$2 Million Winner Investigated at World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is investigating high-stakes Czech player Martin Kabrhel after he was accused of cheating by at least two players in its $250,000 buy-in Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em event. Kabrhel finished third in the tournament, claiming a $2.27 million prize.
Thousands of hands, and scores of tournaments have been played at the 2023 WSOP. In the most expensive entry tournament of them all, one player’s actions have now come under the microscope. ©GettyImages
The competition – the most expensive entry event on the 2023 World Series of Poker’s roster – attracted 69 players. Former track and field athlete Christopher Brewer walked away with the $5.29 million first prize, but not everyone was happy with how the deciding table unfolded.
“Good luck most of you,” said the furious final table finisher, Dan Smith, when he was eliminated from the tournament by Kabrhel in sixth position. Turning to his rival, he then said: “I hope you get barred. Your antics are the worst of anyone I’ve ever played with.”
Marking Cards and Making Videos
It was not only Kabrhel’s apparent lack of table etiquette – he regularly asked for a count of rivals’ chips, took an inordinate amount of time to make decisions, and strangely stood over rivals when seemingly staring at the back of their hole cards – that caught the attention of the poker fans watching the action unfold live.
Forums, live chat, and social media channels were awash with accusations that the Czech player was marking cards with his fingernails. Video evidence appears to support the theory that something was untoward.
Martin Kabrhel ruining cards. Change the deck @WSOP pic.twitter.com/pcP0xKC9Aq
— Hugo Lemaire (@HHHUGINHO) June 19, 2023
Rest Assured It Is Serious
Confirming an investigation is underway, the WSOP issued a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal stating: “While we do not discuss specific security protocols used to monitor players and gaming equipment, the integrity of the game remains paramount, and we can assure fellow patrons that we are taking these allegations very seriously.”
The WSOP has not said if Kabrhel’s prize money has been made available to him. That information is unlikely to be made available anytime soon, as the Caesars Entertainment-owned WSOP has stated: “As this is an ongoing investigation, there is no further comment on the matter at this time.”
There is an irony to the accusations. Phil Ivey was playing at the same table as Kabrhel when most of the questionable moments happened. Ivey has previously faced accusations of cheating by ‘edge sorting’ – more commonly recognized as taking advantage of a marked deck – at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City and London’s Crockford’s Club.
Southampton Star Belongs in the Premier League
Twenty-four hours before the internet exploded over a new potential poker scandal, the UK claimed its first bracelet. The recipient of the wristwear was Southampton’s, Benny Glaser. He underlined his claim to being one of the world’s finest specialist games players when taking the $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship. $311,428 was his prize.
Glaser now has five WSOP bracelets. His first came in 2015 in a Triple Lowball event. In 2016 he won two Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better tournaments. Bracelet number four came in 2021s $10,000 Razz Championship.
No European poker player has won more WSOP bracelets than 34-year-old Glasier. Only two non-American players have fared better: Canada’s Daniel Negreanu and Australia’s Jeff Lisandro both have six titles.
