“If I have the chance to play for ninth, I play for ninth.” – Shaun Deeb.
As the World Series of Poker (WSOP) headed to Rozvadov to erect the finishing line for the Player of the Year (POY) race, Paul Volpe released a tweet criticising the organisers for not rewarding the winner, and wondering, because of this, why on earth anyone would bother entering the race.
If you had any doubt that the WSOP POY means much more than material wealth, a complete balls-up from the WSOP has removed those stains Dyson-like.
Daniel Negreanu went into the final event of the 2019 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), the €550 No-Limit Hold’em: The Colossus, knowing that should the points totals remain status quo he would win an unprecedented third WSOP.
Two people could catch Negreanu: Robert Campbell and Shaun Deeb.
Negreanu exited in 195th place.
Campbell fell in 148th place, failing to earn enough points to make a difference, his dream was over.
That left Deeb as the only person who could beat Negreanu. Deeb was also attempting to create history in becoming the first player to defend his POY title. Deeb went deep, and when I say deep, I mean deep. In a field of 2,738-entrants, Deeb made it to the final day sitting 3/11 in chips and needing a fifth-place finish or higher to be victorious.
Given his prowess, experience and skill, you wouldn’t have betted against Deeb taking it down, but it didn’t happen. Deeb busted in 11th place, at the hands of the eventual winner, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, and Negreanu celebrated becoming the first player to win three WSOP POY titles.
While there is no cash prize for WSOP POY, poker is my passion.
The title is the achievement and acknowledgment of a lot of hard work, long grueling days against top competition.
On November 8, after speaking to the three players involved, the WSOP released a statement on Twitter declaring that they had made a mistake in the POY calculations. Robert Campbell was the winner, not Daniel Negreanu.
We've been made aware of an error on the 2019 POY leaderboard. After verifying results and points, Rob Campbell (@SonicJaxx2019) is the 2019 POY.
We'd like to apologize for this error, and offer our sincere congratulations to Rob!
The mistake happened during the summer when the person responsible for WSOP POY data entry incorrectly awarded points to Negreanu, and 14 other players for cashing in Event #68: $1,000 Online No-Limit Hold’em Championship, an event that Negreanu didn’t cash in.
Russian journalist, Alexander Elenskiy noted the error and assumed the WSOP would fix it. Elenskiy then forgot about the misdemeanour until he had to reconcile WSOP ITM finishes for a WSOP Fantasy Freeroll competition, and realised the WSOP had still not fixed the mistake.
Elenskiy notified the WSOP, they removed 213.1 POY points from Negreanu’s total, and he fell below Campbell and Deeb, landing in third place.
The New 2019 WSOP POY Top Three
Robert Campbell – 3,961.31
Shaun Deeb – 3,917.32
Daniel Negreanu – 3,861.76
The Pain
Mistakes happen, and the WSOP will learn from this – they have to – because given the prestige of this award the error is embarrassing. Coverage of the WSOPE centred on the professional (and often, personal) rivalry between these three players. There were likely side bets. Campbell wanted to win it for the first time, Negreanu wanted to be the first player to win it three times, and Deeb wanted to be the first player to defend it.
So who feels the most pain?
If anyone is a winner, it’s Campbell. The Australian will see his mugshot hanging from the rafters each time he visits the WSOP. No matter what happens from this point onwards, Campbell is part of WSOP history. But his victory is stained. He will always be the player who won by default, even though he won it fair and square. Most crucially, the mistake robbed him of the only reason these three went tooth and nail for this thing – the feeling of winning it.
The claim to the title would have felt off to Campbell. Negreanu, on the other hand, should have suffered, right? He thought he had won it. He celebrated on his VLOG, on social media, and I assume he clanked a few flutes with his wife.
And now it’s taken away from him in a phone call.
But Negreanu doesn’t feel the pain.
In a text conversation with me, Negreanu typed:
“Honestly it didn’t phase me when I got the news there was an error,” typed Negreanu. “That surprised me. I know my younger self would have been very angry, and some may say justifiably so. In the end, I focus on the journey, and that journey was a success. I went to Rozvadov with the goal of leaving with the most points knowing what I knew at the time, and I did that. I take pride in that, and I’m genuinely happy for Robert Campbell, who is very deserving of the award.”
So Campbell has the chicken dinner, Negreanu believes his journey has been successful regardless of the title.
So it’s all good?
Not at all.
Rewind
Let’s go back to the final day of the Colossus.
Deeb sits third, with eleven players left. A conversation with WSOP officials confirms that Deeb needs to finish fifth or higher to retain his title. It transpires that had the error been rectified in Las Vegas, Deeb would have had to finish ninth to become the 2019 WSOP POY.
Would that have changed Deeb’s strategy?
Would Deeb have made history?
Once the WSOP released their tweet, acknowledging their mistake. Joey Ingram went into full detective mode to see if he could find evidence that Negreanu knew of the error in advance. As part of his investigation, he invited Deeb onto his show, and Deeb was not a happy bunny.
“I lost it twice in my eyes, and that is fucking brutal to me,” said Deeb. “I am worn out, physically exhausted. I left my wife and kids to play for this POY. I lost a lot of money in Europe. I was playing for a particular position, and I am the one who takes the brunt of this mistake.”
During the conversation with Ingram, Deeb wouldn’t rule out that Negreanu knew about the error ahead of the WSOPE, and suggested that he should be ostracised should a smoking gun be found.
A furious and exhausted Deeb acknowledged that all three players would have approached things differently had the WSOP fixed the error ahead of the WSOPE. He even suggested that Negreanu might not have made the trip to Rozvadov given the size of the gap after the removal of 213.1 points.
“If the three of us knew the exact score the entire time, I think it’s over 60% that I would have been the winner,” said Deeb. “I get screwed the most. I spent three and a half month away from my family because I wanted to get back-to-back, and it feels like a waste of time. The goalposts were moved on me.”
Deeb even took the allegations that Negreanu may have known about the error even further.
Two things Its amazing Daniel wouldn’t bet on me with poy cuz he was afraid I would cheat when he’s the one caught trying to cheat. Second the only acceptable move from @WSOP is co poy with me and @SonicJaxx2019
In that same text conversation, I asked Negreanu to comment on Deeb’s claims that he knew ahead of the WSOPE about the data entry error. Negreanu called the claims ‘baseless.’
