As a current WSOP dealer this is my take. 1. They are probably using RFID cards that are thicker and very hard to mark 2. The deck is switched up every 30 min when a new dealer comes up, including RFIDs. He would have to mark both A spades or only cheat on the blue or red deck deal. 3. I can feel a fingernail imprint on a card when it comes out of my hand. If I feel one I look at the card and run my finger over the card to see if I did feel a problem. Then I move it in the light to see if the glare picks anything up. I know this dealer. If he suspected anything he would be seen messing with the cards. 4. This guy is annoying AF here, but so are other people. I had another pro use all 30 sec for every decision... when it got brought up he was open with his intention and the table said it was annoying but w/in rules. Conclusion: innocent until proven guilty

@GregJoshuaW

8 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@gushy7438

8 ай бұрын

There are contact lenses, very expensive, that are used primarily for industrial espionage. "Similar to Samsung's smart lenses" Can tag cards just by looking at them. I don't think that is the case with this player, I just want to mention that if someone decides to cheat, there are many ways to cheat.

@inquisitor4635

6 ай бұрын

"I can feel a fingernail imprint on a card when it comes out of my hand." Interesting, but how can you do this when pitching a card only involves touching the very corners and edges of a card and not touching the majority center area of the card, which is where an indentation would most likely be? When a dealer physically contacts a card and pitches it they are not touching the area of the card where an imprint would likely be, at least where this guy in the video was clearly gouging his fingertips and fingernails into the card. I also saw dealers and pitbosses not give two shits about obvious marked cards and let the action continue anyways. They didn't give a shit other than 30 hands an hour and dropping that rake.

@orlandoherrera7443

5 ай бұрын

I'd be covering the back of my cards every time he stands up

@meimeichan822

5 ай бұрын

it is the color marking, Apply marking pan ink on the finger tip or knuckle, red card using red ink , blue card using blue, just smearing certain white area, easy to do, but you can only see it at close range

As a dealer at the Orleans in Vegas, I found lots of thumbnail-marked wheel cards, and we were the room where locals went to play structured Omaha8, where wheel cards are very valuable. Multiple floormen and even the poker room manager told me I was imagining things, told me it was probably the shuffle machines, and eventually told me to stop finding so many damaged cards. It was extremely frustrating because the poker room manager came from the pit, not from poker, and he even asked me why people would mark low cards, even though he had to know we spread more O8 than most rooms in Vegas. The idea that marked cards could go unnoticed by multiple floormen is completely plausible to me, and it's one of the reasons I didn't go back to the Orleans after the pandemic. So if you're playing O8 at Orleans... Watch out for those fingernail marks. 🤷‍♂️

@californiaplant-basedeater2761

11 ай бұрын

I've seen marked aces. Dealer couldn't care less.

@suprotwin

11 ай бұрын

​@@californiaplant-basedeater2761 poor lil guy, life has been pretty unfair to you, huh?

@californiaplant-basedeater2761

11 ай бұрын

@@suprotwin LOL What???????????

@californiaplant-basedeater2761

11 ай бұрын

@@suprotwin Let me guess: you are a dealer or floor person, who led a rough early life, got over it, and now you want to try to, what, make other people's lives difficult or something? Well if you are a dealer or floor person at a casino, how about this? STFU and do your job and be gracious that casinos even exist for a person like you to have a job in the first place. Have a nice day.

@JohnnyBGood11

11 ай бұрын

I dealt for 15 years in the Midwest on IOWA Riverboats we took it seriously and told people you get caught denting cards you will be banned at this Poker Room it stopped but we get a few, when a player would catch a marked or dented card it was removed right there.

Thanks for the content Doug. A very measured approach toward a player who, while I can't tell for sure if he's cheating, certainly seems willing to angle shoot, and wouldn't hesitate to use any advantage he can gain to win a hand. If I could make a small editing suggestion, whenever you cut to live footage, the volume drops dramatically, and it's difficult to hear some of the things which you're responding to in your commentary. If you could normalize that volume a little bit, it would make the videos much easier to follow in general, without having to adjust the volume or get my ears blasted when you switch back to commentary.

I think you nailed this with your breakdown!! Great job! First video of yours that I have watched!

They were all asked/told not to stand up while in a hand. And he did it multiple times, not just standing up, leaning over, and leering at other players and their cards...all with no penalty. That should have been where the penatlies started. Some sort of discipline..sit a hand, or a round. Something

@troyemmi925

11 ай бұрын

Would this be something where a player in the nad would have to call it, like a string bet? If the floor told them no standing while in a hand, then I see no issue with it being a penalty. Just curious if any player at the table can call it or only a player in the hand.

@Bo88y22

11 ай бұрын

What a load of bs. Players stand all the time at a poker table. They were probably asked not to stand during a hand because of the livestream. If the player broke the rules you can bet Dan Smith would have called him out, because he was in his head big time.

@elinonbjartalid807

11 ай бұрын

​@@Bo88y22going into the final table WSOP made a rule banning standing up while a hand is active. The rule was made specifically for Martin. Yet he did it all the time with no penalties

@perc3136

11 ай бұрын

@@Bo88y22 did you even watch the video ?? The dude was standing up and leaning into other players space to get a look at the cards to see if he could see a scratch on them how dumb are you😂😂

@edwardbrito4010

11 ай бұрын

The other players should have complained real time this one guy ask for a misdeal I thought it was ploy get redealt. I joked semi serious I’m challenging next time he thought I had Aces. I thought he cheated.

I played with a guy who had a really greasy face and he kept touching his face throughout the session. I then noticed that certain cards had shiny stains on them but you can only see if it it catches the light in a certain way. So you kind of have to look at it from different angles. Standing up and trying to look at the cards from different angles based on the light looks like what he's doing.

@BC-cr3no

11 ай бұрын

that's gross

@getmeoutofsanfrancisco9917

11 ай бұрын

Grease-gate

@firewizzard86

11 ай бұрын

That's sexy did you taste the cards?

