The Casino Employees event at the World Series of Poker is one of the traditional curtain-raisers for the series, giving dealers and other casino staff a special opportunity to shoot for a WSOP bracelet and a big stash of cash.
But it seems the registration process isn’t always super-clear about the conditions required to sign up and play, especially for those for whom English is not their first language.
So it was that Fernando Macedo, a keen poker player and YouTuber known as ‘Poker Depressão’ in his native Brazil, inadvertently joined the throng of 1,189 hopefuls looking to take down one of the first bracelets of WSOP 2024.
PokerOrg’s Blaise Bourgeois spoke with Macedo to find out just what happened.
‘At no point was I approached’
It seems like the issue stems from the fact Macedo registered for the event online, where some of the usual checks may not be in place.
"I was in the registration queue and there were a lot of people,” Macedo explains, “so I tried to register online as I had never done it before, and I ended up doing it and went to the fast track, where they requested all the documents. They printed my ticket and I went to the table.”
Had Macedo fluffed his lines and made an early exit, none of this may have ever come to light, but he managed to play well and build a stack. Eventually he got wind of the fact that he may have inadvertently sat down in the wrong tourney, and put two and two together, thanks to some help from Brazilian poker royalty, GGPoker ambassador Felipe ‘Mojave’ Ramos.
“At no point was I approached at the table,” Macedo told PokerOrg, “I received a message on Instagram saying that the tournament was only for casino employees, and at the time I doubted it because it seemed like a tournament open to everyone as I managed to register without any obstacles. I ended up sending a message to Felipe Ramos who informed me that I would be disqualified from the event, and then I decided to leave the tournament.
"At the time I was so disappointed because I was doing really well in the tournament. I ended up not even talking to anyone from the WSOP because I don't speak English. I think the registration part should be better organized as I registered without any problems."
The tournament is now over - Jose Garcia scooped the bracelet and the $79K up top - but Macedo is understood to have played for around eight hours before abandoning his stack, possibly eliminating some genuine casino employees along the way. But, there’s no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.
"I didn't go after the WSOP [for a refund],” said Macedo on Thursday, “but maybe tomorrow I'll talk to them. I don't know how this part works.”
Nor do we, Fernando, nor do we. We have approached the WSOP for comment.
Casino Employees event draws big crowds, and some criticism
The 1,189 players who entered this year’s employee event marks the highest number since 2006. Over recent years the lines have blurred between casino employees and poker media, with this year’s event featuring numerous figures from the world of poker entertainment who some might see as being more professional than the spirit of the competition should allow.
Among those singled out on social media for their questionable ‘staff’ credentials were Mike Holtz, the reigning WSOP Online Player of the Year, as well as former Game of Gold contestants Kyna England and Lukas Robinson. And among those doing the singling-out was Allen ‘Chainsaw’ Kessler.
Holtz narrowly missed out on the final table, finishing 11th for $4,962, but we suspect a win for him would have thrown a greater spotlight on the entry conditions for this tournament, not to mention even more criticism.
It drew a tweet from the font of all WSOP knowledge, Kevmath, who commented on the original story that was broken by Brazilian site MundoPoker. He said, "Don’t like to agree with the Chainsaw that much, but situations like this support his cause as well. I’m sure a few manage to play the Casino Employees event each year because of confusion during registration."
For now, we’ll leave you with Barry Carter’s usual measured take on the situation, and a tongue-in-cheek view of what next year’s final table might look like.