“It’s asinine, and completely out of line to suggest I knew the totals were off. Kevmath didn’t even know. I posted screenshots of the results to thousands on my VLOG, yet nobody knew. The WSOP didn’t know. My competitors didn’t know, and yet, somehow, I did. I think the accusations are disgusting.”
It matters, folks.
The WSOP POY matters.
It’s not about the money.
It’s about emotion.
You saw how positive emotions could create a compelling sports narrative that has thousands of people hooked, and now you’re seeing the flip side of human behaviour, and it’s not as pretty.
Poker Masters
The 2019 Poker Masters continues to power on like steam bursting from the spout of an angry kettle. Four events are now unclogged pores, with Jared Bleznick taking down the latest: Event #4: $10,000 8-Game.
It’s the first time that Bleznick has won a live tournament; understandable given his orders have always been to imprison and torture cash game players both online and live.
He doesn’t even play poker for a living anymore.
He doesn’t need it.
The victory was Bleznick’s 29th ITM finish of his career, with 24 of those coming at the World Series of Poker (the WSOP banned Bleznick in 2016 for unruly behaviour, until Phil Hellmuth’s support added the coagulant needed for a reversal to occur).
The $153,000 that Bleznick picked up for this win is his fourth-largest win to date, with his previous best remaining the $526,625 secured after finishing runner-up to Daniel Alaei in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) event at the 2013 WSOP.
Tournaments may not be his ‘thing’, but Bleznick had three close shaves at the WSOP this summer finishing 3/1216 in the $600 Online PLO event for $59,163, 3/467 in the $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw for $58,343, and 10/218 in the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet for $9,234.
Let’s check out the final table in this one.
The Final Table
As one would expect in these Poker Master brawls, the final table contained more magic than a Harry Potter movie.
Nick Schulman won his third WSOP bracelet in the summer, defeating 193-entrants to win the $463,670 first prize in the $10,000 PLO Hi-Lo 8-or-Better Championship, and also finished third in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller for $1.725m.
Cary Katz is one of the most in-form players in the world, winning the Super High Roller Bowl London for £2.1m as well as making a swathe of final table appearances in the biggest games across the globe.
Brandon Adams won his first WSOP bracelet in the summer while also grabbing a fourth and fifth in the $50,000 and $100,000 High Rollers at the same series. Adams also won Poker Master titles in 2017 & 2018.
George Wolff is coming off the back of a cracking performance at the British Poker Open winning a £10,000 and finishing second in a £25,000 (both Pot-Limit Omaha events).
Mike Gorodinsky is a former WSOP Player of the Year.
The Nutshell Action
Event #4 attracted 45-entrants, and the killing inside those veins only lasted for a single day.
Bleznick took a big chip lead into the final, but it was Schulman who was first to put on his dancing shoes and turn the table into his own private ballroom.
He ripped the howl out of Wolff in a hand of 2-7 Triple Draw that saw Schulman’s 8-5 catch up to Wolff’s 9-6. Then Adams was next to hit the rail, and once again 2-7 Triple Draw was the kick to the groin, with Schulman’s 8-7 beating Adams’ 9-8.
Gorodinsky gave Schulman a rest, when he dunked Jake Abdalla into a vat of brine after making a 7-6 low in another hand of 2-7 Triple Draw, only to follow Abdalla out of the door marked ‘Exit’ after his 97cc lost to the A9 of Bleznick in a hand of No-Limit Hold’em.
Cary Katz would face Bleznick for the title, after ‘Harrington10’ eliminated Schulman in a hand of Stud 8, before getting his mitts on the title after removing Katz in a hand of PLO.
Here are the ITM results.
ITM Results
Jared Bleznick- $153,000
Cary Katz – $99,000
Nick Schulman – $67,500
Mike Gorodinsky – $45,000
Jake Abdalla – $36,000
Brandon Adams – $27,000
George Wolff – $22,500
2019 Poker Masters Championship Standings
Chance Kornuth – 420 points
Isaac Baron – 300
Ryan Laplante – 300
Jared Bleznick – 300
Jonathan Depa – 300
Image by Poker Masters
The machine still beeps ever so faintly. The frightening sound of the flatline is preparing to enter the stage. Jonathan Depa is putting on a surgical Short-Deck display sending shockwaves through the Aria. Even the old grannies playing the slot machines feel the bass rattle in their mothballed caverns.
In times gone by, Depa and tournaments went together like chalk and cheese, but this year, he’s more like blackboard and chalk or crackers and cheese. In March, Depa beat 41-entrants to win the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller at partypoker MILLIONS South American for $400,000. He followed that up with three ITM finishes in Short-Deck events at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE).
Depa finished 7/111 in the €25,500 Short-Deck High Roller for €88,861, he won the 27-entrant €50,000 Short-Deck High Roller for €641,250 (beating Phil Ivey, heads-up, no less), and ended the series with a 24/179 finish in the €2,500 Short-Deck for a min-cash.
“I don’t really play that many tournaments,” Depa told the Poker Central crew after his most recent win. “To win two tournaments in two weeks is pretty awesome, and it’s always nice when you’re just basically winning every all in.”
Depa became handcuffed to the title from the off in Event #3: $10,000 Short-Deck, beating 37-entrants over two days play.
The final six featured a glittering array of stars.
Sam Soverel is the defending Poker Central Player of the Year, and big favourite to defend that title. Soverel is having a cracking year, dominating the British Poker Open, and finishing fifth in the opening $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em event in this series.
Ben Yu finished fifth in this game during the US Poker Open in February.
Alex Foxen has won close to $4m this year, including the $20,000 No-Limit High Roller in last month’s WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble, and is still the Global Poker Index (GPI) World #2.
Jorryt Van Hoof finished third in the WPT High Roller that Foxen won, and also made the final table of a chunky €25k at the European Poker Tour (EPT) in Barcelona recently.
Erik Seidel.
I won’t insult your intelligence by writing anything about the man, but know this, it was his first ITM finish in a Short-Deck event, and you get the feeling it won’t be long before he has the game tattooed to his prefrontal cortex.
The Nutshell Action
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat 1: Jorryt van Hoof – 1,425,000
Seat 2: Sam Soverel – 1,265,000
Seat 3: Ben Yu – 1,745,000
Seat 4: Alex Foxen – 1,285,000
Seat 5: Jonathan Depa – 3,305,000
Seat 6: Erik Seidel – 2,065,000
The first player eliminated from the final table was the Poker Central Player of the Year. Jorryt Van Hoof limped under the gun, holding KQs, and called when Sam Soverel moved all-in holding QTo, and the better hand held.
