Will Kassouf... (1 Viewer)

[Chris Manzoni]

He’s clearly manic and a weirdo. Should’ve been DQd permanently ages ago.

 

[augster123]

if you had to sit in a tournament all day with either will kassouf or martin kabhrel, who do you choose?

 

[AlbinoDragon]

if you had to sit in a tournament all day with either will kassouf or martin kabhrel, who do you choose?

Ice picks to the ears and an I.V.. drip of Everclear.


[EDIT to add] I actually thought about this briefly last night. I would honestly consider stepping away from the table for everything but my button and blinds, knowing I would be losing chances at hands that might help my standing in the tournament, simply to avoid being around either of them for any longer than absolutely necessary.

[SECOND EDIT] Anyone else catch at the start of the feature table after dinner break, one of the players handed out ear-plugs to everyone else at the table Kassouf was at?

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Calling the clock on him was abusive at the least, since people do far worse things when tanking for the bubble or a payjump, and there everyone is just sitting silent and playing along.

Disagree, that's what the clock is there for. Not abusive in the slightest, floor can rule on whether or not a reasonable amount of time has elapsed.

I would strongly prefer people tanking in silence at ICM-important spots versus listening to him for hours.

 

[Lil Tuna]

Does PCF have its own Will Kassouf?

 

[BarrieJ3]

Not anymore.

View attachment 1534101

I would like to argue against this btw.

That being said, before I argue against Barrie is our Will Kassouf, I need to change my profile image to something other than me at a WSOP event getting spoken to by the TD and receiving a 1 round penalty.

FWIW though, I was both encouraged by my table and we were having a fantastic time.

 

[AlbinoDragon]

Calling the clock on him was abusive at the least, since people do far worse things when tanking for the bubble or a payjump, and there everyone is just sitting silent and playing along.

Rules should be the same for everyone. So if an action clock solves it - so be it.

If you watched, action would be on him and he's chatting away, looking who knows where (tournament clock, maybe), fingering his chips, all the while time is ticking along. I started counting as soon as action was on him and it would often be a minute or more before anything resembling action was being taken. The clock would get called, and he'd get all defensive while that clock was ticking rather than making any effort to make a decision.

"Oh, woe is me. Nobody likes me and now I'm being picked on."

He's a child.

 

[davislane]

the wsop & pokergo kind of platformed him by placing him on the feature table on several occasions during the main. He was good for business until he wasnt.

FWIW. As a spectator I couldn't watch a table with him on it. Caused me to drop of the streams everytime I watched it and he was on the table.

 

[BarrieJ3]

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I love it (honestly!). An image of a guy having fun at the poker table, where everyone is having fun.

Will wishes he could be me.

Im totes cool with being a meatball and the claims of self importance/righteousness/full of myself for the next comment.

Bottom line - I have a f*cking blast playing poker, and any table I play at does too. I don’t know how people can’t have fun playing poker!

#makepokerfunagain #freeWillTheBarrieKassouf!

(But for reals, I’d love to play with him ONE time while he’s in these moods. I can’t watch him on a stream, I can’t really watch more than a 30 second short of him. It’s a car crash I don’t want to watch, the guy IS abusive.

That being said, I 100% do think it would be fun to attempt to match him word for word, phrase for phrase. I’m not getting bullied by some yahoo at a poker table of all places.)

 

[ekricket]

"Oh, woe is me. Nobody likes me and now I'm being picked on."

lol Mods here are laughing their asses off right now, they get literally dozens of reports here that say these exact words.

 

[AlbinoDragon]

lol Mods here are laughing their asses off right now, they get literally dozens of reports here that say these exact words.

 

[Lil Tuna]

I love it (honestly!). An image of a guy having fun at the poker table, where everyone is having fun.

Will wishes he could be me.

Im totes cool with being a meatball and the claims of self importance/righteousness/full of myself for the next comment.

Bottom line - I have a f*cking blast playing poker, and any table I play at does too. I don’t know how people can’t have fun playing poker!

#makepokerfunagain #freeWillTheBarrieKassouf!

View attachment 1534313

(But for reals, I’d love to play with him ONE time while he’s in these moods. I can’t watch him on a stream, I can’t really watch more than a 30 second short of him. It’s a car crash I don’t want to watch, the guy IS abusive.

That being said, I 100% do think it would be fun to attempt to match him word for word, phrase for phrase. I’m not getting bullied by some yahoo at a poker table of all places.)

 

[Taghkanic]

An image of a guy having fun at the poker table,

As far as Kassouf goes, I doubt he is having fun.

People who behave like that are in torment (in my experience of some severe mental illnesses among several people I’ve known in the course of my long life).

The compulsive talking sounds to me like a coping mechanism for that torment.

Kind of like a cutter — to a “normal” person, deliberately slicing into yourself only represents pain and horror. To the cutter it is a temporary distraction or release from an endless anguish. It is a moment when they feel, briefly, in control of things.

Kassouf’s chatter goes far beyond a tactic or strategy. I see it as him externalizing a nonstop obsessive monologue in his head, which is intolerable when kept to himself.


————

(I’m not a psychiatrist but sometimes I play one on the Internet.)

