged on for a few years before Postle came out on top in a $30 million civil lawsuit. Nearly 90 players accused him of cheating.
In 2021, Postle filed a defamation lawsuit against his accusers only to later withdraw it.
Read also:
- Habeck alleges that Israel is breaching international legal norms.
- Conflict in Ukraine: a current overview
- Schalke nears massive changes
- Funkel expresses gratitude and bids farewell, though it seems insufficient.