Ben Yu busted next when his JTo lost to Jonathan Depa’s superior AKs. Yu did flop the lead, but Depa regained it on the turn. Erik Seidel doubled with aces v van Hoof’s kings. Then the Dutchman ran AQs into the pocket kings of Alex Foxen to exit in fourth.
Seidel headed for a cup of tea and a cold bath after running K9o ran into the AQs of Foxen. Seidel took the lead on the flop, but Foxen hit runner-runner flush to hand the Poker Hall of Famer his first Short-Deck cash two places short of the most brilliant of debuts.
Depa beat Foxen, heads-up, with the final hand seeing QJ beat J9.
“I definitely don’t have it all figured out, that’s for sure,” Depa told Poker Central. “I’m learning just like everybody else’s. I have a lot of PLO experience, and the two games have tons of similarities. So that’s probably why I picked it up pretty quickly. I really like it because it sort of has the best elements of No-Limit Hold’em and PLO combined, which makes it a really enjoyable game for me.”
Cue the flatline.
ITM Finishes
Jonathan Depa – $133,200
Alex Foxen – $88,800
Erik Seidel – $59,200
Jorryt van Hoof – $37,000
Ben Yu – $29,600
Sam Soverel – $22,200
Poker Masters Leaderboard
Chance Kornuth – 420 points
Isaac Baron – 300
Ryan Laplante – 300
Jonathan Depa – 300
Thai Ha -210
Alex Foxen – 210
The game of poker is like a series of labyrinths. One minute you’re peeking through the keyhole, and next, you’re running through the calculations as booby traps detonate all around you.
Deafening.
Disorientating.
Debilitating.
If you work effectively and efficiently and sprinkle some run good, there’s every chance you’ll find your way to the treasure; your moment of glory, and then it’s time to head into the catacombs once more.
Ryan Laplante is bent over, hands on knees, and a big smile etched all over his face.
He’s just found his way through.
Laplante took down the 62-entrant Event #2: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) at the 2019 Poker Masters for $186,000, his second most significant score to date. When Poker Central’s host, Maria Ho, asked him for his secret, Laplante pointed to the Game Theory Optimal (GTO) work he’s been applying on his online training site (LearnProPoker), and the aid of the Poker Gods.
The win pushes, Laplante’s lifetime tournament career earnings to $2,381,807. It’s his sixth victory, and half of them have been in PLO events. In 2016, Laplante won the 2,483-entrant $565 PLO event at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) for a personal best $190,328. In the same year, he won a 113-entrant PLO event for $36,172 during the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas.
Laplante cashed 11 times at the WSOP in the summer including finishing 3/2477 in a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event and also appeared in the $25,000 PLO event, finishing 29/278. The $601,235 earned in 2019 is his best annual haul since he started racking up scores like spores back in 2011.
The Final Table Picture
For the second consecutive tournament, the Day 2 chip leader would go on to win the event. Laplante went wire-to-wire, refusing to let go of a chip lead that materialised after moving from ‘dust to heaps’ before you could say ‘miracle.’
Chance Kornuth finished runner-up to Isaac Baron in Event #1: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em, and he had once again found his way to the top table. Thai Ha finished eighth in Event #1 and was the runner-up to Siamak Tooran in the €25,500 No-Limit Hold’emHigh Roller at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) event – another radioactive pro.
Tim McDermott finished runner-up to Scott Clements in the $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed event in the WSOP this summer, and then you had the defending champion. Ali Imsirovic has earned a personal best $3.8m this year, including a runner-up finish to Cary Katz in the £250,000 Super High Roller Bowl, London for $1.1m.
Bombs would drop.
Clouds of dust would turn Portobello.
Here’s how it all began.
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat 1: Chance Kornuth – 545,000
Seat 2: John Riordan – 990,000
Seat 3: Thai Ha – 1,730,000
Seat 4: Ryan Laplante – 2,540,000
Seat 5: Ali Imsirovic – 1,595,000
Seat 6: Tim McDermott – 410,000
The Nutshell Action
Laplante would flick an elastic band into the face of four of the five finalists with enough force to send them crashing into the rail. The one-piece of meat he left for someone else to devour came in the shape of Tim McDermott. The short-stack doubled-up to create a glimmer of hope before the KsKh6s2h of John Riordan crushed AhQh9c5h when all-in pre-flop,
Ali Imsirovic’s tattooist had to put his ‘Back-to-Back’ art piece on the back burner after seeing his aces slammed into the earth by the nut flush of Laplante. Then Riordan exited stage left when AcJs4s3d lost to Th8s6s2d on Qd9d3c8cJd. The money went in on the flop, and Laplante rivered a straight.
The impressive Thai Ha wasn’t laughing when his tournament life lost consciousness in the third position. The Vietnamese pro got it in good with 9s8s7c2c on Th9d6d for the straight, only for Laplante’s KsKd7d6h to hit the 4d on the turn for a flush.
The heads-up play didn’t last too long, and when it did, a cooler hogged the limelight.
Kornuth held QhQd6c3s, and Laplante held TsTh9c8s as the dealer planted a nuclear explosion on the flop (Tc3c3h). The pair got it in, and Kornuth couldn’t find that last remaining trey, settling for his second consecutive runner-up finish, and the top spot on the overall leaderboard.
Laplante was the man.
“Being able to play against these people, just even being able to compete, not even cashing, and then winning it is just absolutely absurd,” said Laplante after his win. “Obviously, I thought it was possible when I signed up, but when you’re playing against players of this calibre, and you pull through, it makes me feel very fortunate and very lucky.”
No rest for the wicked.
Back into the labyrinth you go, Ryan.
ITM Results
Ryan Laplante – $186,000
Chance Kornuth – $124,000
Thai Ha – $86,000
John Riordan – $62,000
Ali Imsirovic – $49,600
Tim McDermott – $37,200
Damjan Radanov – $31,000
Brent Roberts – $24,800
Anthony Zinno – $18,600
Poker Masters Standings
Chance Kornuth – 420 points
Isaac Baron – 300
Ryan Laplante – 300
Thai Ha – 210
Ralph Wong – 150
We give a plastic crow the arduous task of flying the mermaid over the extraction point, and then dropping her into the eggcup without the enemy hearing a pin drop. The mermaid will then climb teabox hill, and rescue the princess while humming the theme tune to Frozen.