@selkie2936

10 ай бұрын

Yeah but literally everyone knows this, this is why there is sometimes a rule that you cannot stand up. He did this once and Dan had to call him out on the rule. If you were cheating would you be so obvious when looking for marks YOU put on the cards? Blatantly breaking a standing rule and staring at another's cards? idk. I find it more likely that he is just really annoying, possible even purposefully so. He is drawing way too much attention to himself to be cheating if you ask me. Unless he just has the biggest balls in the universe. He isn't just risking being banned with these antics, but going to prison.

This video is what sets you apart Doug. You'll rip into your own stuff when it's there to be discussed. Keep up the great things and appreciate you

@Robert-Bobby-Rob

10 ай бұрын

Sets him apart for sure. The guy is clearly denying the cards. No ink no rail clearly denting the cards.

Curious if anybody thought to look at his behavior at the start of each table he was at. If he is only doing all the weird staring behavior after a few circuits and after he has handled key cards and was seen possibly marking them, that kind of leans towards some subtle form of cheating.

Bro angling people into THINKING you're cheating is a HILARIOUS angle lmfao

@daddy69daddy

11 ай бұрын

If your a goof 😮 then sure

@luxon4

11 ай бұрын

Brilliant angle tbh. I’m more likely to fold if I think someone knows my hand even though I can’t prove it.

@theczar86

11 ай бұрын

Hilarious, he’s gonna laugh so hard when he gets banned for “angling”

@douglaspalermo5053

8 ай бұрын

I saw a video where you can actually see him marking cards with his nail !

Wouldn't simply keeping and analysing the deck that was in play after help to deduce if there was indeed marking of cards going on - so we can at least conclude that either A) No cheating happened or B) Cheating happened. Also if other players are confident of cheating taking place, I feel like they ought to at least raise it up softly to the floor given this is a $250K tournament.

@mrhumble2937

11 ай бұрын

Yea actual evidence or not. But people like to assume. Plus don't they use multiple decks?

@Huyle18

11 ай бұрын

@@mrhumble2937 they dont use new decks every hand lol.

@Bo88y22

11 ай бұрын

Every deck would probably get a once over when withdrawn. A suspected cheater deck would get forensically scrutinised. Casinos have a duty of a care and spend millions to ensure they don’t get a bad name. This guy plays the obnoxious game like PH. DNegs plays the good guy but would be ruthless to win.

@elinonbjartalid807

11 ай бұрын

He clearly marks the cards and stares at their cards while standing up, probably to see the light shine on the cards from a different angle. WSOP made a rule for the final table just for him. Not allowed to stand up while a hand is active. He stood up multiple times without any punishment. Why even come up with the rule if it's not being enforced? Because it's good television

@davemarnell8871

11 ай бұрын

Pretty sure the shuffling machine will know if a card has been manipulated.

As a magician, scoring cards is very easy to do, and the clip of him applying pressure certainly is the route we’d do to score a card

@Ac3p3rgAA

10 ай бұрын

no doubt

@Lado1677

10 ай бұрын

Magician? 😂😂😂

@billmurray7676

9 ай бұрын

Those are not paper cards like the ones you handle, in casinos and tournaments you get plastic cards and those are not easy to mark.

@maknavickas

9 ай бұрын

Come on lol, why would he choose to do it at the moment when in view of the whole table instead of when the cards are with him on the edge away from view. He is clearly trying to tilt the opponates by forcing them to see his "cheating" .

@hampussvensson5484

9 ай бұрын

@@maknavickas the narcissism of most cheaters shouldn't be ignored, even if he isn't cheating it's still bad for business for the organizers/casino to have a person sowing seeds of doubt in the integrity of the game. At the very least he should've been warned the instant he "feigned" marking a card.

If I were the authorities in charge of poker I'd use some basic counter measures to make the other players a little less uncomfortable about the possibility of cheating. Things like changing the decks more often and restricting the players ability to stand and stare at other players hands. If they are building a case for the gaming commission to make formal charges then I could see them doing nothing until they are ready to strike.

@jypsyjewels2854

8 ай бұрын

breaking kneecaps in the parking lot also works

@baird329

8 ай бұрын

@@jypsyjewels2854 yep it would. A little old school,but effective. I was only suggesting countermeasures used against suspected cheats at blackjack tables in some casinos already

@MysteryMan404

5 ай бұрын

You’re a good man

He's a troll. He wants people to think he's cheating to mess with their heads. It's not hard to figure this out. His plays does not indicate that he knows what cards they have at all. It's not logically consistent with cheating. He's very likely innocent. People simply want him banned because he's annoying to play against.

@mrhumble2937

11 ай бұрын

Yea kind of obvious

@Mwuesse

11 ай бұрын

He's been caught cheating in the past... so yeah, it's possible he's now just trolling. ofc he could be cheating again but it seems unlikely when it's surely so easy for there to be proof of this.

@eetuhalonen9902

11 ай бұрын

​@@MwuesseWhen was he caught cheating?

@slowery43

11 ай бұрын

you know all this based upon your many years of never having studying or knowing anything about the subject... thank you so much for your worthless input we are all so greateful for your chiming in here speculation and unfounded rumor is always so helpful

@gusphinizy2658

11 ай бұрын

​@@eetuhalonen9902 his girlfriend said he was because he was staying at the bunny ranch. He said he went there just to have drinks with a couple of "Friends"

Your analysis is always fairly weighted IMHO and you always admit when you are unsure of a situation. Add the pieces of Humor and I always run to watch your videos. Thanks and keep up the good work!

@supersmoo7377

11 ай бұрын

I think the Robbie cheating scandal gave Doug PTSD; so he doesn’t fully want to lean towards cheating. But Doug, you say his KQ 4-bet bluff doesn’t make too much sense - so why should playing the Ks3s make sense while he knows his opponent has the As. Perhaps his logic is “well I know my K or 3 would probably be good, and he can’t have AK or A3 of spades.”

@supersmoo7377

11 ай бұрын

His K or 3 would be good if he flopped a pair with them.

Thanks, Doug! Always a good show!

