Things have been a lot quieter at the WSOP since Will Kassouf was eliminated from the Main Event, and then escorted off the tournament premises and banned from registering for any more events this year.
But the reverberations from a truly unparalleled day of drama are still being felt.
We’ve seen a lot at WSOPs through the years — all the way back to when Jamie Gold talked his way to the Main Event bracelet and $12 million first prize — but nothing has come close to the drama of Day 7 on Saturday.
And it all came down to Kassouf — and his talking and tanking, which led to players constantly calling the clock, and ever-escalating confrontations with the floor. Kassouf told PokerOrg that he does it to get players out of their comfort zones, and he certainly achieved that. He won $300,000 but earned himself a ban.
But was it deserved? Did the WSOP handle it well, or was Kassouf the victim of heavy-handed treatment from the floor and other players?
What do the players who were watching it all play out think? Who’s on Team Kassouf, and who was celebrating when he got his marching orders? Read on for some of the best reactions from some of the best-known names in the game.
Like a boss! Team Kassouf
17-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth said he was enjoying the Day 7 coverage of the Main Event and pointed to “All-time record viewership… Great characters, lots of excitement, and great commentary.” He might not have named Kassouf, but it’s pretty obvious who he was talking about.
High-roller Chris Brewer wasn’t expecting to find himself on Team Kassouf. In fact, he probably wouldn’t like to see his name here, but, to be honest, we’re in need of the support.
Brewer went on to say, “Oh, he sucks. No doubt, but the 0 to 100 enforcement policy is a bit crazy. Especially since they actively encouraged the behavior until yesterday. I am not really on his side; I think they should just have given him a 30-second shot clock with 6 extensions to start the day.”
Poker Hall of Famer Nick Schulman was asked on the PokerGO stream if he would miss Kassouf after he was eliminated. “I am going to miss him a little bit, yes. But there is a flip side of that coin where I’m not as well.”
ACR ambassador Rob Kuhn was more of a ‘say it with my chest' type of guy.
Bracelet winner Pat Lyons also thought it had been handled badly, saying, “You still have to respect the director and the staff… I just think it should be done in more of a private setting; maybe pause the tournament clock and take him into an area where you can talk to him.”
Clock! Team Anti-Kassouf
Daniel Negreanu showed some clips of the Kassouf drama and revealed his verdict in his vlog on Sunday. Negreanu has stated that calling the clock should be normalized, so it’s no surprise to see him on this side.
“Right now on our screen up here we've got Kassouf arguing about a penalty," Negreanu said. "Here’s the thing — when it’s Will Kasouf, any time there’s a question about whether it should be a penalty, the answer’s yes, no matter what. He has earned the penalties with his five-minute tanks, nine high on the river, and all the other antics. You’re guilty.”
Negreanu also asked Mike Matusow — another player known for his verbal jousting at the table. That didn’t mean he was on Kassouf’s side, though. Matusow had a simple response: “He deserved it.”
Two-time bracelet winner Eric Froelich said, “This was a constant breaking of rules. This was a drain on all of the players and all of the staff. Forcing the floor to come to a table over and over while being yelled at nonstop after every decision was made is disrespectful, wrong, and unfair. These people have a job to do, and one person stopping one or more of them from being able to do it in the biggest tournament of the year at the biggest series of the year is beyond not okay.”
PokerOrg Player Advisory Board member Matt Berkey had a simple message for anyone who thought Kassouf was being treated unfairly.
“Really shocked to see some strong takes that Kassouf is suddenly being mistreated. The leash gets continually shorter with every prior warning and infraction. It isn't the floor's fault the stakes are higher now.”
Cliff Josephy has previous with Kassouf. He came third in the Main Event in 2016 when Kassouf made his other deep Main Event run to 17th. He hasn’t forgotten or forgiven and said, “Warned you all nine years ago that Kassouf, at his best, was a piece of garbage. Seems many agree now.”
“People that are good for poker inspire others by showing their wit, skill, competitive spirit, or resilience on TV," Veldhuis said. "It’s misunderstanding how content works to think that more views equals good for the game. It’s just people curious to see assholes act like assholes."
Team Kassouf lost Scott Seiver along the way.
Kassouf compared himself to Trump this year. EPT Paris winner Barny Boatman carried on the analogy.
WSOP runner-up Jamie Kerstetter claimed Kassouf could be the poster boy for the ‘Just say no’ campaign
The last word goes to Nick Wright, who’s guest commentating on the Main Event final table this year. He said, “The biggest winner of this entire Will Kassouf fiasco has to be my guy Martin Kabrhel, who at this point seems downright charming!”
We don’t need a recount to see that Team Anti-Kassouf is the winner, but it wasn’t a unanimous decision.
And, love him or hate him, Kassouf’s impact on the 2024 WSOP Main Event won’t be forgotten any time soon. Will he be allowed back in next year to do it all over again? Only time will tell.
