A top Australian poker star has been forced to step down in disgrace after admitting he cheated by smuggling extra chips into a high-stakes game.
Chris Skinner, one of Australia’s most recognisable poker faces with nearly $500,000 in career winnings, confessed his shame after CCTV footage caught him in the act.
The dramatic downfall unfolded at a New Year’s Eve tournament run by ‘Poker With Fred’ at The Grand Central Hotel in Cobram, on the Victoria-NSW border.
Skinner, from Werribee in Melbourne‘s west, had been a brand ambassador for the Southern Poker Tour and was known to haul competition poker chips around Victoria in his truck.
The scandal has incensed Australia’s tight-knit poker community, with many players now questioning Skinner’s previous wins.
He boasts almost US$312,270 – $AU466,000 – in live poker earnings according to The Hendon Mob, placing him 375th on Australia’s poker rich list.
‘Behind the scenes, Chris transported the chips and tables to a lot of the series he played in,’ fellow poker champ Asti Savage posted on social media.
‘Did he tamper with those chips too? Adding a few extra to his stack in order to claim the ultimate prize? We’ll never know, but we’ll definitely always wonder!’
Poker cheat Chris Skinner shows off his winnings after a tournament
Skinner’s partner – an elite poker player herself with US$137,876 in winnings – ended up winning the same tournament her partner was sprung cheating in.
‘I cheated,’ Skinner told his followers on social media.
‘I brought chips into play that I had no right to bring into the game. No matter the amount or the result, it was wrong. There is no excuse for it.’
Skinner has been banned ‘indefinitely’ by SPT from participating in poker games and dumped as its ambassador.
‘Like the rest of the poker community, we were deeply shocked and extremely disappointed to hear about the incident,’ SPT stated.
‘SPT prides itself on providing fair and ethical events and in no way will condone these sorts of actions.’
The company claimed Skinner had only ever transported poker tables for it in its first two years of operation and it now managed all of its own transportation.
‘SPT chips are transported to and from our venues by only either SPT owners or our highest-ranked staff members, and are stored securely after each series,’ it stated.
Chris Skinner (far right) before his downfall
‘As part of our SPT series host venue agreements, the venue needs to provide us with a secure room for us to sort and store chips throughout each series.
‘Only staff have access to these rooms.’
Skinner apologised to players, the local poker community and Fred Braybon – the man behind the tournament’s name.
‘I’m ashamed of the position I put him in and of the damage my actions may have caused. I’m not making excuses for what I did,’ Skinner said.
‘Poker, especially local poker, has been part of my life for a long time. These aren’t just games. They’re people I know, people I respect, and a community that’s always treated me well.
‘Knowing I’ve let that community down and damaged trust with people who matter to me is something I regret deeply and am genuinely heartbroken about.’
Skinner said he would sideline himself from poker for ‘several months’ where he planned to ‘take a good hard look at himself’.
Mr Braybon said he busted Skinner after noticing extra chips on one of the tables.
Chris Skinner is taking time out to take a good hard look at himself
‘A check of the security camera showed us a player adding several chips to their stack from their pocket,’ he said.
‘A player from another table also witnessed the adding of chips. The player was confronted, and despite video evidence, denied any wrongdoing.’
Mr Braybon said Skinner’s cheating had angered him.
‘I have always taken great pride in running poker tournaments, the integrity of those tournaments being paramount,’ he added.
‘This breach saddened me, made me angry, but most importantly, reinforced my desire to run tournaments that are a level playing field for all and devoid of any major misconduct such as what happened on New Year’s Eve.’
While many poker players rallied behind Skinner with messages of support, many have called on him to be banned for life.
A Victoria Police spokesman they had no reports about the incident.