As someone who doesn't play poker professionaly but know a bit about the psychology behind pro games. He is probably purposefully throwing people off their game by acting like he could cheat. In chess, if you know your opponent is cheating, you play differently. In poker is the same thing. Once a thought like that cripples into your mind, you lost

OBS!!! He could have indented the card very slightly in a way that it's not very visible through the naked eye, I am familiar with this method from a magician. The trick is that It becomes much more visible if he uses the lights from above to look for reflections on the gloss from the cards, thats why he stands up, and by slowly swaying from side to side. Then you can see minute details that other players can't see.. It's only if you know to look for the reflections from the light. Try it yourself under a well lit room. I would want to inform this method to the arrangers , but I don't have the contact information. Perhaps you can take it forward, or anyone else that see's this and knows where to turn to. Please thumbs up this so it get noticed

@marksoutofzen

11 ай бұрын

On a tv table in a 250k tournament he is doing that so blatantly? Don’t be silly, you need a magic wand to make me believe that!

@erikbongnilsson246

11 ай бұрын

@@marksoutofzen to clarify, I only chipped in with a potential method as to why nobody would have noticed "markings", other than him, and that using the light to ones advantage would be a possible explanation, I don't know if he did it or not.

@marksoutofzen

11 ай бұрын

@@erikbongnilsson246 To be fair, it is well known that there is an invisible liquid that can only be seen with special contact lenses.

@bustatron

11 ай бұрын

​@@erikbongnilsson246I wrote the same thing in a different post. Indent/mark the cards then try to catch the right light angle to see it. He's also doing something to his hole cards, what I'm not sure. Creasing a corner, bending, something. But his hand play doesn't seem to follow thru with it.

@erikbongnilsson246

11 ай бұрын

@@bustatron Cheeers! Yes, I think at least it should be looked into, because it will possibly start a lot of bad rumors for the poker arrangers if they don't clarify that they have looked into it and that he is clean. I have to imagine that they don't think he cheated, but I doon't know if they have made a press release to ease suspicions. It doesn't really matter to me, that don't play poker, but for those who do, I think it would be wise.

I don’t think any player should be allowed to dig their nails into the cards, even if they are doing it as a joke. New rule: if player appears to be digging their nails into the cards, they get a 30 minute penalty. If cards can be retrieved and marks are found, they are banned.

@huronmarkm806

10 ай бұрын

watching this video this was thing that looked out of line

@2147B

4 ай бұрын

30 minute penalty in a poker tournament is opposite of a punishment

You're really getting better at this. Kudos.

The thumbnail made me literally lol😂 thank you Doug

I wouldn’t be asked back to a any home game if I acted like this

@marksoutofzen

11 ай бұрын

That’s why you play heads up?

@michael2305

12 күн бұрын

@@marksoutofzen better than playing with your d. all day.

Reasonable analysis from Polk. If you've played even once at a public poker table you've had to endure annoying players. It sucks, but it sucks worse if you allow it to affect your game. One would hope that an event as large and prestigious as the WSOP would be checking decks at random as well as specifically looking at decks where accusations of cheating have taken place. They did call for a special rule at the final table that players must remain seated when playing a hand (a rule which he broke early and that caused a kerfuffle and a call for the floor manager). Given all that, WSOP is investigating this incident specifically, so we'll see what they find (if anything).

@mutteringmale

5 ай бұрын

One could also hope, that a well run and honest room would take action against annoying and disruptive players.

CUT TO Doug Polk ״graciously” running around the table screaming “Let’s fucking go!!!!” lol. Best video editing here

Doug, you mention grease and invisible ink. What about when Martin tries to muck and both cards stick to his fingers like he had been hanging with Dwight Howard after a Rockets loss? He has something on his fingers there, garunteed. Would also explain why, I think it was Dan, who mentioned to a dealer about marks on two of his cards, then she seemed to wipe/scrape "dirt" off them. (the stickum picking up dirt.) This sticky theory, would also explain another odd behavior by Martin, who is frequently seen playing with his cards and seemingly rubbing them into the felt reasonably firmly, as if he is trying to remove any excess sticky residue that is transferred from the back of marked cards to the face of cards being shuffled onto marked cards. I would look carefully at that spot on the felt where he sat. look for discoloration and signs of something mildly sticky being wiped into the felt and attracting dirt.

Tournament manager is 100% to blame. They should NEVER allow this nonsense to continue.

@user-cy6fo6rc9v

11 ай бұрын

He acted, I think... 2 Million, well played. If he did acted it all out. Every1 was on tilt. Lol. Let's see... what happens. Casinos has 50 - 100 camera's... He was not cheating !!! The Casino is King.

@TheTricksterFigure

11 ай бұрын

if he was creating an illusion of cheating on purpose I completely support the guy.

@davidpaul6615

11 ай бұрын

@@TheTricksterFigure it’s not cool to stand up hovering over other players. Could u imagine every player at the table doing the same b.s. ? The guy enjoys acting like a complete scumbag. Guaranteed he would never pull that crap with Eric Persson …. although don’t see Eric mixing with tournament characters

@bettyjane6684

11 ай бұрын

You could banned certain behavior you can’t lean into someone’s space at the table for example you can’t talk to people once they’ve asked you to stop talking to them

@davidpaul6615

11 ай бұрын

@@bettyjane6684 of course talking is ok & gamesmanship is cool but this nonsense goes way too far … why ?? Because he is allowed to Harass other players.

😂 that Luke Swartz bit made me spit out my beer, completely uncalled for which made it so much better

@Antyvas

11 ай бұрын

It gave me flashbacks.

Great stuff doug!!

You could pretty easily handle it by adjusting the rules. This sort of thing will continue to happen in different ways with people trying to obtain edges in annoying ways. The cases need to be handled one by one. There’s the issue of the integrity of the game, but also your product, as you want to have an environment where people will want to participate.

@TheVeregat

10 ай бұрын

Adjusting what rule lol? The can't score cards with nails rule?

@ewallt

10 ай бұрын

@@TheVeregat Similar to other cases where there have been players using annoying tactics.

