“Saddened me, made me angry”
A popular poker player in South Australia has admitted to cheating in a New Year’s Eve tournament in Cobram, Victoria. Chris Skinner, who has $312,270 in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob figures, was accused of and eventually admitted to adding chips to his stack in the AU$125 (US$84) “Poker With Fred” event.
On January 4, Fred Braybon, namesake of Poker With Fred, posted on Facebook that early on in the tourney, he discovered extra chips at one of the tables. He consulted security footage and saw that Skinner, whom he did not name at the time of the post, took chips from his pocket and added them to his stack. Another player also saw it happen in person.
Braybon said Skinner denied any wrongdoing at the time.
“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,” wrote Braybon.
Behind the scenes access
The Southern Poker Tour (SPT), for which Skinner was an ambassador, also posted on Facebook on January 7, saying that Skinner has been stripped of his ambassadorship and has been banned from the SPT indefinitely. He has also been banned from Poker With Fred events.
It seems that Skinner was involved in the setup of SPT events at one point, giving rise to speculation that he was able to use a sort of “insider” position to gain access to chips, but the SPT said that he only transported tables for the organization during its first two years, and since then, the SPT has done the job itself. It added that “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” and that venues are required to furnish a secure room for chips, only accessible to staff.
Poker player Asti Savage indirectly disputed SPT’s account, writing on social media that Skinner “transported the chips and tables to a lot of the series he played in.
“Did he tamper with those chips too?” Savage wondered. “Adding a few extra to his stack in order to claim the ultimate prize?”
“Chris Skinner has gone from HERO to ZERO over a few thousand bucks. It’s sad what money can do to people.”
Skinner breaks silence
In his own Facebook post, Skinner did finally admit to what he did. If one is going to give him credit for anything, it’s that in his apology (he has since made his Facebook profile private), he did not make excuses and owned up to his cheating.
“No matter the amount or result,” he said, “it was wrong.”
“Poker, especially local poker, has been a 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 that he accepts all punishments that have been and will be handed down, and is stepping away from poker for a few months.
The post Aussie Poker Player Caught Adding Outside Chips to Tournament Stack appeared first on Poker News Daily.
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