Kings Casino Responds To WSOPC Controversy After Player was Wrongly Eliminated
Summary
- WSOPC dealer misread the hand, leading to the player’s fifth-place finish
- Livestream was immediately suspended after the player busted
- King’s Casino released a statement, reminding players of one of the most important rules of poker
The ongoing World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) tournament series at King’s Casino in Czech Republic has invited controversy after a player was wrongly eliminated from the final table of the €1,700 Main Event. The dealer misread the hand and the affected player, Pierre Kauert from Germany, left the table also without noticing the mistake.
Livestream Suspended after Controversial Hand
The livestream was immediately cut after Kauert’s elimination which could only mean one thing – the stream’s producers knew something had gone wrong. All of the chats associated with the hand were completely wiped out when the online broadcast was suspended. The stream eventually returned as if nothing happened.
One viewer who had noticed the mistake shared footage of the hand on social media and commenters are surprised as to why nobody at the table noticed it. Some also expressed their disappointment at the fact that King’s opted to end the broadcast instead of admitting the mistake and apologizing to the player.
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
— EyDu🍞 (@EyDuBrot) January 24, 2023
Pierre Kauert was among five remaining players competing for the WSOPC Main Event title and gold ring. In the hand in question, the pot should have been split between Kauert and another player and he should have stayed in the game. Because of the mistake, the German Poker player settled for 5th place for €58,000 when he could have taken home a bigger payout or won the event.
King’s Casino Issues a Statement
As the controversial elimination made its way to social media and several poker forums and news outlets, King’s Casino’s poker director Federico Brunato released a statement on the matter.
While he acknowledged the mistake made in hand number 35 which led to Kauert’s elimination, he reminded players to “always read your poker hand” when taking part in tournaments as mistakes are inevitable.
He defended the dealer named “Sona” who he said is highly trained in her job and has been with King’s Casino for six years. Brunato also noted that the other players did not notice the mistake which was unfortunate. Kauert could no longer dispute the results as, according to Brunato, the right to dispute a hand ends when a new hand begins. He said there’s a lesson to be learned from the unfortunate event.
The poker director ended his statement by advising the poker community to refrain from criticizing other people’s mistakes, adding that players should know their rights and follow their game.