@RSST662

4 ай бұрын

Study up . There's an old classic rock song about being a nuisance . Pretty sure it's against the law to be . I forgot what it's called , though .

The fact that this is a "national headline" is the only reason why WSOP is now taking it seriously.

That was not the take I was expecting from you, Doug. I thought you would be mercilessly making fun of this guy and his antics. This was a balanced and fair assessment that was actually very kind to Martin. I admire your range. :)

@elliells1537

11 ай бұрын

Well Knowing he is hiring an attorney, I think Doug is being smart. You have to have 100% proof to say someone is cheating or you can be hit with a lawsuit. The cameras these casinos have they would see the smallest mark in a second. They can magnify the camera probably 1000x . If he did cheat he will be caught. I can def see rules being made where player's can't stare at an opponents cards stranding up anymore. I really think if he cheated the casino would have the proof already after all the craziness and news it got yesterday.

@johnnyfreeman2685

11 ай бұрын

He didn't cheat, just haterade, he played well. Just because he isn't the ole cliche poker player ABC, he gets judged and villianized

@johnnyfreeman2685

11 ай бұрын

The announcer's boosted the hate

@papercitygamerjeff1437

11 ай бұрын

@@johnnyfreeman2685 lol he chated cmon! what are you looking at!

@Y2Jeremiah

11 ай бұрын

Depends how you define 'kind'. He might have said he didnt think he was cheating but he did essentially say he thought Martin was angle shooting

We buy this theory, Doug. Thank you for your service

What’s the song(instrumental) in the background while Doug is talking?

I think you’re right, there is no proof of cheating. He’s always seemed like a weird and abrasive person. But there aren’t rules against being unlikable. 🤷🏻‍♂️

@derFr0sty

11 ай бұрын

If there were rules to being unlikable Phil Hellmuth would be perma banned from any table 🤣

@oponamikwe5011

11 ай бұрын

@@derFr0sty true

@Joely7

11 ай бұрын

yEAH BUT PROOF, OR NO, IT IS CLEAR THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO CHEAT. LOOKING AT THE CARD FROM DIFFERENTY ANGLES CATCHING THE LIGHT IS ONLY EXPLAINED BY LOOKING FOR MARKS, AND TBH ITS NOT EVEN SUBTLE

@skan5728

10 ай бұрын

​@@derFr0styHellmuth might be unlikeable at the table be he's very entertaining to watch

@toasttoasted3492

10 ай бұрын

Nah this is different, look outside the box 😂

What we all witnessed was a master class in trolling

@user-cy6fo6rc9v

11 ай бұрын

lol... It was fun to watch... It is Poker 2023

My dad has played poker a lot from young age and told me once that some times you can intimidate by staring at the back of someone's cards as though you know exactly what they have. Mainly to see if someone is bluffing by breaking their character by making them make mistakes in their character.

@shawnnelsen4501

11 ай бұрын

And remaining seated and burning homes into your opponent is not egregious behavior. Invading another players persona space in that manner is asking for a fight to break out. This is a $250,000 buy in event, if you were playing you would expect it to be run professionally, not turned into a shit show by ONE ass hole. Way before it got out of hand I’d have given him a choice of taking his buy in back and leaving or risking being kicked out if he continued to abuse the tournament and the other players.

@abowman76

11 ай бұрын

Exactly 💯

@connorrobertson2037

4 ай бұрын

@@shawnnelsen4501 imo he is playing the character of a cheater. If you think someone is cheating you’ll be doubting every single hand, might be scummy but blame the tournament for not stopping this kind of behaviour rather than the player taking advantage. There’s life changing money on the line who cares about being a ‘gentlemen’

More to say when he 'marked' As he also had 4s in his hand. So you can see him cheking 4 spades in a hand with Steven at 16:14

K3 call makes sense if he knows 1 ace in opponents hand but doesn't know the other card, makes zero sense if he knows 2 or 0 cards.

@tonygrant3062

11 ай бұрын

If he knows he has 1 ace even ... calling with k3 makes no sense at all... so don't agree at all

@coleswannack2453

11 ай бұрын

Quick pokerstove shows K3s even vs a tight 3bet range that must an ace has around 32% equity. He’s getting more than 2:1 and *knows one of his opponents cards*. Seems a lot closer than if he didn’t know any of his opponents cards..

Marking cards like that has been a thing in high stakes live poker since the 60's..

If the tournament officials aren’t going to stop people from doing this sort of thing, people are going to do it.

As a local Tournament Director, "annoying" players are everywhere, players who annoy others, play slow, weird, etc. just because players don't like them, doesn't mean they deserve to be banned.

@sacrebleu1371

11 ай бұрын

This isn't on that low of level. Everyone knows about Hellmuth, Mike the mouth, or has a local player or two that even get into fisticuffs over poker. 🙄

Doug Im a poker dealer. I find marked cards nightly... youd be surprised art how little tournaments directors look at cards or even care. sometimes they try to just say its not that bad to not have to replace the deck or destroy the deck...

@DougPolkPoker

11 ай бұрын

In general I imagine that is the case, but in specifically this instance, would the WSOP really just ignore it entirely? I would be surprised if they did.

@jorgeblasini123

11 ай бұрын

@@DougPolkPoker hopefully you are right thx for the content!

@leprechaun7667

11 ай бұрын

​​would the government be factually destroying America? Wake up.....everywhere is corrupt!

@tsze06

11 ай бұрын

You are asking people who makes 50k a year to be your knight in a shining armor. They don't care about you and your little game. You will show up playing in WSOP regardless of what they will do or don't do behind the tournament. Just because you pay 250k for a buy in don't make you special. They have so much events going on at one time. They don't have a cheating department looking at every hand and every deck for you.

@Steezy93

11 ай бұрын

@@tsze06 Im pretty sure the WSOP will have a cheating department

This video was an unbiased look at the issue, and quite thorough. Great video. Thanks for sharing it. One thing is for sure though...haters are gonna hate!

