This week, the most talked about poker issue was lit up in neon lights for all to see. Commenting has also come to the fore after Canadian poker legend Daniel Negreanu ‘outed’ a professional player who refused to tip when offered free mineral water at a high level.
Who were they, what advice did they give, and what are the effects of Kid Poker’s discussion on the wider poker world?
What Kid Poker said
“Actions speak louder than words. You had the opportunity to make a difference to the single mother who serves her. ”
This week, the PokerGO Poker Masters came to a close in Las Vegas, Nevada. With eight events in total, as well as five-figure high rollers, qualifiers also played their way, including Event #1 winner Spencer Champlin, who pocketed a $500 ticket to more than $160,000 above the competitive range. In the end, it was Jim Collopy who claimed the Purple Jacket in a surprising turn of events in Event #8, but Negreanu’s highlight of the poor betting methods came a few events earlier.
“Imagine you’re a millionaire playing $10k in PokerGO Studio, buying two FREE Fijis from a retail dealer,” he said. Xformerly Twitter. “You have a $5 bill in your hand, you go into your pocket and take out a $100 bill and dig in there to find two dirty $1 bills. The waitress will come back with your Fijis and give her two $1 bills. It might come out to $5, but nah. You get $3 in EV for your ego.
I guess I should give the guy a little credit for not asking him to break $1. Actions speak louder than words. You had the opportunity to make a difference for a single mom working her ass off to pay the bills, but you chose a dirty $1. Yes, this happened, and no, I’m not going to name that person publicly, but if it’s you…”
Negreanu has lost ’embarrassment’ Game of Thrones invite Cersei to be hunted through the streets of King’s Landing and on and on, setting the poker world on fire with speculation.
Giving Deerstalker
We can reasonably assume that the event in question was the PokerGO Poker Masters $10,000 buy-in event taking place in Las Vegas. The price of these events ranges from $5,000 for Event #1 to $25,000 for Event #8, with most events costing $10,000 or $15,000 between these barometers.
So who could it have been? Although Negreanu would only confirm that the player was a professional rather than an inexperienced trader who did not use poker techniques, he did not reveal the player’s real name, saying that they knew who they were and to him, it was ‘enough’. However, it wasn’t enough for some, with players like Hayley Hanna thinking she knew who was to blame.
At the same table with Negreanu last night there were players like Ryan Riess, Kristen Foxen and David Coleman but all of them have strong reputations and if they saw anything for themselves, nothing coming. Should Negreanu have mentioned the etiquette faux pas or was it an unspoken issue?
As is often the case in matters such as this, poker players have come out of the shadows to reveal what they have to offer or prove to others. Giving poker, whether after an event with a percentage of the winnings given to the tournament’s dealers for example, is a broad issue that many disagree on.
How Much Should Poker Players Earn?
Tips are given to staff at the poker tournament or cash room at the player’s discretion – including refreshments served during poker games. Has the amount been determined? Of course not. But there is an unwritten rule that says giving advice is done fairly. As Negreanu raised, many service workers work multiple jobs for young families due to the convenience of shifts and balancing parenting. Whether this should give a 4% offer of a 7% point for example is not the case but the financial power does.
Of course, players usually don’t have as much money as we think of poker players. The Hendon Group is the holy bible of the industry, giving us the minute information on winning the poker money we all crave. But it is not a profit and loss sheet. It is not responsible for multiple entries; it does not declare whether each player’s salary was supposed to return make-up or go to sponsors.
And of course, it can’t cancel exactly how many waitresses to serve in the middle of an event. Commenting is a touchy subject in poker at times, with some being more vocal than others and the team of heroes around it often dominating the discussion. But it’s a good point to raise.
What is or is not acceptable as advice is always changing. If more transparency comes from the conversation, then Kid Poker’s words – regardless of who they were intended for – may have been the cause of the start of a public forum for the process that poker players have been finding it difficult to solve.
We all win there.
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