“Let her go.”
But it will be a difficult task, as the enemy is unlike anything the extraction team has seen before. We’re talking about the beast who orchestrated the My Little Pony massacre; the bathtub dockyard explosions, and imprisoned the princess against her will.
I am, of course, talking about the evil plastic sheep from Mattel: Baron Von Baa Baa!
Moving swiftly on from one massacre created by a Baron to another, and Isaac Baron has beaten a field of 97-entrants to win the opening event at the Poker Masters.
Event #1: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em took place at the PokerGO Studios at the Aria in Las Vegas, a cardroom Baron called the ’nicest’ he has ever visited.
The win is Baron’s fifth of his career, and his second of 2019 after winning his first bracelet at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), after topping a field of 1,832-entrants to claim the $407,739 first prize in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event.
Due to a lack of live reporting, the nutshell action is more ant ball-sack in nature, but before you complain, consider the terrible circumstances the princess has been facing in the past 24-hours, and consider yourself grateful you only have these first world problems.
Baron came into the final table after 19 Day 1, levels, and the former online poker genius wasn’t exaggerating when he called his trajectory to the top of Event #1 ’straight’ and his ride ‘smooth.’
Two people stood out at the final table.
Scott Blumstein is a former WSOP Main Event Champion, and Sam Soverel is the reigning Poker Central Player of the Year, and the odds-on favourite to defend his crown in 2019.
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat 1: Chance Kornuth – 455,000
Seat 2: Tha Ha – 655,000
Seat 3: Jeremy Ausmus – 1,995,000
Seat 4: Isaac Baron – 3,055,000
Seat 5: Dan Shak – 480,000
Seat 6: Ralph Wong – 1,770,000
Seat 7: Scott Blumstein – 765,000
Seat 8: Sam Soverel – 630,000
The Ant Ball-Sack Action
Poker Central scribe, Remko Rinkema, called the eliminations of Thai Ha (8th), Dan Shak (7th), and Scott Blumstein (6th) ‘quick’.
Then it became the Isaac Baron Show.
The man known online as ‘westmenloAA’ eliminated Soverel in the fifth spot when pocket aces melted pocket eights. Next, he took out Jeremy Ausmus in a blind v blind battle when Q9 outkicked Q7.
Baron took a massive chip lead into heads-up with Chance Kornuth after eliminating Ralph Wong in the third-place when J6 beat K9, and the heads-up action lasted one hand when 53cc spiked a three to beat A9o.
The win puts Baron in the lead for the $100,000 first prize, the title of 2019 Poker Master and the Purple Jacket. One impediment could be his lack of Short-Deck experience. Apart from that, Baron is going for it.
“I highly doubt I’ll play the Short Deck because I’ve never played that game before, but to me, at this point, I’m committed to these events with the top prize and the jacket to play for,” said Baron. “I’m a big golf fan, and The Masters is my favourite sporting event of the year. While the money will always come first, I love the accolades and accomplishments and having something more to play for at the Poker Masters.”
Will the evil Baron von Isaac also conquer Event #2.
Not if the mermaid and plastic crow have anything to do with it.
“Patience, young grasshopper.”
I don’t know who once said that to a cherubic young Daniel Negreanu bursting at the seams to become the world’s greatest poker player, but wherever he or she is, in this world, or the next, there is a smile on their face, today.
The Poker Hall of Famer has once again underlined his legacy in this game with an impressive outing at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) to become the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year (POY).
Negreanu becomes the only player to win three WSOP POY titles and the first to claim the POY title without winning a bracelet. Kid Poker became the first to win the POY when it first established back in 2004, and he became the first player to win it twice in 2013.
I think this one will be extra special.
Coming into the ten-event WSOPE, Negreanu trailed both Robert Campbell and Shaun Deeb in the pecking order, but unleashed a wave of pestilence that sent both to Hades’ front door after cashing in seven of them.
Here were the scores on the doors coming into the series finale.
WSOP POY Top 10 Coming In
Robert Campbell – 3,418.78
Shaun Deeb – 3,280.13
Daniel Negreanu – 3,166.24
Dan Zack – 3,126.13
Philip Hui – 2,881.67
Jason Gooch – 2,643.72
Joseph Cheong – 2,595.54
David ‘ODB’ Baker – 2,480.06
Chris Ferguson – 2,476.96
Anthony Zinno – 2,443.22
How The Win Unfurled.
Campbell started well with a 48th place finish in Event #2, and a 50th place finish in Event #3. Defending champion Deeb also cashed in Event #2 (18th) and took the lead after finishing 13th in Event #7. Campbell retook the lead after making the final table of the €25,500 No-Limit Hold’em event, finishing 8th. Deeb pulled some points back after finishing 26th in Event #9 before Negreanu made his move.
Negreanu, who had already cashed 59th in Event #2, took the lead after four consecutive cashes: 16th in Event #6, 10th in Event #8, 37th in Event #9, and 6th in Event #10. The lead widened after Negreanu cashed in Event #11 in 20th position.
All three combatants knew that a decent showing in the WSOPE Main Event would be crucial to proceedings, only for the trio to hit the rail prematurely. That allowed Anthony Zinno to put together a late charge. Zinno came into Rozvadov in 10th place, but a 16th in Event #2, 11th in Event #8, and a 3rd in the Main Event put him in with a shot as the final event: Event #15: €550 Colossus No-Limit Hold’em burned a hole in the horizon.
Zinno did cash in the Colossus, but his 256th-place finish was only good enough for a fourth-place finish. Negreanu’s run ended in 195th, leaving Campbell and Deeb knowing a deep run would be enough to eclipse Negreanu’s final score of 4,074.88 points.
Campbell’s tournament ended in 149th place, leaving the defending champion, Deeb, as the only player capable of stopping Negreanu from making history while at the same time making history (nobody had ever successfully defended a WSOP POY crown).
Players kept hitting the rail hard.
The number of tables kept dwindling until there were two left.
Deeb was still in contention.
A fifth-place finish or higher was the goal, and then with blinds at 125k/250k/250k, Deeb limped into the pot from the small blind holding Jh9d, and Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier checked his option in the big blind.
