The best hands at the World Series of Poker can feel like a Wild West showdown: the stakes are high, the tension is palatable, and it’s over in an instant.
Things got particularly heated between Griffin Benger and William Kassouf during the 2016 event. Kassouf has a long history of taunting opponents, attempting to get under their skin and tempt them into bad decisions. Raised by Benger to $5.6 million, Kassouf asked him how he should handle it:
“What do you want me to do, do you want me to go all-in or fold? Talk to me. You don’t say anything, I’m going to have to ship you. Play for the win, right? You doing the same?”
But Benger called his bluff in more ways than one. In a terse outburst, he accused Kassouf of being a bully and verbally abusive:
“You’re just an abusive person, man, it’s not funny. It’s not a game. You’re being abusive. What you’re doing to me, you’re a bully. It’s rude. It’s mean.”
Then karma was swiftly delivered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyTQScIcQCc
Personally, I found myself pulling for another King. Poker is all about subtle mind games, and I didn’t feel like anything Kassouf said crossed a line. But then again, I’m a terrible poker player.
H/T Fox Sports