The 2026 World Series of Poker Europe got underway this week, and with it came a controversy on social media. Spearheaded by poker pros David Lappin and Steve O’Dwyer, the conversation revolved around the possibility that dealers were not getting paid as much as promised.
On March 31, Lappin posted a poll, asking, “If 4% is taken out of the prizepool for an advertised ‘staff fee,’ who should receive this?” As one might expect, “staff” was the overwhelming winner over “the operator.”
O’Dwyer also posted his own, much more blunt, tweet, “Disgraceful behavior by the grifters running the WSOP. Hearing staff will be getting ‘50-60% less’ than agreed upon prior to their arrival in Prague. Would be great if players showed some solidarity with their colleagues working the event until they get what they were promised.”
He added that he hoped players would vote with their dollars against such policies and just boycott the WSOP, but also said, “I suppose the stupid shiny wrist trinkets are all that matters in our game.”
In response to the discussion, particularly to what Lappin and O’Dwyer posted, poker player and North American Director of Operations for the WSOP Circuit, Terrance Reid, chimed in to explain how the buy-ins and fees worked.
“As a representative of @WSOP and player myself, I take funds transparency and taking care of players seriously,” he began.
Using the WSOP Europe €1,100 Mystery Bounty event as an example, Reid said that €500 of the buy-in goes to the prize pool, €500 is for the bounty prize pool, and €100 goes to the venue.
The 4% staff fee that is the center of the controversy, he explained, comes straight out of the prize pool. In this case, that’s €40.
“Dealers have not been paid less than was agreed to,” Reid continued. “They were offered a generous, fixed, hourly rate per their original contract. They have been paid, and will continue to be paid, exactly that amount. We believe the dealer take-home pay compares favorably to other festivals.”
Lappin said that he appreciated Reid’s transparency and expressed a desire to talk more about it, but argued that if a “staff fee” is listed as a separate item from the buy-in and the rake, then it should go to the tournament staff on top of their regular pay. To him, saying the staff fee comes out of the prize pool makes the way it is listed misleading.