A mistake at the final table of a $1 million guaranteed World Series of Poker Circuit event bounced a player, and the only people who seemed to notice were the stream’s producers who immediately cut the online broadcast and wiped the accompanying chatrooms that bubbled with critical comments.
While today’s (Jan, 24) streams have returned, they’re continuing without giving viewers access to the tainted hand and everything that came before it. And at least in the case on it’s YouTube’s English-language broadcast, without the chat feature.
The mistake
With five players left in the €1,700 Main at King’s Casino in the Czech Republic, and blinds at 60K/120k, Pierre Kauert pushed his last 1 million in pre-flop with JT. “Lupo” called with KJ. The pot was about 2.2 million, leaving him about 4.2 million behind.
The flop came AQ6. The turn turn hit both players with a jack. Kauert was still alive with a 10 for the win, or an ace, queen or six for a split.
A six hit the river.
“Unlucky Sir, good game,” wrongly said the announcer, as Kauert went around the table shaking hands and saying goodbye to his competitors, none of who spoke up.
But it should have been a split pot.
The dealer, floor, and Kauert himself didn’t notice the mistake, so he’s the fifth-place finisher of this year’s Main in Rozvadov.
But plenty of viewers on King’s Resort’s Twitch and YouTube livestreams across several different languages noticed and chimed up in the chatrooms — and then the stream was cut across all the platforms, the video of the first part of the final table removed, and the chat boxes were deleted.
Damage control?
King’s Resort streamed featured tables of most of the WSOPC events that happened the past week at its casino.
This was the case today, with the final table of its Main Event that began Jan. 22.
As it started, the poker world watched as Bastian Gallitzendorfer, Guiseppe Abbonizio, Klas Krueger, and then Kauert were eliminated in that order.
But friends and family who want to how the elimination hands were played out are currently out of luck, because right after the tainted Kauert hand, King’s Casino briefly stopped the streams and removed the video across all its platforms before restarting the broadcast a few minutes after it took place.
This caused the first part of the final table broadcast to be removed.
So instead of owning up that a mistake was made, someone at King’s Casino decided to pull the plug, wiping the whole first half of the final table broadcast from today’s broadcast, before continuing.
But the Internet is forever, and a Twitter user posted the tainted hand:
Hand from the @WSOPC FT @PokerroomKings just 45 mins ago (+ stream delay). JTo player busts, no one including the dealer notices(?????), game and stream move on 🤯🤯🤯@PokerNews @ChadAHolloway pic.twitter.com/Geudu01fHP
— Enrique🌻 (@EnjoyUrLifeTV) January 24, 2023
There’s no doubt that mistakes happen, and while it’s easy to heap deserving blame on the dealer and floor personnel for what happened here, it’s a good reminder that the player is totally responsible for speaking up and protecting his hand.
But panicking and removing the stream right after a controversial hand is nothing but nonsense, and King’s Resort owes the poker world an explanation. CardsChat will update when the poker room releases a statement, if it does.
Another video of the hand, in case the Twitter link gets scrubbed.
UPDATE!
King’s Casino’s Twitter shared a statement released by Federico Brunato, its “poker director.” Published on Facebook alongside a video of the hand, it reads in full:
Dear poker community,
