I do NOT even know how to begin this entry. I always thought it would be fun to have/write a blog. I have gotten some tremendous emails from people. I have gotten some great response from people that I run into. I never, in a million years...thought something could happen like what JUST happened 22 minutes ago.
I spent yesterday shopping for new shirts to wear for this event. I spent weeks talking it up to friends, players and made several entries in here supporting the Beau Rivage and how they run things. I was SO incredibly fired up for this event. I couldn't WAIT to get going....
I drive to the casino. Park in valet. Its only 5:30. I am EARLY for the 6pm tourney! Wow, I MUST be excited! Then I am going up the escalator...saying hello to five or six guys I know from playing....get to the top of the escalator, and WOW! There is a HUGE line waiting to get into the 6pm tourney. AWESOME!
I see Gabe and Claudia and go stand in line with them...catching up on everything. I love these big events...its like one big class reunion, where the people you haven't seen in awhile ALL converge on this one place...granted for the same purpose, but for those who you are a combination of friend, foe or combatant with, it is always great to see them again. You are about to wage a fun little war of 'Who Can Make The Final Table!'
Then it happens. Johnny Groomes finds me in line and asks to talk to me in that "you are in trouble" tone of voice. I feel that feeling you used to feel when at work when your supervisor asks you to come to his office. I cant describe it, but I think you all know how it feels. Its awful. The next five minutes....OH WOW.
JG: "Have you bought tourney chips into the this event yet?"
ME: "No, why, what's up? Did I do something wrong?"
I am totally CLUELESS what is going on!
JG: "Will, I hate to do this but you are being 86'd from the property."
ME: "WHAT!??? FOR WHAT? Is this a joke!???"
I really, honestly, thought maybe IT WAS a joke, that someone was having a little fun with me. I mean, I would be the perfect candidate for them to pull something like that on. I have a great relationship (I think) with everyone in the poker room.
JG: "Will some people in upper management read your blog, man. About the episode that took place in the cash game...where you were talking about giving a knee to your buddy. They see that as a direct example of cheating and have called me and asked me 'what are you going to do about this, Johnny' and what am I supposed to do Will? I don't have any choice. They have rules in the poker room, and when a few people read your blog, and brought it to their attention they have to do something. I am really sorry Will, but there is nothing I can do about it. You have been 86'd from the property. I have to escort you out and let you know you cant return. I'm sorry"
I stood there in shock. It was not a joke. It was the blindfold, the cigarette and the firing squad. It was the rock falling off the cliff and landing on the coyote. It was the boss taking you in the office and telling you that you are fired. That sick feeling you get in your stomach...times 20. I moved HERE for two reasons. To marry Cheryl, and be closer to the Beau Rivage. I do not know what to do or to think right now. I am on the outside looking in, like Dan Akroyd's character in TRADING PLACES when he is standing outside that restaurant in the pouring rain, watching his fiance having dinner with his two bosses and Eddie Murphy's character who has replaced him. I don't know what to do. Cheryl is going to FREAK OUT when I tell her what happened.
I asked Johnny if there was someone I could talk to about this, to appeal this to. I mean, I live in a town where my fiance works at the Beau, I play almost every day at the Beau..it IS my office. We gamble there, we dine there, we party there...and I cant be there? Why live here then? Can't think of a good reason. This could cost me Cheryl. I don't think she will move from here. Johnny told me I could appeal it to either Warren Mason (Head of Table Games) or George Corchis (Casino Manager) but that I should wait til this event is over. WHY!????
What is going to change in the period of two weeks? They are either going to see this as a situation that is getting blown WAY out of proportion and give me the benefit of the doubt, or they aren't. I met George a couple years ago. I think he had just come to the Beau, it was after the hurricane. We were all out with Cheryl and her friends and he sat at our booth with us. He was a very nice man. I don't know if he remembers me. I will be calling his office tomorrow and hope to GOD something can be done to reverse this decision.
Just to recap why this happened. Last week, after final tabling the daily tourney, and having won a little money in Caribbean Stud, and then spending some time at the Coast club with Cheryl's friends, I responded to a text message from my, ahem...friend, Lake...to go down to the poker room and check out his cash table. Cheryl was on the way home with food. I had every intention of meeting her at home shortly. Lake kept prodding me to get in and play a couple of hands. I really didn't want to. It was a very aggressive table. And you all know I pretty much loathe cash game anyway. But I was in a good mood, had a handful of drinks in me...and I don't know why...but I caved in and came in for a couple hundred bucks.
I won a couple hands. Had chipped up a bit. Called one of Lakes ridiculous raises with a bunch of callers. He ALWAYS overplays in cash game. Its one reason I HATE and almost ALWAYS avoid sitting at a table when he is there. He drives me nuts. I don't even know why I let him talk me into it this time. Well, with $200 in the pot I flop bottom two and trying to save him the humiliation of losing all his chips to me I move all in on the flop and give him a bump on his knee. THIS is what has caused BEAU RIVAGE management to label me a CHEATER! A CHEATER!!!!! You all know I am NOT a cheater! I have talked about all the shit online, the cheating, the corruption...and ranted about it. Maybe my vision of cheating is skewed. If I polled 100 of the poker player acquaintances I have and asked them, "If you were sitting next to a friend (or what you THOUGHT was a friend) and flopped the nuts would you let them know somehow, so as to avoid letting them lose all their chips?" I think you would get a VERY HIGH number of them that would say yes. I don't consider that CHEATING! I consider that sparing your friend any more money than they have ALREADY lost on the hand (which is now in the middle of the pot!) It goes on and it goes on a LOT! Cheating? How is that cheating!??? Its giving someone a break because you are someone who CARES about people you are friends with.
