I recently had the misfortune of coming across brad booth via one of my friends. He was playing in some of the higher stakes games at the wynn, and Brad told him that he was looking to get back into playing online. At the time he had something like $50,000 on him, as a rough estimate that I was given by my friend. My friend had been hanging out with him a bit outside of poker and they had gotten dinner several times. I was relayed the information that Brad Booth was looking for a transfer for lock poker. I asked him if he thought it was safe to transfer. He told me that he wasnt really sure, but that Brad did have a lot of money on him so it seemed like it would be ok. With this information I sent Brad $13,000 online for what was presumably $13,000 cash. He wanted more, but i declined as i was looking to limit my risk.

Brad then gave my friend an envelope with $13,000 cash, which was given to me. Then Brad asked if he could get a bigger transfer. It seemed to me like it was safer, with the first transfer being successful. At this point he asked for ~$30,000, which I sent him online. Several days later, when we were trying to reach an agreement on when to meet up and transfer, he told me the unfortunate news via text message. The messages are long and rambly, but we eventually agreed to meet up and discuss things. When we met up, he told me the unsettling news of many of his other debts, how little money he has, and the inside scoop on many additional things. I told him if he continues to work with me and stay in contact, and make some small payments at a time, that we can work things out. He agreed, and a week later made me a payment of $2,200. However since then, he has left the country, changed his phone number, and has started completely ignoring me.

Im not really looking for sympathy, its a ****ty situation and I wish things hadnt gone this direction. I am very unfamiliar with the live poker arena, and i have now been informed this is somewhat standard for Brad. I guess i made a mistake in trusting someone because i had seen them play in "high stakes" poker and had heard he had money on him.

I know of many of Brads Debts, and i have some other information about him as well. I also have our complete text message log. Unless Brad finds a way to get into contact with me I will be releasing this information. I feel like this should have happened a long time ago, but many people worried about not seeing payment havent come out and outed him. Im not going to take this approach. Brad is a scammer and a thief, and if this had happened earlier perhaps it would of saved me $27,800, so hopefully if this saves someone else some money, then its worth it.

Brad Booth was seen playing online ~2 weeks later at 10/20 plo on stars. I can only imagine something similar had happened in that scenario. He was also playing with me in some of the las vegas games with money that he had on a stake, while he owed me the money. Any information that can be offered as to the whereabouts or contact information that results in me seeing additional money back will not go unrewarded.

I want my money Brad, and im not going to just stay quiet until i am paid or the world knows what a scumbag you truly are.

Wow

I think everyone already knows about his debts.

PM NioNio

Define everyone. Also i have not seen a thread like this on him, also the more information publicly available the better.

it's too bad so many of the poker 'heroes' I used to think were cool are now revealed to be scummy sociopaths who are only out for themselves. poker seemed so much cooler back in the day. le sigh, etc. gl getting your money and imo don't lend money to ANYONE unless they are a close friend of yours and have proven to be responsible.

wgc that sucks

but I wonder when people will stop transferring/loaning $ to scumbags

He went busto during the superuser scandal and ran up something like 800k in debt.

I don't think that was all to players though. I think a lot was on a sports bet.

give it back brad. think of the children who need their pool.

This has always been my approach. FWIW (and its an argument of semantics) but i wouldn't really qualify this as a loan, albeit that is what it now is. If he hadn't of had money on him, i wouldn't of done the first transfer. If he hadn't had successfully done the first transfer, I wouldn't of done the second.

Regardless the point is taken, clearly these days you just really cannot trust almost anyone you do not know personally very well.

Its str8up your own fault, sorry dude. Its well known that this guy is broke, u had to have known, it doesnt matter how much cash he had on him, degens are degens. He probably juggled your $$$ or the cash he had on him and then couldnt pay. Just cuz he paid you once dont mean u can trust him. GEt cash in hand then make the xfer, so much can be wrong taking the route you took, sorry for being so blunt.. enjoy getting the run around for the next 6 months tho :-(

As an online player with virtually no live background, its tough to see things like this coming because these people are so well known. However with things such as the lindgren issue coming to light, it seems that that mantra needs to be changed.

good that we have ashleythegrinder commenting on poker ethics.

Last time I saw brad he was selling bellagio chips for wynn chips because he had gotten them on marker and thus couldn't cash them in himself. He then proceeded to spew off like $30k in the 25/50 game playing awful. Went to dinner with him and a couple of other players and he comes off as a nice guy but definitely shady. There may not be a thread specifically about his shady dealings, but there are plenty of posts on the topic.

That was a poor joke. NioNio was the UB superuser who took a pile of Brad's/Guy's/whoever was staking him at the times money off him

I am accepting responsibility for the risk of the transfer, however saying i had to have known is clearly incorrect, as had i known or had any idea i would not have made the transfer.

I dont read nvg, if it is common knowledge here then it doesn't mean that everyone knows.

yeah it def wasn't a normal 'loan' per se, I can easily see how it happened. successful first transfer + people saying he usually has a big roll + well known 'pro' factor. i just have heard soooo many of these stories, even about 'name' pros that I swear there's about 3 people I know in poker I'd lend/send first any significant amount to.

never trust strangers with money, and for the love of God, don't trust your friends. money changes things. I have learnt this the hard way, and it took some time to do so :/

having said that, I feel for OP here, that's a chunk of change to lose + the stress over it. hopefully it gets resolved, somehow.

How do so many people read WCG as WGC lol (This has always happened)

I really hope you get your money back.
I still don't understand how people can flick money off to people who are friends of friends especially for big amounts of money like that.

fyp. i hate hearing about these situations and it sucks for the person out the cash and feel for you wcg.

but srsly, how many of these "_____ is welching/trying to welch their debt to me" come up and someone has to use the 2p2 community as leverage? this ain't the old times where the poker community is fairly small so people actually value their rep.

i have a simple solution to limit these situations -- if you cannot personally vouch (as in risk your reputation to say someone's word is 100% good) for the person you're transferring $$$ to, don't do it. otherwise you're pretty naive.

It'll be a long time before you see that money

If ever.

Sucks. Sorry man

Hi hater, i just know how degens are, been around it my whole life, people juggle money when they are desperate, he wanted to get comfortable and win then pay OP, thats the truth.
scamming identiy is diff than scamming $$$. fwiw

I doubt you'll get your money back, but in the long term you may have saved yourself a lot more with the valuable lesson learned. Don't trust anyone, especially gamblers.

Sucks. Gl