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- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
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Five Thoughts: Trolling Bonomo, Bailing Out The GPL and Threatening The Future Of High Rollers
- Updated: October 3, 2016
Things are really beginning to heat up in the world of poker, with the 2016 World Series of Poker November Nine less than a month away, and the biggest buy in event in poker history less than two weeks from kickoff.
They get a little warmer in this week’s Five Thoughts as well, as we discuss how the success of the €1,000,000 One Drop could really threaten the future of other high roller events on the poker calendar and how mentioning indiscretions from a decade ago might not be the best way to troll Justin Bonomo.
Plus, there’s honoring a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, PokerStars bailing out the Global Poker League and running it up again in Reno.
One Drop Success, Soft Play Accusations Threaten High Rollers The Pot and The Kettle Bailing Out The GPL Honoring a Legend Run It Up Rolls On
1. One Drop Success, Soft Play Accusations Threaten High Rollers Max Silver
With less than two weeks to go before Guy Laliberté’s Monte Carlo One Drop Extravaganza kicks off, a press release was dropped last week indicating 35 players are already confirmed to play in the historic €1,000,000 buy in recreational-player-only Main Event.
With that many already in, plus satellite and side events on the schedule prior to the Big One, interest, and ultimately the number of entries, should grow to a level well beyond what several shunned pros thought it would.
After seeing a drop in the percentage of recreational players in the 48-entry field from the inaugural 2012 $1 Million Big One for One Drop when they drew 42 total in 2014, Laliberte said several businessmen and philanthropists indicated to him they were tired of being bled out by professional players. As a result, he altered this year’s €1,000,000 event, leaving the pros on the sidelines.
While most played nice publicly, not wanting to be seen criticizing an event with a charitable goal, several pros scoffed privately, claiming the One Drop would flop.
Now, with all signs pointing to the One Drop Extravaganza being a success, it’s the other big buy in events on the poker calendar that may be in jeopardy.
While it is a well-known fact most pro players in events with buy-ins $100,000 and above are selling and swapping action, most of those who do so claim they are playing within the spirit of the game. They say they are upholding the integrity of the tournament and definitely not soft playing and colluding with each other as they wait for the handful of recreational players in the event to bust out and go home before they split up their money.
However, British pro Max Silver, who has played in a number of these nosebleed events, recently appeared on Joe Ingram’s Poker Life Podcast, claiming there was some evidence of soft play and collusion at one recent high roller final table.
Silver didn’t name any names, but he didn’t need to.
Once the affluent recreational poker-playing community sees this is the case, and pro-player, soft-play and collusion-free events …
