Tensions have been running high in recent months. Heads-up challenges, Twitter spats, and barbed comments have created a fractious atmosphere that Jason Koon believes is ideal for a poker-style fight club.
The American pro knows a +EV spot when he sees one, which is why picked up on a recent tweet by Dan Smith offering to fight Shaun Deeb for $1 million.
Although Smith’s response was in jest, it was enough for Koon to propose a new way for poker rivals to settle their differences off of the felt.
Koon wants to see players get Rough N’ Rowdy
Rough N’ Rowdy is an amateur fight promotion famed for its unconventional and, often, unskilled matchups.
Although we’ve seen some of poker’s finest go toe-to-toe in recent years, it’s fair to say that fighting isn’t their forte. That’s ideal for Rough N’ Rowdy (see video below).
What’s more interesting, though, is the fact the West-Virginian fight promotion is owned by Barstool Sports.
Dave Portnoy’s sports and pop culture company bought Rough N’ Rowdy in 2017. In turn, Penn National Gaming partnered with Barstool Sports in 2020.
Barstool now has an online sportsbook in Pennsylvania and, therefore, links to the betting industry. That, presumably, is one of the reasons Koon tagged Rough N’ Rowdy in his Twitter post.
So, is Koon seriously offering to help start a poker combat league? We can’t say for sure, but his followers have been willing to break the first rule of fight club and talk about potential matchups.
https://twitter.com/JasonKoon/status/1386086784329605120
Poker commentator David Tuchman was first to throw his hat into the ring, quickly followed by Brandon Shack-Harris.
Names are being added to the Twitter thread on a daily basis. Daniel Negreanu vs. Doug Polk has been mentioned more than once, as has Negreanu vs. Ryan Fee.
Koon wants to see Scott Seiver in the ring, but others want Lex Veldhuis to dust off his gloves and show his win over Bertrand Grospellier wasn’t a fluke (see above).
Plenty of interest in poker fight club
Other poker players have shown their combat prowess in recent years. Gus Hansen, Terrance Chan, and Olivier Busquet (see video below) are just a few.
A surprise entrant could be Doyle Brunson. He’s willing to take on anyone aged 90+ and in a wheelchair.
I’ll fight any 90 year old guy that’s in a wheelchair https://t.co/zMew0XoURV
— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) April 25, 2021
The odds of a poker fight club happening might be slim, but there’s definitely a market for it. There have been Twitter fights aplenty in recent months and, with its connections to the gaming industry, Barstool sports could be in position to turn a war of words into true fisticuffs.
Beyond those links, the market for celebrity fights is hot right now. YouTuber Jake Paul recently beat retired MMA star Ben Askren in a boxing match. Regardless of whether or not he’s a skilled boxer, Paul has irked professional fighters and captured the interest of the general public.
The poker industry could parlay this into its own fight club if any pros have got the cajones to get Rough N’ Rowdy.