The only thing I can think of is the 30 second limit that he maxes out and maybe possibly edge sorting but I don't know about how the tournament cards are made or cut

At the final table, they implemented a no standing rule specifically for the possibility of marked cards.

He should start a poker club with Robbie

@laartwork

11 ай бұрын

And Mike Postle.

@stevenking8884

11 ай бұрын

And The Maverick

@OS96

10 ай бұрын

"ALL-YOU-CAN-chEAT"

There is no way a player should be standing over my cards! If he wants to know how much I have he can just ask. I played in one of the WSOP tournaments last week and there were indentions on a few of the cards. I didn't think people were cheating but it's possible.

Thanks for your objective video Doug..... great vid mate

If the players raised concerns about him possibly cheating, then surely the floor managers or someone could have checked the cards being used for markings? After all, the tournament organizers know which cards he had on each round, so they could have checked if any cards that he had contained any visible markings.

I don't blame players for thinking this guy is cheating one bit. He's constantly looking over his shoulder and looking at players cards instead of reading players or counting chips. With the K 3 hand it looks like he sees the mark after he makes the call. watch him look back at the cards while holding the red chips and pause with them as he realizes something. then he sits down and folds the next bet. the meek way he asked for the count after just supposedly gauging the guys stack for his whole time was also odd to me in the moment, and seemed like a poor attempt to slow roll a fold. Floor really blew it not enforcing the no standing rule. Even the masseuse knew he shouldn't be doing that.

I think he's clearly trying to get an edge in a field of GTO pros where there isn't much edge left to get anymore. Tilting your opponents so they play bad is literally just about the oldest trick in the book and getting them to think you're cheating like this would certainly throw them off. I think also if he was cheating he wouldn't be staring at peoples cards for 30 seconds at a time so blatantly like he does he obviously wants people to see him doing that and to worry about it thats the whole game

@selkie2936

10 ай бұрын

100% agree

@tapcity2

10 ай бұрын

You get away with the crime, you get bolder. Then you exaggerate as a cover-up. You make yourself look eccentric. I used to cover my cheating with women by being open about being attentive of them in public. It's the oldest trick in the book. He was definitely thumbnailing cards.

@SunnyHF-nf4bc

9 ай бұрын

@@tapcity2 Wouldn’t they catch it? I’m not a poker expert, but from the clips I’ve seen, even the slightest nick in the cards gets reported almost immediately. I think he’s just an incredibly toxic player, but not a cheater.

@wesley9047

8 ай бұрын

​@@tapcity2casino cards are plastic not paper. You're not marking them with a finger nail, lol. Dudes fucking with them to get an advantage in a game so long played there is little edge to gain through traditional means. Tilt2win.

Strangely, despite my having had numerous occasions where I felt you judged others unfairly... ...I agree with your assessment here 100%. Imo, it is often the evidence inconsistent with one's theory that is (or SHOULD be) the most compelling.

Regardless of whether he was cheating, the way he handled the cards lends itself to cheating. Has to be stopped. And getting into another player's space (like with Decarolis)? If Decarolis happened to stand up and "accidentally" head-butted him, would they punish him? Probably. But that couldn't happen if Kabrhel wasn't in his table space.

I've spent two decades in game protection. A key question that needs to be answered... *I noticed in the highlight of the final table, Martin says he noticed a scratch on one of his cards and requests a new deck. The question is "was the deck changed? And if so, was it a spare deck in the rack? Or did they bring a new set up to the table?"*

@alen7492

11 ай бұрын

He was DEFINETELY trying to mark that card on the video by the pressure, not by scratching the card with the nail. And I'm not working in the game security.

@carpeimodiem

11 ай бұрын

@@alen7492 I understand that. I'm asking a very specific question for a very specific reason. If you know the answer, do tell. Anyone who watched the full stream on pokergo might know.

@katiemarshall7531

11 ай бұрын

​@carpeimodiem331 I wondered too but idk the answer

@sacrebleu1371

11 ай бұрын

Spare rack deck was in rotation already, same time he had played also at this table vs new box of pristine cards? No, I didn't get to see the much of prior footage, but did catch he was back a second time to the now final table and have yet to get to the final video. What got my attention, (near end on video prior to final video), I did note him looking through his water bottle kept carefully aligned with labels not blocking view to neighbor. I did a mimic set up and found it gave me clear view of objects on other side by refraction. Just at that moment, dealers changed and the male dealer asked him to remove the bottle. I didn't get to check my concern because it was not allowed to go forward, but warning bells went off big time. I don't tolerate objects such as eye glasses on the table near me.

@sacrebleu1371

11 ай бұрын

It won't let me edit, but right before the bottle issue, the dealer was prepping up. It was just as break was over. I didn't see her check cards for any deck marking. Did you?

What about allegations that he’s been doing it for years? That sounds like something more established and sinister. Also, angling by trying to look like you’re cheating should not be allowed by the WSOP - it affects game integrity too much.

@Dreamagain11

11 ай бұрын

He's not cheating and he's not angling to make it look like that. He's just fucking weird.

Part of the way to cheat well is to sow some doubt. If you make clear mistakes, then people will think 'oh, he can't be cheating', but that is the whole point. If they can change the deck at my local casino on every hand dealt with one of those machines for shuffling, why can't they just change the deck every 5 or so hands for a big money tournament? It would literally take 30 secs if the pit boss or supervisor had a deck ready to go. You could even have say 20 decks in circulation, so yeah, he may mark cards, but the chances of him getting that particular deck at the right time would be very low.

Its apart of his bluff... others do it just not as annoyingly. Its genuisly taking advantage of the fact that once someone thinks you cheat they kinda want to not play anymore. Thus making bad decisions, or possibly taking no risks assuming the other person already knows what you have. Its a great bluff... Just cause people decide to not play that way doesn't mean everyone has to conform to what you think. It IS by definition a bluff if he is not cheating. I make bluffs and even sometimes I've don the taking a long time to bet each time, its all apart of getting in your opponents head. its apart of the game.