The dealer fiddled with the deck, emerging with a QcTc9s flop; Deeb led for 250,000, Grospellier raised to 800,000, and Deeb called. The turn card was the Td; Deeb checked, Grospellier made it 1,775,000, Deeb moved all-in for 3,050,000, and ElkY called. Deeb had a pair and a straight draw, but ElkY had flopped a straight, and it held on the river to stop Deeb’s defiant stampede in 11th position, an incredible performance given there were 2,738-entrants in the event.
Negreanu cashed seven times at the WSOPE to add to the 17 cashes he made in the summer. Of his 24 cashes (a record for a POY winner), Negreanu made five final without adding to the six bracelets hanging around his posh Las Vegas gaff.
Not that he cared.
While there is no cash prize for WSOP POY, poker is my passion.
The title is the achievement and acknowledgment of a lot of hard work, long grueling days against top competition.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) doesn’t have a moonwalk in this choreography.
There’s no need to backpedal.
In 2015, only 313 people entered the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) Main Event. What had once been one of the biggest monsters in the European tournament calendar, was comparable with bugs on a windshield.
Something had to change to protect the brand – in stepped Leon Tsoukernik.
Since Tsoukernik partnered with the WSOP, numbers have swollen to 529, 534 and, this year, 541. It’s the second most significant attendance in WSOPE Main Event history (593 = 2011), and Alexandros Kolonias took it down to Athens town.
Kolonias is no shoplifter when it comes to significant buy-in events. In 2016, he earned €805,900 after finishing runner-up to Alexandru Papazian in a €25k event at the European Poker Tour (EPT) in Monte Carlo. But Kolonias was by no means the star attraction at this top table.
Anthony Zinno and Dario Sammartino shared that billing.
Zinno was one of two members of the final table to have won a WSOP bracelet (Rifat Palevic, the other), and with three World Poker Tour (WPT) titles to boot, and the chip lead – Zinno was the man holding all of the hostages.
In making the final table, Sammartino became only the fourth player to make the final table of the WSOP and WSOPE Main Event in the same year. None of the previous three had won either of them.
Claas Segebracht is a former Master Classic of Amsterdam Main Event winner, leaving Anh Do as the only player who seemed a tad out of place when it came to his live tournament resume.
Alexandros Kolonias was the first player to rip the hood from the Day 5 executioner, Anthony Zinno when the Greek star won a series of chunky pots to take the chip lead.
Then in Level 30, we lost Rifat Palevic.
With blinds at 120k/240k/240k, Palevic moved all-in for 2,650,000 when the action folded to him in the small blind, and Anh Do called from the big. Palevic turned over Kh2d, and Do showed pocket queens. King-deuce rarely picks the pocket of one of the two ladies, and Palevic’s vision of utopia crumbled by the time the dealer had gotten to the river.
Dario Sammartino then doubled through Kolonias when pocket kings beat pocket jacks, and after moving into Level 31, Do doubled through Zinno when AhJh found an ace on the flop to beat pocket kings. Do then passed those chips to Sammartino in a hand that reeked of manure. The pair got it in with Sammartino well behind with pocket jacks squaring off against pocket queens, only for a third jack to spring out of a box marked ‘turn.’
Do then gained revenge doubling with Js9c versus Th5s in a button versus big blind battle, but it was not enough to help him avoid a fifth-place exit.
With blinds at 150k/300k/300k, Do opened to 1,800,000 from the cutoff, and Claas Segebracht called on the button. The dealer placed AdJd9d onto the felt, and Segebracht called when Do moved all-in for 450,000. Do showed Kh9h for bottom pair, but the German had him crushed with pocket kings, including the king of diamonds for the flush draw. The Ts and 3h finished the action, and Do was done.
Kolonias lost the chip lead for the first time since taking it from Zinno, and Segebracht was the pincher. Then Zinno delivered skewered an internal organ when his pocket queens doubled up through Ah8h. Zinno moved into the second spot after doubling through Sammartino KcTc>AcJs after flopping a king when all-in pre-flop.
Moments after doubling up Zinno, the sophisticated Italian gained revenge when pocket tens beat ace-seven, all-in, pre. But Sammartino couldn’t make thunder roar twice when he got it in with AK versus the JT of Segebrecht with the German flopping a jack to send Sammartino’s perfectly coiffured hair smashing into the rail.
Kolonias fell to the bottom of the three-handed barrel before climbing back up courtesy of a double-up through Segebrecht when Ad3s found a doubled paired board of kings and queens to beat pocket nines when all-in, pre-flop. Then Kolonias doubled into the lead in a hand that left Zinno shorter than a Liliputian.
With blinds at 250k/500k/500k, Zinno moved all-in from the small blind for 15,250,000, and pocket treys and Kolonias called and won with AcJc. Zinno then added a double to a triple to get back into contention until Kolonias sorted him out.
With blinds at 300k/600k/600k, Zinno moved all-in from the big blind for 7,650,000 after Kolonias had opened to 1,300,000. Kolonias called and had some catching up to do with JdTh facing Ad9c. Kolonias did catch up when a second jack hit the flop, and Zinno’s hand never improved.
Heads-Up
Tale of the Tape
Alexandros Kolonias – 31,100,000
Claas Segebrecht – 23,000,000
Segebrecht doubled through Kolonias to bring the chip counts to scale level after the following hand.
With blinds at 300k/600k/600k, Kolonias opened with a raise from the small blind, and Segebrecht made the call. The flop was a wet-looking AdTc9c, and Segebrecht check-called a 1,000,000 Kolonias bet. The 4c arrived on the turn, and both players checked to the Ts on the river. Segebrecht check-raised all-in; Kolonias called and was surprised to see that his trip tens (JsTh) had lost to a full-house (AcAs).
Then it was all over.
Kolonias opened to 1,200,000 holding AsKs and called when Segebrecht moved all-in holding pocket treys. The second king arrived on the flop, and then Kolonias rivered a flush to seal his most magnificent of victories.
Final Table Results
Alexandros Kolonias – €1,133,678
Claas Segebrecht – €700,639
Anthony Zinno – €485,291
Dario Sammartino – €341,702
Anh Do – €244,653
Rifat Palevic – €178,171
Julien Martini – €132,017
Jakob Madsen – €99,555
Four more high rollers who went deeper than an angler fish in this one were Alex Foxen (26th), Martin Kabrhel (41st), Benjamin Pollak (47th), and Joao Vieira (49th).
