Poker Player Chris Skinner Banned After Chip-Smuggling Cheating Admission

• SPT ambassador Chris Skinner admits smuggling chips into tournament.
• Caught after chip count anomaly; CCTV showed chips slipped in.
• Banned by Poker with Fred and dropped by Southern Poker Tour.

An Australian poker player who represented the Southern Poker Tour (SPT) as a brand ambassador has admitted to cheating after he was caught smuggling chips into a low-stakes pub tournament on New Year’s Eve.

Chris Skinner, who has grossed US$312,270 playing largely low buy-in events, was caught red-handed after another player noticed him subtly introducing illicit chips into his stack. The incident occurred during the A$125 buy-in Poker with Fred tournament at the Grand Central Hotel in Cobram, northern Victoria, on December 31.

Organizers conducted a chip count and discovered an anomaly at Skinner’s table. Security camera footage later confirmed the player had slipped extra chips into his stack from his pocket.

Skinner ’Fesses Up

Skinner initially denied wrongdoing, despite the evidence, but later admitted to cheating in a social media post.

“I cheated,” Skinner confessed. “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.

“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,” he added.

Skinner was immediately banned from all Poker with Fred events by organizer Fred Baybon. He was also banned by the SPT, which dropped him as a poker ambassador.

“He really f*cked up his reputation for a chance to win a $125 country pub tourney? Wow!” wrote one Reddit user.

“The only thing cheaters are sorry for is that they got caught. How many times has he done this? Nobody knows,” suggested another.

Double Take

Skinner’s tournament results certainly require a double take. From 2021 onward, he has consistently cashed in multiple events each month, almost without fail, according to thehendonmob.com. That’s an apparently variance-busting feat, although without knowing how many events he entered each month, it is impossible to draw firm statistical conclusions.

What may be more surprising is his failure to move up in stakes. Players who sustain unusually high consistency, low volatility, and multi-year positive outcomes typically aim higher — unless they have an incentive to remain in environments where detection risk is lower.

Access to Chips?

One player, Asti Savage, claimed Skinner held an organizational role as an SPT ambassador, sometimes transporting chips and tables to events in which he also competed.

“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!” Savage wrote on social media.

In a statement, the SPT denied that Skinner ever had behind-the-scenes access to its chips, saying he had only transported poker tables.

SPT chips are transported to and from our venues only by SPT owners or senior staff and are stored securely after each series,” the organization said.

“As part of our host-venue agreements, venues must provide a secure room for chip storage throughout each series. Only authorized staff have access to these rooms.”