WPT Barcelona winner, Ali Tekintamgak, has been disqualified from the Partouche Poker Tour final table for cheating. The final table is set to start play tomorrow.
Details are not yet known, but the Partouche Poker Tour reportedly has turned over video evidence and filed charges with the French Fraud Authority. Police are reviewing the video and, if found guilty, Tekintamgak could face jail time.
This is not the first time Tekintamgak has been associated with a cheating scandal. Earlier this year, he was caught cheating at the Tallin EPT Main Event, an event that has been widely overlooked. Tekintamgak was working with fake reporters and bloggers who were looking at his opponents’ cards and giving hand signals to indicate the hands. He was banned from the casino.
Here is a video of more supposed cheating from Tektintamgak at the WPT Barcelona final table. Sources are claiming the camera man behind Tekintamgak’s opponent clearly signals Tekintamgak before his call (the incident happens at :30 in the video) . In the video, the camera man stands very close behind Tekintamgak’s opponent and stares down in the direction of his hole cards. He then looks up at Tekintamgak and signals toward his face. Others are claiming that Tekintamgak could also have been using his cell phone, in some way, to receive signals, since he stared at it before making the call in the video .
The Partouche Poker Tour has banned Tekintamgak, as well, meaning his 3,289,000 chips will be removed from play. The eight remaining finalists will be guaranteed 130,000 euros instead of 110,000 and the extra 110,000 will either be divided amongst the finalists or donated to charity.