You could argue the "bad" play is a diversion so they can say why would I do this if I knew their cards

The markings wouldn't be necessarily visible to other players of the dealer if they are subtle enough. Same reason why he would have to lean a lot to see them, because they aren't really that visible at first glance.

@brettbaker8357

11 ай бұрын

Thank god someone else in here has a brain. The defense of “the marks would be obvious to other players and the floor” is retarded. I bet David Blaine could mark every single card in the deck and nobody would be able to figure out how besides him

@RavensTheNextDynasty

11 ай бұрын

They are professional poker players, they stare at these cards 12 hours a day, everyday. They would notice

I've noticed on some poker vlogger videos that they will almost bend the cards when lifting the corners to reveal them to their camera. Not a normal lift to get a peak but where it is noticeable when the cards are then lying face down. Maybe it's just how they look at their cards. It definitely seemed weird to me though.

Anybody who wears sunglasses makes me uncomfortable. Ban anybody that wears glasses, even prescription glasses

As usual enjoyed your video Doug. I think the next logical question is, “WSOP, what exactly is your process here? How does that specific process ensure game integrity?” In your video you said “You have to imagine that the WSOP does…. X, Y, Z…” But do they?

@user-cy6fo6rc9v

11 ай бұрын

Casino = Millions of Camera's. He played very well. 2 Million bucks... We need more research... No? I do not think he cheated.

@eikara429

11 ай бұрын

Look up next time you're in a casino at all the cameras. If he was truly cheating in a tournament worth millions of dollars the pros at the table would seek legal action. They have no proof so they drag him on their social media platforms simply because they don't like him, it's just literally cancel culture shenanigans.

Damn, I was watching this game live. That guy seemed to be playing exceptionally well tho I also noticed his suspicious moves like standing, I thought it was just his way of playing...

whoa how'd you make the subscribe button glow lol

2020 - Doug: "Unsubscribe from this channel" ----- 2023 - Doug: "Before we get started, subscribe to this channel"

The awkward standing and hovering over opponents cards is absolutely suspect.

@vadimz593

11 ай бұрын

@@afdkj You're right about the angle, but his aim was to look at the opponents' cards closer, that's why he stood up and inclined.

This was wild to see, when Dan busted and got all heated as he took off his mic. At first it just seemed like mega tilt. But now it’s hard to know

It's hard to say if he's cheating. From the outside it looks like he's just an incredible PITA who successfully puts half of the table playing against him off their game. I would hope and expect that the dealer and/or floor/tournament operators is inspecting the cards and reviewing footage at every opportunity.

@bas8624

10 ай бұрын

Yeah indeed! Check the cards and that should be the end of it.

@Writeous0ne

10 ай бұрын

My instinct is he is autistic, does anyone know if he is autistic or has ADD or anything like that. These kind of mannerisms are text book. High intelligence, fidgety, doesn't get on with others in social situations.

@climbergreg5011

10 ай бұрын

Dan Smith is just a little b1tch... he's not cheating, it's pretty obvious.

@shaihuludthemaker

9 ай бұрын

@@Writeous0ne I've known lots of autistic people and they're usually pretty damn introverted. Needling people in high stakes poker tournaments would be very odd behavior for someone on the spectrum. Plus he isn't just showing a lack of social grace, he is behaving illogically and inconsistently regarding the chips and coloring up. 99% he's just some DB.

@mememachine2013

9 ай бұрын

​@@Writeous0nehe is autistic. Pretty sure he said he was on Twitter.

I always wondered about the hole card cams they use to show the tv viewers the players cards. If someone could hack into that feed....well, then someone could have a huge advantage.

Seems like the players are just trying to get him banned out of general distaste. So dangerous for the game if the high rollers can just out someone if they dont like them. I dont like kabrehls antics but im sure wsop would ban him if they found any signs of marking

@MrOracio121

11 ай бұрын

Bro putting pressure on cards with your nails definitely leaves marks.. I have seen people try this.. he was marking cards!

@slowery43

11 ай бұрын

You're missing the point Princess, "I'm sure they would ban him if they found any signs of cheating", the problem is that thus far they've not investigated or stated that they intend on investigating... that is the problem. The problem is that there is still potential to cheat as long as that exists it is not a safe playing environment, whether he did or did not is less the concern. Cheating should always be the #1 concern

@troycambo

11 ай бұрын

@@slowery43 So obvious that Hoagers=Dan Smith burner account.

@PhanHuyQuan

11 ай бұрын

@@MrOracio121 Agree . I've seen this trick too, no doubt he marked the card

@mattc3581

11 ай бұрын

I mean that's no different from Hellmuth saying he is gonna get a guy blacklisted from invites to events because he annoyed him. It's probably true though, if the big names don't want you there the TV companies etc will probably bow to those demands.

The only thing worse than this guys antics is Dan Smith’s cowboy hat. It’s almost impossible to cheat in a tournament or cash game that’s broadcast. This went on back in the day when people were drinking in the back room not with 100 camera angles looking at your every move.

5:13 you got me for life my man axaxaxaxaxaxaxaxaxa

Honestly-change the decks after every hand and different brands/backs. Casinos don't do nearly enough to stop cheating when it is easily stopable.

Hard to believe someone is cheating that blatantly at this high of a level. You'd think they would be a bit more discreet. He's a real clown though, needs to get smacked.

@pfhrmb

11 ай бұрын

Ah yes... violence The American solution to everything

@patrick-fs2uh

11 ай бұрын

He is richer than you tho

@vegastjg

11 ай бұрын

@@patrick-fs2uh What's your point do you think being rich means you won't cheat?

@Gforcebond

11 ай бұрын

Yup, greed.

@gusphinizy2658

11 ай бұрын

@Johnny Ace you need to go take a deuce. You believe a person needs to be smacked? By who ? You? Change that Lia Thomas avatar before you get SLAPPED.

In all final tables, WSOP should rotate through 10 decks and scrutinize each deck as they are passed back to the tournament staff. Every card should be put under a black light and checked for ink, indentations, and other anomalies. If they aren't perfect, the deck should be discarded and replaced.