In Ray Dalio’s brilliant book ‘Principles’, one of his core ‘Life Principles’ is to ‘Identify and Don’t Tolerate Problems.’
Here’s an insert from that book.
View painful problems as potential improvements that are screaming at you.
“Though it won’t feel that way at first, each and every problem you encounter is an opportunity; for that reason, it is essential that you bring them to the surface. Most people don’t like to do this, especially if it exposes their own weaknesses or the weakness of someone they care about, but successful people know they have to.”
Dietrich Fast is a World Poker Tour (WPT) Champions Club member, who follows the tramlines connected to the poker world at large, as well as selected high stakes stops, and he has a problem he finds painful, and I think it’s worthy of discussion.
It began on October 2.
After competing in the WPT UK at Rob Yong’s Dusk till Dawn (DTD) in Nottingham, Fast tweeted the following complaint.
“Let’s get straight into this topic. We play a format which is a tournament. Nowadays, you can enter it as late as the start of Day 2 or even later. Why would someone who registers at the start of Day 2 play against the randomised average field strength, but when you late reg on Day 1, you end up playing on a late reg table with mostly regs?
“As long as there are no restrictions like “reg open until the start,” you should be able to play against the average field strength. I got asked if I knew that the guy who regged before me was my friend at WPT UK. Like WTF? What if I know he is a strong reg and isn’t my friend. I tell them yeah, and exploit the system?
“Everyone who runs tournaments should draw the seats. It should be max-transparent, and shouldn’t open the door for friends and locals to exploit. I have played at so many venues in my life, and so far, PokerStars has done the best job in this regard. Almost all others are just not staffed enough or lazy as fuck. If you want us to come early, give us incentives. But these incentives can’t be contrary to the rules of a tournament where everyone fights against everyone!”
Fast copied in three people who have a big say in the running of live poker tournaments.
Paul Campbell (ARIA)
Matt Savage (WPT)
Rob Yong (partypoker & DTD)
Campbell decided to keep his powder dry, but Savage and Yong did comment.
Yong went first.
“I think everyone knows I don’t like late-registration or re-entry tournaments, but the market forces them. I’ve said a lot on this, and I’ve been defeated.”
Yong is referring to his attempts to remove these stipulations from the game, to return to its purest form, which he believes is better for the ecosystem. Only each time Yong has done this, the people have voted with their feet. In Yong’s mind, it’s clear that the poker community want the opportunity to register late, and to re-enter multiple times.
Savage also shared his opinion.
“Super tricky, and the dilemma is if we as operators do what we feel is best for the industry or the bottom line, and have big guarantees; we are forced into long registration and unlimited re-entry.”
Yong also shared two more views.
The first was that live tournament operators lose revenue in cash games and casino games because of late-registration and re-entry, and that money ends up in the pockets of the likes of Fast.
Yong also made it clear in various spots along the Twitter timeline that although the thought of late registration and re-entry as an operator may want to make him vomit, he appreciates the stipulations as a player.
Does that mean Yong empathises with Fast?
Not on your nelly.
Relationships
Now, you may have noticed that neither Savage nor Yong answered Fast’s question, which was what Fast perceives to be an unfair system for those that take advantage of the late registration process.
I have an inkling that perhaps the reason Fast didn’t get a response is because of the way that he put the question. If you call a tournament organiser “lazy as fuck,” and suggest they are under-staffed, you don’t need to be the smartest egg in the box to perceive a series of froth-filled mouths.
Back to Dalio, and one of his core principles is radical honesty and transparency, but he also believes that fostering meaningful relationships is another crucial principle. While you can construe calling someone, a ‘lazy fuck’ as ‘radical honesty’; if you add the desire to maintain a healthy relationship with said ‘lazy fuck’, then perhaps a different choice of phrase would be the order of things.
It’s an important point because it’s mutually beneficial for poker players and tournament organisers to exchange feedback to ensure the poker ecosystem evolves in a way that benefits both parties. In short, if you want to effect a change in late registration rules, don’t begin by calling the people you need to convince to change those rules a ‘lazy fuck.’
On Late Registration in General
It’s always made my brain spasm when a Tournament Director chose to start a tournament late. Typically, it used to happen the higher up the food chain you ventured, and perhaps this is because the more you ascent through poker’s beanstalk, and get closer to those golden eggs, the more it becomes about what the players want – a crucial point we will come back to later.
In reality, there is no need to start a tournament late.
All tournaments should start on time. It sets the right tone. It’s a boundary that says, “We are professional, and we mean what we say”. Starting on time represents justice and integrity. Running late feels weak and without boundaries.
Technology allows players to buy-in from a broad range of different ways, other than turning up in person at the venue. If a player was going to arrive late, then they could register on time, and their stack put on the table, and blinds and ante’s taken from it until they turn up.
Orpen Kisacikoglu is a non-professional frequenting the high roller circuit. Here are his views on late registration.
“I think super late-registrations are boring, and against the sportsmanship. If you’re allowed to buy-in when the blinds are 40bb or less, it becomes a flipping war. I’m not sure where the correct line is, but allowing people to buy-in with 25bb or less feels like a big stretch.”
Despite his opinion, the London-based businessman understands why late registration exists.
“I am aware that tournaments need bigger prize pools, and that’s why most organisers allow late registration, but we have to find a better balance. I think tournament organisers should stop late registration at the start of Day 2, or later. They are the worst and incentivise a lot of players to start Day 2. We should be working as a community to get everyone seated at the beginning.”
Sam Greenwood is a professional player competing with the likes of Kisacikoglu in the biggest floats on parade, and this is what the Canadian had to say about late registration.
“I’ve been fine with the late registration boundary moving forward because it benefits top players with big bankrolls,” said Greenwood. “Money is money, and if I can get +EV opportunities to enter a tournament late, I’m happy to take it.
“Like most questions about tournament formats/structures, I don’t think there should be a one size fits all approach. Every poker player has a different ideal structure, and it’s not necessary for every tournament to have the same structure. Different structures and formats will attract different players, that’s fine.”
Let’s think about that.
The Customer is Always Right
I didn’t go on vacation much when I was younger, but when I did, if we returned home on a Sunday, my father would walk through a fresh-faced Chernobyl to ensure he was standing outside of the pub as the barman opened up the door at noon.
