Self confessed poker cheat Ali Imsirovic has been kicked out of a Florida poker tournament midway through day one. It is the second time this year that the high stakes pro has been ejected from an event.
Imsirovic has been persona non grata at many events since Alex Foxen outed him in 2022, claiming the Bosnian American was “known as a cheater to almost all in the high roller community.”
He had already been banned, along with fellow cheat Jake Schindler and 80 others, in a crackdown by GGPoker. The PokerGO Tour banned him from their events that same year.
Ejected from Florida’s RGPS Main Event
Yesterday he was spotted playing at Florida’s bestbet Jacksonville, registered in the RunGoodPokerSeries (RGPS) $1,200 buy in Main Event.
According to the live reporting, Imsirovic entered the dinner break as the largest stack in the room. However, upon returning from dinner he was nowhere to be seen and his chips were taken out of play.
Tournament staff later reportedly confirmed that Imsirovic was no longer in the tournament. Although no official statement has been made, it is likely that the negative publicity forced organisers to act.
A Pattern of Ejections
In February 2025, Imsirovic was booted from the Champions Club Texas after trying to enter their $1,500 buy in Winter Poker Open Main Event.
Part owned by Phil Hellmuth, the Champions Club said they were “committed, first and foremost, to the protection of our members.”
Isaac Trumbo, President of Champions Club, explained: “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.”
Despite being effectively banned by several operators, tours, and events, Imsirovic has played and cashed at WSOP, WPT, and Venetian events, as well as a cash at the same bestbet Jacksonville venue in January.
Negreanu Calls for Permanent Ban
In 2023, Daniel Negreanu stated that Imsirovic should face an indefinite live and online ban, claiming not only was he a confirmed cheat but also “the opposite of remorseful and is actual boastful, bragging about robbing former friends.”
A few months later, Imsirovic finally admitted to some level of cheating but stopped well short of any real admission. He confessed to multi accounting on GGPoker during the pandemic but denied ever using RTA (Real Time Assistance).
What Happens Next?
The upcoming WSOP has now been bought over by GGPoker, which should mean that Imsirovic and others banned by the site won’t be allowed to play. That’s what GGPoker ambassador Fedor Holz confirmed when quizzed on it a couple of months ago.
With the WSOP just a few weeks away, we won’t have long to wait to see whether Imsirovic and his fellow poker cheats put in an appearance and how quickly they are ejected.
