Five Thoughts: The One Drop Debate, The William Kassouf Conundrum and a Poker Hall of Fame Redo

There are weeks when coming up with five thoughts about issues surrounding the poker community is a tough thing to do. This was not one of them.

The biggest buy in tournament in the history of the game went off amid continued public debate as to who should and should not be allowed to play. The Poker Hall of Fame made a decision to induct two new members and even more debate heated up over how they go about doing that.

Outspoken Brit William Kassouf dominated ESPN’s coverage of the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event for all the wrong reasons again, and the doors were finally closed on one of poker’s most hallowed halls. Plus, as if that weren’t enough, a group of professional poker players and Twitch streamers got together to do something for someone other than themselves, shocking everyone and wrapping up this week’s Five Thoughts.

Debating One Drop Rethinking The Hall The Kassouf Conundrum The Nail In The Coffin Charitable Endeavors

1. Debating One Drop Big One for One Drop

Although debate about the event’s success and the amateur or professional status of some of its players may endure on social media, the €1,000,000 Big One for One Drop is over.

Elton Tsang, a Canadian-born Hong Kong resident who plays a fair bit of poker and has a broad portfolio of investments in IT, Internet firms and travel agencies, walked away with the title and an €11,111,111 first-place prize.

Obviously, not allowing professional players to freely enter had an effect on the numbers, but it also ensured the recreational players who bought in felt they had a legitimate shot to compete free of the collusion and soft-play some suspect is plaguing pro-heavy high roller events these days.

While the tournament drew a less-than-expected 28 entries, including two re-entries, it’s hard not to consider it a success for several reasons. The tournament raised €3,111,108 for the One Drop charity in its effort to provide access to safe water around the world.

Those knocking the Big One or how One Drop founder Guy Laliberte has chosen to run the tournament, would be best served to remember what the event is really about and delete more than just the negative tweets, but their entire self-serving attitude as well.

Elton Tsang Wins the Big One For One Drop Extravaganza for €11,111,111!Haralabos Voulgaris on the Big One for One Drop: ‘The Event is a Success. The Field Size is Fine.’ 2. Rethinking The Hall Poker Hall of Fame

After weeks of heated debate, Carlos Mortensen and Todd Brunson will make up the Poker Hall of Fame’s class of 2016.

While I personally felt like Chris Moneymaker deserved the nod for all he’s done to promote the game of poker, I can’t argue that Mortensen and Brunson weren’t at least as worthy of induction under the current criteria and congratulations certainly go out to them.

Now, as far as the Poker Hall of Fame is concerned, the debate turns to that criteria itself and how to best define it going forward.

Daniel Negreanu addressed several issues in his blog last week, including block voting, fan voting and the builder category. The only thing missing, in my opinion, was how to handle a player-builder hybrid like Moneymaker.

He may not fit the player …

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