Updated on 23 Feb 26 by
Barry carter
Poker Expert

William Kassouf banned by the WSOP

After some of the most belligerent scenes we have ever seen in the World Series of Poker Main Event, Will Kassouf has been banned for the rest of the series.

The British player was eliminated in 33rd place for $300,000 and had choice words for his opponents before being removed from the feature table by security, as his table and the rail celebrated:

Shortly after, he was informed that he was no longer welcome at the 2025 World Series of Poker, with rumours circulating that a lifetime ban would follow, and he was escorted off the premises by security:

The reason? Well, if you have been living under a rock, Kassouf has been causing controversy, once again, in the Main Event. Non-stop table talk, relentless tanking, walking away from his hand while playing, insulting his opponents, and staff and breaking records for the number of penalties he has received. His opponents have been calling him out and calling the clock on him for days. 

This led, at the start of Day 7, after an almost instant penalty, for the WSOP staff to put a 10-second clock on all of his decisions and threats of disqualification. Something that even his biggest detractors said was perhaps too harsh, given the significant sums being played for. 

However, none of these measures gave Kassouf pause for thought or changed his behaviour, and he continued to complain to staff and insult his opponents even more. 

The Main Event started with the same antics we all became familiar with in his previous Main Event deep run in the 2016 Main Event. This time, however, as his opponents and staff were wiser to his shenanigans, we saw a much more beligerant and frustrated version of Kassouf. 

It seems highly likely that the 2025 WSOP ban will extend further, and that new rules will be implemented to prevent repeats of his behaviour next year.

Was this the right decision? Let us know in the comments:

Barry carter
Poker Expert

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2, Poker Satellite Strategy, PKO Poker Strategy, Endgame Poker Strategy, GTO Poker Simplified, Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy and Beyond GTO. In 2025, he won the Global Poker Awards for Best Book and Twitter Personality of the Year.