@illinialumni

11 ай бұрын

Decks should just rotate around the tables. Have about 3x the number of decks as tables and have people move them around in a relatively systematic fashion.

@alanjones4358

11 ай бұрын

Yes, but make it a hundred decks. It wouldn't cost any more in the long run.

@illinialumni

11 ай бұрын

@@alanjones4358 They could likely sell them for a buck or so per pack and make it worthwhile.

@matthewmille

11 ай бұрын

@@illinialumni Can’t believe they don’t do this already! Decades before the poker boom, my parents purchased used casino playing cards from the casino. Before putting them up for sale, the casino would punch a hole in the cards to make them “unusable” in the casino. I’d enjoy buying a few, especially if I could buy the deck used in the last hand of a tournament I won. That would be free money for the casino. I can’t believe they don’t do it already.

@illinialumni

11 ай бұрын

@@matthewmille lol - that's exactly where my brain was. My dad always had cards with holes or corners removed. Shouldn't be too hard to market "WSOP Cards Used in Play".

Knowing your opponent has Aces in the hole, is absolutely the most plausible time to call a bet preflop. If he hits lightning on the flop, he gets paid off big time. He had a big stack, so putting $400k or whatever it was, in there preflop, knowing he has aces, is very easy to do. If he misses, it’s an easy laydown and move on. If he hits spades or just some random two pair or trips, he gets super paid.

My father was a good card player and he said the best way to win was not to beat the cards beat the player if you can get in his head you stand a better chance of winning and that is what I think he may be doing.

Doug man you earn more and more respect from my side. I never was a fan of yours but I don't know why. I guess I just simply didn't know you good enough. Seems like you are a really great and intelligent guy. 😎👌

@darrenrsmith7119

5 ай бұрын

Someone has a man crush 🥰

@Dani-it5sy

5 ай бұрын

@@darrenrsmith7119 Human crush. Good people that speak from the heart are so fkn rare nowadays. Everyone is so fake. And we all know, the nicer the facade the bigger the mess it is trying to cover up.

Negreanu mentioned in his vlog the other day that he had found a marked card (the J of diamonds), and reported it. They brought another deck, and the very next shuffle he found another marked card. Also the J of diamonds! That was before this news came out. I've been playing for almost 25 years. There's NO need to be standing up like that to count chips. Everybody else has their chips in ordered stacks. Anybody with any experience (and basic math skills, which you should definitely have at that level) should be able to estimate a player's stack size at a glance. Many players only ask for a count in tournaments because it puts a pause on the shot clock. A bigger issue is that these casinos have a vested interest in finding no wrongdoing in their games. I knew immediately that HCL was never going to find that Robbie Lew did anything wrong; even if she had. It makes the casinos look bad; and people don't want to play in games that aren't on the level.

@kurtilein3

11 ай бұрын

Tables with a shuffling machine play two decks alternating. Unsure if you are so deeply in the game that you did not mention it and just assume everyone knows. So if you managed to mark both of the Jack of Diamonds, congratulations, you no longer have to keep track of which one of the two decks plays and which one has the marked card. Looks like someone managed to mark the same card in both decks and then Negreanu came in and ruined it with the double deck change. It does not mean someone immediately marked another one after the deck change. Both decks could have been altered hours ago. Marked cards happen naturally, randomly, as any kind of damage or dirt counts. Same card twice is suspicious, same card twice in the same way at the same location would be bad.

@YoungSucio

11 ай бұрын

They weren’t in the same tournament at the time.

@colintimp1372

11 ай бұрын

@@YoungSucio Those decks get used over and over though. It could've happened earlier in a different tournament or perhaps that very player was playing in that tournament. Odds are, someone was marking cards.

@sangster49

11 ай бұрын

Yes it’s easy to estimate how many chips someone has just by looking at their stack but there are a lot of pros who ask for a count or move in to look closer. You can sometimes pick up tells from the reaction. I’ve used it many times myself. I don’t do it every hand like kabrel. Just thought about another possible agenda on why he does. He wants any player to know that if you play back at him they will get the full stare, chip count and table talk.

@colintimp1372

11 ай бұрын

@@sangster49 Yes, certainly speech play is a thing, and players may ask for an exact count to be on the cautious side. While players aren't supposed to hide chips (especially larger denomination chips), it does happen. If you announce "call" to an all-in, and a player has more chips than you thought, you're still liable to call off. However there's still no good reason for what he's doing.

So usually in cash games they use Kem cards and just a FYI; most houses sort reverse alphabetical meaning usually the A of spades is face up when put away...it won't be long, w/no weight on it, before it bows noticeably when compared to the rest. Most large tournaments change out the decks routinely, or move w/the dealers during their push

Yoooo 6:30 I’m dying dude says “someone getting that close to my cards is punch him in the face” bruh responds and the lady behind him with “massage” written on her tits massages his shoulders lololol classic

Fact... Martin consistently broke rules and was allowed to do so Why have rules then allow them to be broken On top of that he's abrasive and it seems like he gets loud and aggressive so he doesn't get punished for breaking rules He should be penalized and if he continues then to be kicked out

@youbluethatone1017

11 ай бұрын

What rules did he break exactly?

@lethal2453

11 ай бұрын

Oh you must be so perfect....

@iHaveBeenRustled

11 ай бұрын

​@@lethal2453🤓

I'm tired of floors and managers letting TOXIC players ruin the game for everyone else. I do not understand why they let this happen. They let players berate, insult, bully, cheat etc... with no consequences. Aren't they supposed to protect the game?

@hotrodsather

11 ай бұрын

Its all in the game

@userac-xpg

11 ай бұрын

Until someone punches him in the face or maces him for this bullcrap it will continue

@mrcool76789

11 ай бұрын

I'm glad they allow it, its way better to watch

@dudebro3250

11 ай бұрын

@@mrcool76789 right. It's annoying when you play but it's very entertaining to watch as an independent observer.

