Harrison Gimbel was crowned the champion of the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event in the Bahamas more than a week ago, but the event is still stirring up chatter due to an incident involving two of the game’s high-stakes online players that occurred during a $5,000 side tournament. According to sources that were close by, Jeff “ActionJeff” Garza spat on Bryn Kenney while Kenney was still playing in the tournament at the luxurious Atlantis resort.
News of the skirmish first broke in a thread on popular online forum PocketFives.com. Jordan “scarface_79” Smith began the topic, posting, “How is there not a thread on this?” Several others then stepped in and described what they saw and heard relating to the conflict.
“I was sitting at the next table over I think,” said Jon “xxjondxx” Delong, who placed 22nd in a $1,500 event at the PCA. “Wasn’t too exciting, just heard the dealer yell security and saying that someone spit in someone’s face and saw someone who I guess was [Action Jeff] walking out of the room.”
Shawn “jordankickz” Busse was also in the Bahamas while the conflict took place. “I didn’t really see what provoked this nor did anybody else that I talked to,” Busse said, “but Jeff just walked up to him and spit in his face then they started shoving each other before Jeff just quickly walked away once security was called.”
The incident was merely speculation until Garza posted his side of the story on PocketFives.com and TwoPlusTwo.com.
“Bryn and I have personal issues unrelated to him multi-accounting dealing with large amounts of money,” Garza said. “I was just ready to drop it and take the hit for making the mistake of dealing with a scumbag. My hate was reignited real strong when I kept hearing about him talking behind my back.”
“I walked away after busting the $5K and Bryn was in my path,” he continued. “He made eye contact with me as I was walking away, I gave him a [expletive] you and he smirks at me. I walked up to him and said something along the lines of ‘don’t look at me you thieving piece of [expletive]’ and nudge him with my shoulder. At this point security gets called. He said something along the lines of, ‘if I wasn’t playing poker, give me one good reason…’
“So I gave him that good reason. And let’s be clear here: No, it didn’t miss, and yeah, it was right in his face, and it was a lot because I’d been putting down some water at the table.”
Kenney was under fire following the 2009 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event after suspicions arose about Kenney multi-accounting under the name “Udon Wannit,” who took second place in the tournament for $1,286,400.00. Kenney later confirmed that the account belonged to his brother, who was normally a low-stakes tournament player, which sparked debate among high-stakes regulars.
Garza’s issues with Kenney date to a backing arrangement that they had in which Kenney ended the deal and owed Garza money. The two exchanged words in the thread on TwoPlusTwo, with Kenney backing up both the spitting incident and the money he owed to Garza.
“The only thing I did wrong was when he was in like $60K makeup I was losing a lot during the series and the $12K or whatever I owed him I couldn’t give him right then since I was getting killed. Nothing else I have ever done to him was even close to in the wrong,” Kenney wrote.
Garza concluded his take on the subject with the following post on PocketFives: “Bryn’s my enemy and I have no respect for [him] and wanted to show it. I shoulda just knocked his ass out, but he refuses to fight and attacking someone when they turn their back is a bitch move.”
Jeff’s saliva should have been tested for rabies!
TEAM BK