Ali Imsirovic, the high-stakes crusher who admitted to some cheating allegations against him, entered Saturday’s Day 1 flight in the $1,500 Champions Club Winter Poker Open Main Event. But he was quickly tossed from the event by the tournament director and banned from the Texas poker club.
The Bosnian poker star was on top of the poker world just three years ago. He won three Global Poker Awards in 2021, including GPI Player of the Year after dominating the high roller circuit. But his reputation took a hit in 2022 due to accusations of multi-accounting and real-time assistance (RTA) use online, and collusion in live events.
Why Poker Player is Banned
Champions Club, one of the top poker rooms in Houston, is currently hosting a Winter Poker Open that is being covered by PokerNews. Live reporter Kirk Brown saw Imsirovic exit the property and said he didn’t make a scene or argue the ban.
The tournament boasts a $1 million guaranteed prize pool. But Imsirovic, who has over $18 million in live tournament cashes, won’t get a piece of that pot.
Imsirovic still occasionally pops up at various tournaments in the United States. He’s played a handful of World Series of Poker (WSOP) events and elsewhere the past two years but only has nine recorded cashes on The Hendon Mob over that span. In 2021 alone, he won 14 high rollers.
Few tournament operators and card rooms have banned Imsirovic and Jake Schindler, who faced similar accusations in 2022. PokerGO Tour is about the only operator prior to Saturday to have even suspended the poker pros, which they did in September 2022.
Champions Club, co-owned by Phil Hellmuth, takes pride in being a safe place to play in Houston, a city where there are many illegal and underground card rooms operating. Banning Imsirovic, who admitted to some cheating allegations and denied others in a June 2023 YouTube video, will likely go over well with the poker community.
Isaac Trumbo, President of Champions Club, issued a statement to PokerNews in response to the Imsirovic ban.
“Champions is committed, first and foremost, to the protection of our members,” Trumbo said. “If poker is going to continue to thrive, the community must be able to trust operators to prioritize game integrity above all else, including our bottom line.”
Trumbo said Imsirovic was refunded his $1,500 entry fee.
Follow PokerNews Live Coverage of the Champions Club WPO Main Event