@snakeboy1991

11 ай бұрын

Feels like rooms used to be so strict. I guess this is better for business???? Idk

I am far from a card professional, but if this person is suspected of marking the cards in some way, just change the deck. The time spent shuffling a new deck is likely to be less than the time lost as the person delays every bet.

The line is when other players tell the folks setting up the tournament that they will not enter the tournament if they allow someone who is being suspected of cheating in particular or even if he is being so annoying that people choose not to play with him. Or have a vote by the other players. "Will he be allowed to play". Ultimately it is the other players who are being impacted and without the other players, there is no game , period.

Imagine being at a table with him and Will Kassouf.

@timgoble9870

11 ай бұрын

I'm pretty sure that's one of the upper gates of hell

I watched one of DNegs vlogs and he made a comment that the J of diamonds was marked in 2 consecutive decks. This was during a very high buy in bracelet event and may have even been this event. Just something to think about

Amazes me that at a high stakes table, the casinos cant afford a new deck every hand. Ends this "marked cards" debacle.

It does seem odd that he keeps his cards covered and stacked while his opponents leave their cards separated and in full view. Almost as if he is fearful of someone reversing the whip and doing the same to him.

There were many hands early on where he kept avoiding putting his cards over the rfid scanner, so we couldn’t see what cards he had, he did it so much the commentators mentioned it must be intentional. Maybe he just didn’t want people to go back and watch his hands, seemed a bit sus though. Dealer had to tell him to put them in place.

You should call K3 suited if you knew he had AA. You need to balance your cheating range PLUS you occasionally crack his aces and stack him or there’s a good flop to bluff.

@Joely7

11 ай бұрын

EXACTLY, KNOWING YOUR OPPONENTS EXACT HAND IS PROBABLY THE MOST POWERFUL PIECE OF INFORMATION NEEDE TO PLAY PERFECTLY. SEEING AS HE OFTEN WOULD NOT KNOW THE EXACT HAND, BUT DOES THIS TIME, IT MAKES SENSE TO PLAY THE HAND, EVEN KNOWING YOUR CARDS ARE A HUGE DOG, BECASUE YOU HAVE THE MIKE POSTLE GOD MODE FOR THAT HAND, SO WHY FOLD PRE?

@Aoughi

11 ай бұрын

But with this chip counts it's a bit unreasonable

If a tournament is allowing gameplay like this to continue, then odds are something is going on behind the scenes in that tournament 🤨

In tourneys at this level, the table starts with new decks. If a different player saw a mark on the cards, and brought it to the dealer/floors attention, there would be no question it was marked at this table. The cameras would likely show who. Players at this level should know this.

I really really want to know Phil Ivey’s opinion after playing with him

@Pepe_LeMac

11 ай бұрын

You mean the same Phil Ivey that "cheated" at a tournament by capitalising on "marked" cards ?

@justinscherb749

11 ай бұрын

Choose your words wisely. The marked cards were in the game of baccarat against the casino.

@Pepe_LeMac

11 ай бұрын

@@justinscherb749 tomatos tomatoes , whether you kiss a lady in a club or rub her in an alleyway, it's still cheating to your wife :P

Dan smith acts like Justin Bonomos Bottom

@StylinProfilin3889

11 ай бұрын

He’s a beta manlet

For me “it makes me uncomfortable” is not viable because if it were 1/2 the field would be gone for BO and not covering their mouths when they cough.

I can’t imagine having to perfect a method that give you an advantage. Like knowing the manufacture of the card, the scratch or bending capabilities of the card and so on. 😊

With Phil Ivey’s experience finding slight imperfections, if there were marked cards, you would expect Ivey to pick up on it.

@dudebro3250

11 ай бұрын

Crockford's Casino has entered the chat....

@pbp6741

11 ай бұрын

Ivey was not the brains behind the edge-sorting scheme. He was the “big player” the casino would welcome and allow the edge-sorting team to ply their craft.

Great great video Doug! My respect and applause for your observations here. This was a situation I felt like people we're getting really carried away with. I was already smh thinking we were gonna have another Robbie situation but what you did is put yourself in a cheater's shoes and say does this make sense for a cheater to do? Just like with the Robbie case the answer was no. I want nothing more than to protect the poker community from cheating, I have no sympathy for cheaters but the only thing worse than someone cheating is for someone to be wrongly pegged as a cheater and suffer consequences they don't deserve. I was one pleading due diligence in the Robbie case because people were talking about her cheating as if it were fact. You did a perfect job in this video breaking it all down logically and asking does this make sense if he actually is cheating? You arrived at the same answer I did. It's okay to hate the guy and even wanna change rules so he can't do some of his weird shit but let's make sure we're ultimately aiming for truth and justice. Because you did a good job the comments are filled with people saying "I don't think he cheated, I think he's just weird." And other stuff like that. You influence what millions of people think and say, that's why I encouraged due diligence. Others are terrible at it and wouldn't take the responsibility seriously even after gaining all kinds of subscribers. I'm truly proud of you and this video Doug. Much respect!

@damonthomas2975

11 ай бұрын

I just want to add so no one misunderstands me, I'm not saying that this guy and Robbie are definitely innocent. No one knows for sure except those two. But my ultimate point is, if they were cheating how it was alleged then each of the situations seem to make little sense or else they're just the stupidest cheaters ever. Robbie's play reaked of amateur player making a soul read and this guy smelled like he just wanted to put everyone on tilt to throw them off their game, even if it meant making it look like he cheated. As far as if that should be against the rules or not, idk, I'll let everyone else debate that.

@user-cy6fo6rc9v

11 ай бұрын

He played weird, I think he acted it all out... Crazy, but Well played. 2 Million... Lol, every1 was tilting... Even Smith. Lets see what happens...

@lafavini

11 ай бұрын

If you are trying to throw me off my game I will do the exact same thing to you, just give me sometimes to watch you and find a weakness. I don’t know why players feel like they have to be overly polite with jerks like that

It scares me at times to play cash at the Dallas area pokerhouses because of this. Way too many marked cards.

in high stakes like this i'm surprised they don't swap to a fresh deck of cards every hand