If you’ve spent any serious time around the poker world — online or live — you already know cheating isn’t new. It’s been part of the game’s underbelly since the first deck was shuffled, and every generation of players has seen its share of scandals. But what’s frustrating isn’t just that cheating happens — it’s that the consequences are still embarrassingly weak, and the industry’s response feels like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound.
Pokernews has covered this industry for over a decade, playing and reporting through poker’s online boom, the televised poker heyday, and everything since. And one thing has stayed maddeningly consistent: cheaters often get a slap on the wrist, vanish for a bit, then quietly reappear like nothing happened.
Multi-Accounting — The Original Online Sin
Let’s start with one of online poker’s oldest cheats — multi-accounting. Back in the mid-2000s, players like Josh Fields (aka “JJProdigy”) were already exploiting multiple accounts to gain unfair edges. Fields even famously claimed a major tournament win under an account registered to his grandmother.
Justin Bonomo — now one of the biggest names in poker — also openly admitted to multi-accounting in online tournaments early in his career. He faced a temporary ban and some confiscated funds, but that barely slowed down his rise to the top. Even Hall of Famer Patrik Antonius admitted to using a secondary account on Full Tilt to chase anonymous high-stakes action.
Cheating Evolved — And Got Smarter
As the online game matured, so did the cheats. The infamous Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker scandals exposed insider superuser accounts — tools that allowed certain players to see opponents’ hole cards in real time. That mess cost players around $50 million, and it took years for trust to partially recover.
More recently, the rise of Real-Time Assistance (RTA) tools has been the weapon of choice for modern cheaters. Players like Fedor Kruse built setups that gave them perfect GTO solutions mid-hand — an edge no honest player could realistically overcome. When caught, some faced bans, but many simply migrated to new sites or played live instead.
Live Poker Isn’t Clean Either
If you think live poker is immune to this, think again. From fake reporters feeding hole card information to players, to counterfeit tournament chips being smuggled into play, the creativity of live cheaters can be just as brazen. The Mike Postle scandal showed that even mid-stakes live streams aren’t safe from potential cheating conspiracies.
The Real Problem — Weak Punishments and No Unified System
The biggest frustration? Even when cheaters get caught red-handed, the punishments are rarely meaningful. Most sites confiscate funds (which, let’s be honest, weren’t legitimately won anyway) and issue a site ban. That’s it. There’s nothing stopping those players from opening accounts elsewhere, playing live events, or finding creative workarounds.
Even at the live level, getting banned from one tour doesn’t automatically carry over to others. You could be blacklisted from the EPT today and still register for a WSOP event tomorrow — no questions asked.
The Fix — Poker Needs Its Own Watchdog
This is where poker desperately needs a central governing body — a regulatory force with actual teeth. Other industries have cross-platform blacklists and shared databases of bad actors. Why not poker? We need an independent group with the authority to issue industry-wide bans, both online and live.
Yes, data protection laws create some hurdles, but other gambling sectors and even sports have figured out ways to share critical data without violating privacy. Why can’t poker do the same?
No Place for Cheaters — Ever
Personally, I believe anyone caught cheating — especially through multi-accounting, RTA use, or direct collusion — should be permanently banned from every form of organized poker, online or live. I’m not talking about some quiet account closure. I mean full-scale blacklisting from every major site and tour worldwide.
This game thrives on trust — between players, operators, and the community itself. Every time a cheater gets a second chance, that trust erodes a little more. Poker deserves better.
What’s your stance? Should cheaters get lifetime bans across the board — no exceptions?
source: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025...-permanently-banned-from-everywhere-48121.htm
Pokernews has covered this industry for over a decade, playing and reporting through poker’s online boom, the televised poker heyday, and everything since. And one thing has stayed maddeningly consistent: cheaters often get a slap on the wrist, vanish for a bit, then quietly reappear like nothing happened.
Multi-Accounting — The Original Online Sin
Let’s start with one of online poker’s oldest cheats — multi-accounting. Back in the mid-2000s, players like Josh Fields (aka “JJProdigy”) were already exploiting multiple accounts to gain unfair edges. Fields even famously claimed a major tournament win under an account registered to his grandmother.
Justin Bonomo — now one of the biggest names in poker — also openly admitted to multi-accounting in online tournaments early in his career. He faced a temporary ban and some confiscated funds, but that barely slowed down his rise to the top. Even Hall of Famer Patrik Antonius admitted to using a secondary account on Full Tilt to chase anonymous high-stakes action.
Cheating Evolved — And Got Smarter
As the online game matured, so did the cheats. The infamous Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker scandals exposed insider superuser accounts — tools that allowed certain players to see opponents’ hole cards in real time. That mess cost players around $50 million, and it took years for trust to partially recover.
More recently, the rise of Real-Time Assistance (RTA) tools has been the weapon of choice for modern cheaters. Players like Fedor Kruse built setups that gave them perfect GTO solutions mid-hand — an edge no honest player could realistically overcome. When caught, some faced bans, but many simply migrated to new sites or played live instead.
Live Poker Isn’t Clean Either
If you think live poker is immune to this, think again. From fake reporters feeding hole card information to players, to counterfeit tournament chips being smuggled into play, the creativity of live cheaters can be just as brazen. The Mike Postle scandal showed that even mid-stakes live streams aren’t safe from potential cheating conspiracies.
The Real Problem — Weak Punishments and No Unified System
The biggest frustration? Even when cheaters get caught red-handed, the punishments are rarely meaningful. Most sites confiscate funds (which, let’s be honest, weren’t legitimately won anyway) and issue a site ban. That’s it. There’s nothing stopping those players from opening accounts elsewhere, playing live events, or finding creative workarounds.
Even at the live level, getting banned from one tour doesn’t automatically carry over to others. You could be blacklisted from the EPT today and still register for a WSOP event tomorrow — no questions asked.
The Fix — Poker Needs Its Own Watchdog
This is where poker desperately needs a central governing body — a regulatory force with actual teeth. Other industries have cross-platform blacklists and shared databases of bad actors. Why not poker? We need an independent group with the authority to issue industry-wide bans, both online and live.
Yes, data protection laws create some hurdles, but other gambling sectors and even sports have figured out ways to share critical data without violating privacy. Why can’t poker do the same?
No Place for Cheaters — Ever
Personally, I believe anyone caught cheating — especially through multi-accounting, RTA use, or direct collusion — should be permanently banned from every form of organized poker, online or live. I’m not talking about some quiet account closure. I mean full-scale blacklisting from every major site and tour worldwide.
This game thrives on trust — between players, operators, and the community itself. Every time a cheater gets a second chance, that trust erodes a little more. Poker deserves better.
What’s your stance? Should cheaters get lifetime bans across the board — no exceptions?
source: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025...-permanently-banned-from-everywhere-48121.htm
