Riding the wave of attention – whether it is a star turn or the latest villain to be crowned at the World Series of Poker is up to individual tastes – that he has received, poker professional William Kassouf was the subject of an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session on the popular site Reddit. During his Q&A with the general public, Kassouf opened up a bit about his actions at the WSOP and other areas that he was queried on.
Of course, many of those in the AMA audience wanted to know more about his actions at the WSOP Championship Event this summer. On his way to a 17th place finish, Kassouf managed to either entertain or offend pretty much everyone in the Rio with his (let’s say) deliberate pace of action and what he called his “speech play.” That “play” in particular – in which he would verbally bombard his opponent with a myriad of questions, bluffs, suppositions and other borderline actions – was what most of the online viewers wanted to know more about.
When asked about his speech play and whether if everyone started to employ such a style would ruin the game, Kassouf responded, “It’s not for everyone. I think everyone should have their own style and way of playing if they are comfortable with it and opening up and potentially giving away tells and possibly giving away the strength of their hand in order to get information from their opponents as to the strength of their holding, then so be it.” Kassouf would continue with a tsunami of nonsense following this lengthy statement and never answered the question.
When asked how tough the players were at the WSOP, Kassouf had an answer that is sure to cause some turmoil. “It’s a mixed bag, really,” Kassouf said. “I think the standard of play in the EPT (the soon-to-be-disappearing European Poker Tour)…you could say (is) a bit tougher than the WSOP.” Kassouf went on to soften this statement a bit in saying “It’s a luck of the draw who you get at the table, you’re unlikely to get Negreanu, Ivey, Hellmuth, Matusow all on one specific day.”
Kassouf didn’t spare the criticism of WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel, either. When asked about “obstacles in poker other than Jack Effel,” Kassouf ripped in by saying, “Effel…knew I was a lawyer so I’m going to argue my case.” Kassouf continued by saying that Effel “effectively gave quite bad rulings that were completely wrong, unjustified, and weren’t relevant to the actual situation at the time.”
The cast of characters that Kassouf was seated with when he was eliminated also drew his scorn. “Most of my opponents on Day 7…just lost it and got frustrated and called the floor on every hand and tried to moan and bitch about me to the TD,” Kassouf griped. “I’m taking my time in every hand and giving them a speech in every hand, so what? You’re allowed to talk to your opponent heads up.”
Kassouf didn’t stop there, however. “What I think was ridiculous was how they acted, like a bunch of cowards really, with (Cliff) Josephy being the ringleader of the pack, being the shepherd of the flock if you like, and the rest of them being all the sheep that jumped on the bandwagon, to try to call me out, try to get me a penalty, try to chop me down because they couldn’t take what I was doing with my speech play in every hand. They couldn’t take it, couldn’t handle it.”
Regarding the table, Kassouf also called out Griffin Benger – who memorably took Kassouf out when he coolered Kassouf’s pocket Kings with pocket Aces – for his behavior. “Benger should have his man card revoked for acting like such a little bitch, in my opinion. And thanks for the Grade 11 psychology ‘I have a great life, I don’t care what happens in the hand’ rant, I was so enlightened…fucking pussy.”
Whether Kassouf continues to have a successful career in the tournament poker world or heads back to the barrister’s office remains to be seen. He has some middling results since his deep run in Las Vegas this summer, but hasn’t cashed in anything higher than a £500 tournament. It is obvious from his Reddit AMA, however, that he regrets none of what went on this summer.