If you care, you will find a way to be punctual.
A great question to ask yourself if you are a business is “What do my customers care about?”
I pigeon-hole myself as a low-stakes poker player, and for me, a late registration rule doesn’t provide me with much value. I play for fun. Unless I have an engagement that prevents me from turning up on time, I will always be on time, because I am excited to play.
Taking Greenwood’s philosophy, and assuming there are a plethora of like-minded people swimming around in the deeper waters of the poker ecosystem, we don’t need a late registration system. If you are going to be late, phone the tournament organiser, pay your fee, and your stack will occupy the space in front of your empty seat.
Given that most tournaments are multiple or even unlimited re-entry if you allow the better players to register later and later then that is not going to end well for the recreational player.
However, in high stakes tournaments, where the players and the tournament organisers work a lot closer on structures because you’re typically providing a product for a small group of people, then if that group want late registration running late into Day 2, that’s what they should have.
Greenwood’s belief that there shouldn’t be a ‘one-size fits all’ approach is wise.
“I am not sure the effect it {late registration} has on the ecosystem of smaller stakes tournaments,” said Greenwood. “In High Rollers, I know late-reg/re-entry has driven some recreational players away, but there are other recreational players who want to get back in action as soon as possible.”
Kisacikoglu wasn’t a fan of late, late registration, and his belief also holds in the bigger games.
“I don’t see high rollers any different from other tournaments,” said Kisacikoglu. “The same principles should apply.”
It’s Not The Disco
There was always a rule when it came to the school disco – never turn up on time.
I’m talking about status, and the need to elevate it, by appearing like you don’t get excited about a disco. It’s disco. You are too cool to get passionate about those types of things.
Poker is not disco.
Players are not turning up late because it’s uncool to turn up on time. The better players in the game turn up late because it provides them with the most value over the long-run. While it may make the inner child of recreational players scream through the walls of one’s skull when they see the Dietrich Fasts, Orpen Kisacikoglus and Sam Greenwoods of the world arrive late – rules are rules.
Given that we have a late registration rule and that players exploit it; isn’t it appropriate to ensure that it’s fair?
As you know, Fast isn’t slow when it comes to telling you about the unfairness of the current system. The WPT Champ said to me that the initial problem arose when he late regged the WPT UK at DTD with five other people, and they all had to play at the same table, with three players from different tables.
Imagine you’re a leech farmer by day, and you play poker as a hobby by night. You’ve made it to the last few levels of Day 1, and the floor moves you to a table containing Dietrich Fast, Steffen Sontheimer, Dominik Nitsche, Christoph Vogelsang and Fedor Holz.
Fast points out that balancing tables is extra work for tournament organisers, and it’s easier to start with ‘x’ number of tables, fill them, and then add tables exclusively for players that late reg, and that’s not fair. Underneath Fast’s original tweet on this issue, the European Poker Tour (EPT) Champion, Anton Wigg, backed him.
Anyone else?
“I see this as a huge problem,” says Kisacikoglu. “Every new entry should be seated randomly. The floor should draw from all available tables, moving the next big blind on that table to another seat, or make sure to keep enough seats open around the room until late registration closes, and make a random draw out of those.”
Fast’s idea is to draw high cards at eight random tables, move those players to a new table, and backfill their spaces with the players who have registered late.
Back to Kisacikoglu.
“I would never register late any tournament, before or after good players or friends if I knew I would be seated at the same table. It also opens up for ‘table picking,’ because if you know a weak player or reg is going to be taking advantage of the late reg rule, you can buy-in right after them to increase the likelihood you’ll be sitting next to them.”
Kisacikoglu told me that PokerStars is in the lead when it comes to doing the best job with this issue.
“In big fields, they {PokerStars} always keep a lot of seats open on a lot of tables and keep opening new tables to move players around from random tables until the late reg closes. In smaller fields they make you draw the table first (out of all available tables), and if that table is full, they move the BB elsewhere to be able to seat you at the table you have drawn, so there is absolutely no room for table picking.”
Luca Vivaldi is the Tournament Director for the Triton Poker Series and was instrumental in creating the PokerStars rules that Kisacikoglu admires.
Here’s Vivaldi’s view.
“Dietrich is right in saying that if you late reg you shouldn’t be playing vs the players that regged in line with you. Instead, you should be mixed in the field. I introduced this in PokerStars events a long time ago, and I’m carrying it on in Triton with extra care. It’s one of the fairest seat draw/late reg systems out there.
“Yes, it’s hard to manage, but I feel, in this day and age, it should be the standard for all operators. The draws should always be random even for late reg and Day 2 seat draws should be kept hidden to players if late reg is still open to avoid influencing the decision of players to reg or not (good tables/good seats open vs bad tables/bad seats open).”
Back to Greenwood’s point that we should take every tournament on its merit – It’s interesting to hear Vivaldi talk about making this a standard rule across all competitions. Matt Savage doesn’t agree.
“The late registration balance is delicate and not a perfect science,” said Savage. “The only way to ensure 100% randomness is to inconvenience players that show up on time. The “incentive” for showing up on time is that the play is deeper with a softer field and they should have a reasonable expectation that they won’t be pulled from their table to accommodate late registrants.
“I handle this as best as possible, and do whatever I can to avoid late registration tables, but sometimes players that register late have to wait and their table may not be 100% random, but the most important thing is that their table will break first. Additionally, players should not be able to request a different table, especially after they have taken their seat, which seems to have become more commonplace for some reason.”
Savage’s point, that an ‘incentive’ for turning up on time means you won’t be ripped from your seat to accommodate late registrations is interesting. As one of those players who wouldn’t want that inconvenience landing on my lap, wouldn’t it make more sense to ban late registration, and force people to turn up on time?
Football.
Snooker.
Boxing.
People turn up on time.
I’ll leave this little butter-melting exercise with another word from Ray Dalio. Another of his core principles is to get to the root cause of a problem. After speaking to Rob Yong – who believes people should turn up on time, or stop complaining – and Matt Savage, who sent me a copy of an old tweet of his that read, “late registrants want to 1. Start with a full-stack, 2. Start the minute they sign up, 3 have a full table and 4, have a random draw #Reasonable.” I wonder if the reason that Fast will have to work a tad harder to get what he wants is because of that unspoken battle between status and strategy.
Savage didn’t make that tweet up out of thin air. It relates to the people who exploit every edge of the late registration system, and the vast majority of these players will be those that compete in high roller tournaments.
