5 Most Insane Cheating Scandals in Poker History

WORDS: Ocean Road Editorial Staff PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

The world of poker is built on a foundation of trust, math, and nerves of steel. But where there is massive money to be made, someone is always trying to build a better mousetrap or, in this case, a way to peek at the cards.

While most players rely on skill and a bit of luck, a few “legends” of the game decided to take a shortcut, leading to some of the most jaw-dropping scandals ever recorded.

Let’s reveal some of the most outstanding ones.

1. The UltimateBet and Absolute Poker “Superuser” Case

For players looking for a safe, hassle-free environment today, many prefer to check legit options first. They can visit online casino review websites like the Pokinaut platform and find detailed descriptions of what to expect from this or that gambling provider. It encourages responsible gaming and allows you to see information about a casino’s license, game collections, bonuses, payments, etc.

Before the modern era of streaming, the online poker world was rocked by the “Superuser” scandal. This is the stuff of nightmares for any online player. Essentially, an internal software tool allowed certain accounts (most notably “Potripper”) to see every single hole card at the table.

Imagine playing a high-stakes game where your opponent knows exactly when you are bluffing and exactly when you have the nuts. That was the reality for players on Absolute Poker and UltimateBet.

The scandal eventually implicated former World Series of Poker champion Russ Hamilton. It also served as a massive wake-up call for the industry to implement much more rigorous security protocols.

2. The Postle “God Mode” Scandal

If you followed the poker scene in 2018 and 2019, you couldn’t escape the name Mike Postle. Playing in the Stones Gambling Hall live-streamed games, Postle went on a heater that defied every law of probability known to man.

He was perfect, making hero calls with nothing and folding winning hands when his opponent had him beat by a single pip.

The community, led by investigators like Joey Ingram and Veronica Brill, noticed something weird: Postle spent a lot of time looking at his lap. The theory was he was receiving real-time information about his opponents’ hole cards via a bone-conduction headset or his phone, likely through a compromised graphics server.

3. The “J4” Incident: Robbi Jade Lew vs. Garrett Adelstein

This is perhaps the most debated hand in the history of televised poker. In 2022, during a high-stakes stream at the Hustler Casino Live, newcomer Robbi Jade Lew called a massive all-in bet from seasoned pro Garrett Adelstein.

Robbi held Jack-high with no draw, and Garrett had a monster draw that didn’t materialize. When the cards were turned over, the table was stunned. Why would anyone call a six-figure bet with Jack-four offsuit?

Garrett immediately accused Robbi of cheating, suggesting she had a device (like a vibrating ring or hidden buzzer) signaling her that her hand was ahead. While a third-party investigation found no evidence of foul play, the incident split the poker world in half.

Was it a brilliant (if accidental) “soul read,” or was it something more sinister?

4. The Partouche Poker Tour Marking Scandal

Marking cards is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but doing it at a major televised final table takes some serious nerve.

In 2010, at the Partouche Poker Tour, a player named Ali Tekintamga was disqualified just before the final table began.

How did he do it? He wasn’t working alone:

Tekintamga reportedly had “reporters” or “bloggers” standing behind his opponents. These accomplices would use hand signals to communicate the strength of the opponents’ cards to Ali.

It was a low-tech solution to a high-stakes problem. Fortunately, security caught on to the suspicious behavior of the “media” personnel.

5. Christian Lusardi’s Counterfeit Chips

This scandal feels like it was ripped straight out of a Hollywood heist movie.

In 2014, during the Borgata Winter Poker Open, the tournament had to be suspended because something felt “off” with the chip counts.

As it turns out, a player named Christian Lusardi had introduced $800,000 worth of counterfeit chips into the game.

When he realized the heat was on, he tried to get rid of the evidence in the most dramatic way possible: he flushed the remaining fake chips down the toilet in his hotel room.

The plan literally went down the drain. The pipes clogged, the water leaked into the rooms below, and maintenance found thousands of dollars in fake poker chips clogging the plumbing. 

Lusardi was arrested at a nearby motel shortly after.

Why Cheating Stories Still Captivate Us

There’s a reason these scandals make headlines decades after they occurred. They mix human ingenuity, risk-taking, and the thrill of deception. In a way, they read like heist stories or spy thrillers, but with cards.

Poker’s history teaches us two things: play smart, and always remember that the house and your fellow players are part of the equation. Learning from the past can make your game better, and a little knowledge goes a long way toward keeping it fair and entertaining.