Daily Rewind: Pro's lifetime ban, Merson's rant, WSOP aftermath
Today we lay down the law with PokerStars, chat with Greg Merson and get the reaction to the end of this year's WSOP.
The Daily Rewind is your one-stop-shop for a sharp review of the day in poker. Join us here for a mix of the latest news and a more irreverent insight into the poker world. Today we discovered the following topics for you:
Catch up with the latest action from the WSOP with our daily report.
PokerStars bans button hunter
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| "Jama-dharma" folding |
A high stakes pro has been handed am lifetime ban by PokerStars after repeatedly "buttoning" his opponents.
"Buttoning" is when a player sits down at an empty table, waits for it to fill up then leaves before paying the big blind. Continuous acts of "buttoning" are deemed as an angle-shoot.
Despite being formally warned, "Jama-dharma" continued to infringe PokerStars "buttoning" rule when playing at stakes ranging from $10/$20 to $1,000/$2,000.
That disregard for the rules has landed the high stakes pro a ban which means he will no longer be able to ply his trade at PokerStars.
Indeed, although he'll be able to withdraw his bankroll, his account will now be completely blocked.
Merson on high stakes culture
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Following on from his Twitter outburst earlier this month, Greg Merson has expanded on his comments in a recent interview.
Speaking with QuadJacks, Greg explained that unless you're part of a special clique you won't be able to get into certain games.
While he maintained that exclusivity in private games is fine, he stated that the knock-on effect of freezing out players public in games is damaging for the entire community.
Although he said his current campaign is over, he urged the rest of the poker community to fight back against the biased nature of the high stakes poker world.
Leaving Las Vegas
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| Saul out of money |
As the WSOP moves closer to a conclusion, the bulk of the poker community are now leaving Las Vegas after nearly two months of poker.
For some this summer has been a bountiful experience, but for others it's been a financial and psychological drain.
Indeed, for Kevin Saul this year's WSOP has left his safe looking somewhat bare.
Although the American pro cashed once this year, a tweeted photo showed the toll the WSOP can have on a player's bankroll.
While Saul was ruing the summer, Jake Cody was wishing he could "do it all over again".
Despite not winning anything significant, the British pro doesn't want his US visit to end so is now heading to Miami before jetting back to Europe for UKIPT Galway.
From there he plans to continue his balla lifestyle with a trip "back to Miami for the $10 million guarantee" then a journey across the Atlantic for "EPT Barcelona".
Today at PokerStrategy.com
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High stakes corner
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| Blom winning big |
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom might not have travelled to Las Vegas this year, but according to a recent tweet he'd need to have made the Main Event's final table to match his profits from the last two weeks.
According to the official payouts, this year's fifth place finisher will earn $2,106,526 and Blom's main account has tracked winnings of $1,418,645.
Moreover, with other accounts and investments, it's likely Blom has made a healthy sum of money on the side, which certainly confirms his decision to stay at home.
This year Blom has banked $4,459,247 and currently sits above "cottonseed1" ($3,447,150) and "PostflopAction" ($2,714,965) on the 2013 leaderboard.
Daily Signoff
Isaac Haxton always delivers a considered response to interview questions and in this recent chat he speculated that winning the WSOP Main Event bracelet isn't as prestigious as it once was.