Feel free to fill in the blanks, and then let us know how you feel on late registration stipulations.
When I first limped into the poker industry from under the gun, I created a series for BLUFF Europe magazine called The Ogmore Poker Tour (OPT). It was a piss-take of the European and World Poker Tours. I figured, if I created a serial, BLUFF would keep hiring me, and that’s what happened.
The OPT was my home game. We would begin each Thursday night with a £20 rebuy No-Limit Hold’em tournament, and then those that ran out of emergency supplies ended up in the £1/£1 Dealer’s Choice cash game.
Each of my characters came from that game, and they all had nicknames. I called Eddie’s dad ‘Eddie’s Dad, Steve’ because he was Eddie’s Dad and his name was Steve. Bobby Eggs was Bobby Eggs because he always brought everyone fresh eggs. But we didn’t have a nickname for Dai John.
And then we did.
It was a Christmas special, upstairs in The Brit.’ As per form, we had a £20 rebuy tournament, only this time we had more players. Dai John bought in a record 23-times, and received the nickname Dai “23-Rebuys” John. He made £500 for a £40 profit.
Dai John paid £460 to compete in a £20 poker tournament because he could. It was a strategy shorn of sophistication. You continued to rebuy until you couldn’t because that’s what people did even if it meant asking for loans to get over the finishing line with a stack.
To me, it always smacked of addiction.
No ROI calculations were whirring around the mind.
There was a game going on, and to not be a part of it was inconceivable.
One-Bullet Negreanu
The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is a far cry from the Brittania Pub in Pencoed, but it’s the scene of another debate around re-entries, this time with roots in the highest echelons of the game.
It’s safe to say that Negreanu has had a mixed King’s Resort debut. Being treated like a king has been balanced out by sickness, smoking and re-entry and late registration frustrations.
Negreanu is still the favourite to land his third WSOP Player of the Year award, so his experience could end up with a cherry on top. Win or lose; it looks likely to change the trajectory of his live tournament career quite drastically, one way or another.
“After this WSOPE I’m strongly considering playing only one bullet in any re-entry tournament,” Negreanu tweeted.
His summation revealed a belief that going in with the mindset that he only has one shot will have a more positive impact on his play than the ability to re-enter as many times as he wants.
“Too often, me and others make -EV decisions in re-entry,” Negreanu tweeted.
Another incredibly important point that Negreanu made is irrespective of the tournament rules on re-entry, as long as it has ‘re-entry’ in the title, it’s a personal choice whether you choose to re-enter or not.
“Others going crazy has no negative impact on you, it just contributes to the prize pool, and often gives you good opportunities to double-up,” tweeted Negreanu.
The ROI Question
I believe this, but cannot prove it as fact:
MOST pros who play a tournament with no reentry option, will have a higher ROI on that bullet than their first bullet if they are planning to reenter
Maybe there are some totally unaffected, but I don’t know any
Reading through the replies to Negreanu’s assertion that most pros will have a higher ROI on their only bullet as opposed to their first bullet should they choose to re-enter, there are no serious challenges to his theories.
One person supporting Negreanu is Igor Kurganov, a man who frequently competes in the highest stakes tournaments in the world – events that are 99.9% re-entry.
If one reenters immediately there is no future value loss and the higher bb/100 just leads to more profit, but also more investment. ⁰If tradeoffs are chosen well in no reentry case then one has a higher roi, but on less investment creating less profit.
The only problem with a smart mind like Igor Kurganov supporting Negreanu’s theories, is you need to have Ainan Celeste Cawley’s I.Q. to decipher it.
My I.Q. is somewhere closer to the number of bullets Negreanu is considering firing into re-entry tournaments, so I can’t help you unravel this one.
I’ll ask Dai “23 Rebuys” John to take a gander.
He got a ‘C+’ in GCSE Maths, a right smart-alec if I’ve ever seen one.
Did I once read that you should never talk about religion or politics at a poker table?
I think the latter is about to change.
Over the weekend, the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, sent a tweet to his near one million Twitter followers that ended up in the cockpit of every poker player interested in the future lord of the United States of America.
Here it is.
Online poker is legal in 4 states. The state-by-state rules are variable and push many players to offshore sites. We should clarify the rules and make it legal in all 50 states. US players and companies would benefit and new tax revenues could be used to mitigate addiction.
The tweet was timely, given that Yang was in Nevada for a series of Town Hall meetings as it’s one of the five states (thanks for Eric Ramsey at OnlinePokerReport for setting the Yang Gang straight on that one: Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia) that have a legalised and fully-regulated online poker market either in full flow or in the making.
When it comes to single-issue voters, those pushing for the right to play online poker won’t cover an enormous mass, but it’s still a smart move if singling out these pools of people form part of your broader strategy.
Speaking of Yang on the DAT Poker Podcast, Daniel Negreanu, told his listeners that Yang’s team had reached out to the six-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner before the tweet that rocked the poker industry. Negreanu has been very open in the past about his political donations, and he’s not the only high stakes poker player (pro or non-pro) to help presidential candidates from a financial perspective.
44-year-old Yang is an entrepreneur, lawyer and philanthropist with love for mathematics. The slogan for his outside shot of becoming the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate is Make America Think Harder (MATH).
Amongst Yang’s key policies is a ‘Freedom Dividend;’ a form of universal basic income (UBI) that generates $1,000 per American citizen (aged 18 or over). Yang is concerned at the rate of automation, and what that could mean to American jobs.
Maybe Joe Ingram should get him on the Poker Life Podcast to talk about the destruction that poker bots are currently creating across the online poker landscape.
Is it far fetched?
Not so.
After reading Yang’s tweet, an excitable Joey Ingram created a short video tweet asking Yang to come on his show to talk about his ideas on legalising online poker at a federal level, and Yang said he would love to.
I invite you on my show to expand on your tweet related to the online poker in the US. The situation for American players is in need of help. Players are being taken advantage of w/ few safeguards in place.
Marle Cordeiro tweeted: ‘Now you’re speaking my language.”
Phil Galfond has a vested interest in an open door policy for online poker in the U.S.
Yes! & what most outside of poker don’t realize is that MANY sites still operate in the US, but because it’s outlawed, the ones remaining are those who ignore all regulations including responsible gaming, security, anti-money-laundering, etc.
