As WSOP 2010 Final Table Kicks-Off, Player Disqualified For Cheating At PPT

Just as the most prestigious final table in the whole of tournament poker is about to get underway today at 12pm PT in Vegas, another final table has also been making headlines, but for all the wrong reasons.
Poker fans everywhere are now counting down the hours until the ‘November Nine’ begin their quests to become the next WSOP 2010 Main Event Champion, as well as take down the massive $8.9 million first place prize in the process.
In the meantime, however, another ‘November Nine’ across the ocean  at the Palm Beach Casino in Cannes have just lost one of their numbers before the final table had even begun.
Although not quite as grand as the WSOP Main Event, the Partouche Poker Tour Cannes has still a huge €1,300,000 ($1.824,190) top prize, none of which will be seen by ex-finalist Ali Tekintamgac, who has been disqualified for cheating.
The 2010 WPT Barcelona Spanish Championship winner was lying 4th in chips when, according to the Partouche Poker Blog and other European poker outlets including Poker Nyhederne and 01men.com, damming video footage was produced showing Tekintamgac cheating.
Apparently, throughout the tournament Ali Tekintamgac had been receiving signals and information on opponent’s holecards by phony journalists and bloggers, in order to gain a huge advantage over his unfortunate victims.
In fact, at an earlier EPT tournament in Tallinn, Tekintamgac had been at the center of a similar cheating dispute involving bloggers passing on information, who subsequently had their credentials revoked during the tournament. On that occasion Tekintamgac was allowed to continue and finished in 36th place for $10,329.
After the latest fiasco, it is believed Ali Tekintamgac is being investigated on charges of fraud by local law enforcement officers and if the allegations are substantiated, will likely be facing tournament bans from many major poker organisers at the very least.
As the WSOP 2010 Main Event final table is literally only hours away, Ali Tekintamgac’s alleged cheating antics have shone  more than a little unwelcome limelight on poker right in the midst of what should, in fact, be it’s crowning glory.