So he grumbles about folding a K... Flop was K-6-5...I had 56 suited, and I was sure he DID have a KING. Whatever. I'm doing you a favor. Everyone else at the table had every right, and chance to call my bet. They folded. I showed my hand. There was no collusion! There was no cheating! That's considered CHEATING!???
Well a few hands later, I watch 4 players 'limp in' to the hand for $2. I look down at QQ in the small blind. Lake is on my left in the BB. I announce to the table that I AM RAISING WITH A TOP 5 hand. Lake KNOWS that I don't lie. I raise it $20. HE CALLS! With K5 offsuit. Why? Why is he calling there??? One other guy calls. The flop comes J-5-5. I am first to act after the flop...and recklessly I announce ALL IN...and LAKE...my GOOD BUDDY, who I am in trouble for CHEATING WITH NOW....CALLS! YEAH...he calls my $550 ALL IN. And I lose all my chips. And leave. Needless to say, I am pissed beyond belief!
So now I get branded a cheat! I get 86'd from my home casino. A casino I have done nothing but promote. I don't know if this is something that can be overturned. I would hope so. I am not a cheater. If I am guilty of something...I am guilty of trying to take it easy on people whenever I have a chance. I get mad at LAKE for NOT giving me the same consideration. So Lake is an upstanding, rule abiding poker player. And a shitty friend. But at least he gets to keep going in there and playing poker. And where am I?
On the outside looking in.
Do I feel ashamed? I don't know. I would say I am more embarrassed than anything. Humiliated. I have a reputation. I have a legion of poker friends. I had a great tournament here in March. And now I am sitting here...laying on my bed, at home, alone. The excitement that I felt for the last month leading up this event have been replaced by feelings of shock, disbelief and anger.
...anybody out there have any bright ideas????
Sure glad I decided to write this thing...never thought it would get me FIRED from Poker!!!!! What a terrible day!
MONKEY
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7 comments:
In no way was your action designed to cheat people out of money. In fact, it was just the opposite it cost you money. I'm shellshocked about this decision.
Had your "knee" been designed to get your friend to raise or do something on your behalf you would be colluding. Instead, you only cost yourself money. I've seen people in every card room I've ever played in get into a hand with their friend and tell the guy they have the nuts and check it down. That's AFTER the two of them bet and raise everybody else out of the hand. That is far more scary to me as a player than what you did.
Is what you did any worse than showing your cards out of turn. The recourses for that are to show everybody your hand or assess a 10 minute (or 10 hand) penalty. A lifetime ban is completely heavy handed.
Had a knee been designed to cheat somebody out of money, a lifetime ban is more than appropriate. I hate cheaters. I despise them and hope every last one of them is rooted out. You were not trying to cheat somebody out of money (except yourself). I think the penalty should be much lesser.
I just would like to state that I appreciate, tremendously, the immediate response from all of you guys at GulfCoastPoker.net. It means a lot to me. Like finding a piece of driftwood out in the middle of the ocean to cling to. Thanks. This mess sucks! But its another challenge that has been put before me to try and conquer. It isnt the first one in my life. Im excited to wake up tomorrow!
That is total BS!
They better look for real cheaters.
Monkey has a reputation as a honest player and management knows that better then anybody else.
I think the best thing to do is to make petition to the responsible person with request to overturn the rulling and collect signatures from everybody you know.
I'll be there Fryday and I'll be first to sign!
Wow man, thats sick. I hope you get everything sorted out before the event ends.
Disappointing. One thought I had if/when you get a meeting with the bigwigs about reinstatement is to offer to remove that part of the blog.
Sucky situation. Doesn't deserve a lifetime ban though. Hopefully you get back in before the events are done.
I do think there are problems with what you did though. One being that the other person obviously can have a completely different outlook on the situation(which was the case this time). Two being that it can affect other players at the table. For example- in your situation i think you had bottom two on a K 5 6 board...u give your buddy a knee and move all in and he folds top pair...that's all well and good but what about the times another player in the pot is sitting there with a bigger two pair, or a set...you just cost that player a shot at your buddy's money that he would have had if you played the hand the way you normally would.
hopefully you get the gist of what i was trying to say there
We support the Monkey. He is good for poker. His reputation for being honest proceeds him.
You should loose some rights for your poor decision- that is poker in the 21st Century. This was a fairly innocent, defiantly victimless act and although your notoriety should not change the Beau's decisions, your reputation for honesty should.
We love you Monkey. This will only be temporary. We will see you soon up to your same monkey mischief (just not under the table).
Anne McDonald and David Sasseman
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