Kadir Karabulut

Kadir Karabulut first came to notoriety in September 2010 during the Partouche Poker Tour, where he was identified as a blogger/reporter who helped player Ali Tekintamgac cheat by relaying opponents' hole cards via hand signals. This incident led to Tekintamgac's disqualification and raised concerns about media access to tournament floors.

In February 2011, Karabulut himself was disqualified from the €1,500 Main Event of the Holland Casino Dom Classic in Utrecht, Netherlands. He was caught collaborating with a photographer to obtain information about opponents' hands. PokerStars Team Pro Pieter de Korver noticed the suspicious behavior and reported it to tournament officials. Karabulut was removed from the tournament, and both the photographer and several railbirds were banned from the casino. The event's spokesperson, Mark Woldberg, stated that the three individuals were immediately denied entrance to Holland Casino, calling the cheating "totally unacceptable."

On March 4, 2013, Kadir Karabulut vanished after parking his black Audi in a side street in the Lechhausen district of Augsburg, Germany. A police dog tracked his scent to a nearby intersection, where it ended. Despite extensive investigation, no trace of him has been found. At the time of his disappearance, he was 42 years old and a resident of Dillingen.

Authorities later discovered Karabulut's involvement in a high-tech cheating ring known as the "Poker Mafia," which used magnetic strips on playing cards and hidden receivers to defraud opponents in illegal poker games in Augsburg. The ringleader, Ali T., was sentenced to over three years in prison in 2014. Karabulut had also been active in international poker circles, reportedly winning €18,000 at a casino in Cyprus just days before his disappearance.

Kadir Karabulut remains a controversial and enigmatic figure in poker history. His cheating scandals overshadowed any legitimate achievements, and his mysterious disappearance—now a decade old—has only deepened the intrigue. The case is considered one of the most puzzling unsolved disappearances in the Augsburg region, and the Dillingen police continue to investigate.