Why now, Howard?
Is Howard Lederer apologising five years late for the Full Tilt scandal because he wants to play the WSOP this year?
It was quite strange this week to see Howard Lederer apologise and take full responsibility for the Full Tilt affair, most notably because it was five years since it happened. Howard had offered something of a muddled apology in his infamous interview with PokerNews, but never took the full amount of responsibility that he did in his statement on Daniel Negreanu’s blog.
In general I believe everyone deserves a second chance, once. Had Howard made this apology sooner, (Realistically not immediately after everything went down, but maybe by the time PokerStars acquired Full Tilt in 2012) it might have meant something. The fact that it has taken this long makes me raise my eyebrow, and I actually think it might have better for all concerned not to bring it up at all.
Given so much time has passed and poker is such an undeniably different game and industry today, why has Howard come out now?
Mourning the loss of the old Full Tilt?
It’s a funny coincidence that he made this statement the same week that Full Tilt became integrated into the PokerStars liquidity. While we still can see the iconic and very popular software, this is the effective death of Full Tilt as a standalone entity. The ‘Red Pros’ and the nosebleed cash games that were so synonymous with the brand had gone quite a while ago, and this was another nail in the coffin.
So maybe Old Howie was mourning the loss of the company he helped build and was feeling nostalgic and philosophical? Maybe seeing his beloved creation effectively become PokerStars gave him cause to think about what happened and his role in it?
If that is the case, once again, the time to make the apology would probably have been after PokerStars completed their acquisition of Full Tilt and refunded everyone.
Itching to return to poker?
If I were a cynic, and I am, I’d throw another reason into the ring as to why the apology has come now. The World Series of Poker begins again next week and as Howard states in his apology, he has been a poker player his entire adult life. Could it be that Howard has apologised, because he really wants to play the series this year?
The two-time bracelet winner dipped his toes in the water of returning to poker in 2012, shortly after the PokerStars acquisition of Full Tilt, playing high stakes cash at the Aria the Bellagio. Perhaps after PokerStars footed the Full Tilt bill, he thought all was forgiven. However, the poker community was enraged and death threats were phoned into the casino.
The timing is suspect, as is the medium, why did he choose Daniel Negreanu’s blog? Perhaps in the hope that it would appear as if it was an endorsement from KidPoker. Negreanu is still arguably the most popular and well known poker player in the world, he also was the most vocal in vilifying Lederer for his company's misgivings.
If Lederer is using Negreanu as a vehicle for getting back to the WSOP, I don’t think for one second Daniel is complicit in helping him do that. As already stated, he led the charge in the outrage against Lederer, something which he should be very proud of. As he said himself, the most important thing was making sure the poker community sees the statement.
Howard Lederer is entitled to go and play poker or do whatever he wants, he is a free man after all. I neither forgive Howard nor condemn him, but if he shows up at the Rio next month, I’ll be inclined to think he wasn’t sorry in the slightest.
Why do you think Howard has apologised now? Let us know in the comments.