 

[BarrieJ3]

As far as Kassouf goes, I doubt he is having fun.

People who behave like that are in torment (in my experience of serious severe mental illnesses among several people I’ve known in the course of my long life).

The compulsive talking sounds to me like a coping mechanism for that torment.

Kind of like a cutter — to a “normal” person, deliberately slicing into yourself only represents pain and horror. To the cutter it is a temporary distraction or release from an endless mental torment.

Kassouf’s chatter goes far beyond a tactic or strategy. I see it as likely his way of externalizing a nonstop obsessive monologue in his head, which is intolerable when kept to himself.


————

(I’m not a psychiatrist but sometimes I play one on the Internet.)

Yeah I was just joking at the comparison.

Hell, I've watched people actively avoid PCFers at a table and then have that person complain about people going to the "fun table".

I don't know about all the various aspects of drugs and this and that about him. I don't think he should've been allowed to engage as long as he did, he shoulda been kicked long ago. He also just placed 33rd or something out of like 10,000 players. I don't know poker enough to know if he's a long term winner, and he definitely shouldn't be allowed to act like that, but it sure does seem to work for him. Gross.

 

[Taghkanic]

I don't know poker enough to know if he's a long term winner, and he definitely shouldn't be allowed to act like that, but it sure does seem to work for him.

I knew a player who explicitly admittted to me that he antagonizes people at the table because it makes it more likely that they call his giant bets when he has it. He needles and belittles players to make them overeager to “get” him.

He does not get invited to other people’s games anymore. He has tried periodically to host games himself, but they don’t last — for the same reason he doesn’t get invites. Most people don’t want to play with someone who always goes out of his way to be a jerk.

 

[BarrieJ3]

I knew a player who explicitly admittted to me that he antagonizes people at the table because it makes it more likely that they call his giant bets when he has it. He needles and belittles players to make them overeager to “get” him.

He does not get invited to other people’s games anymore. He has tried periodically to host games himself, but they don’t last — for the same reason he doesn’t get invites. Most people don’t want to play with someone who always goes out of his way to be a jerk.

So damn gross. I don't think I've ever really seen that, but I'm annoyed enough when people lose big pots and then pout for however long let alone that.

I do know that I'm typically (and literally) the loudest in a room, but I wouldn't stay that way if it wasn't well received. @kmccormick100 has been with me on many trips to Vegas. When we walk into a poker room on the strip, I generally announce very loudly when first sitting at a table "looks like you guys are having a blast" - because they look dismayed. Within an hour the table of regs has drinks and they're screaming across the entire room for Kyle to come join us and chat.

If I got feedback that it was too much, or table dynamics turned bad, I would 100% turn it down/off.

It's weird when people get that type of direct feedback and lack of invites, and don't either go a different direction or at least edit behavior.

 

[davislane]

If I got feedback that it was too much, or table dynamics turned bad, I would 100% turn it down/off.

does that same methodology apply when posting in threads also?

 

[upNdown]

and always been a losing player at £1/£2.

I appreciate the personal experiences and I'd love to hear more. But what I'm having trouble with is that this is a guy who's now got a 33 and a 17 in the WSOP main event. I suppose anybody could luck into one deep run. But two deep runs like that suggests to me that he's probably good at poker.

 

[davislane]

I appreciate the personal experiences and I'd love to hear more. But what I'm having trouble with is that this is a guy who's now got a 33 and a 17 in the WSOP main event. I suppose anybody could luck into one deep run. But two deep runs like that suggests to me that he's probably good at poker.

cash games and tournament play are different beasts. he appears to be a competent tournament player, but from gleaning insights from his own words, it also appears hes getting most of his "edge" from his incessant chatter which you can get away with more in large fields of players who arent accustomed to you versus sitting down with regs at a cash game.

 

[Frogzilla]

if you had to sit in a tournament all day with either will kassouf or martin kabhrel, who do you choose?

Stalling is very +EV. Best case scenario is someone else stalling at your table. All the rewards with none of the risk. Fantastic. And opponents get tilted by the antics. Also good for me. Would love to have either of these at my table. And the table talk seems like could be giving some stuff away, but maybe that’s the ego talking that I think I could be on the better side of it.

 

[links_slayer]

But two deep runs like that suggests to me that he's probably good at tournament poker.

fify - you can be good a tournaments and bad at cash, yes?

 

[upNdown]

Upon reflection. I’ve probably seen most of what’s been streamed over the years and he’s always struck me as a huge prick as long as he has chips, but a somewhat professional loser (as opposed to a sore loser.).
But the way he exited the Main this year was unbelievably pathetic. So maybe he decided to milk his bad boy image for all it’s worth. But my guess is that he just lost his shit, for whatever reason - insanity, drugs, who knows.

 

[BarrieJ3]

does that same methodology apply when posting in threads also?

Sure!

If I got more negative feedback than positive, I absolutely would simma down now.

The posting is boredom in downtime and because I’m already here for projects and PMs. There’s bout a year left. Finish projects, move what little pms still go on to WhatsApp, and boom - don’t have to login as much, which is what leads to posting. Famous last words, yeah right, but we’ll see.

I’ve enjoyed my journey here, PCF is a fun place. At the same time, I couldn’t be more excited to finish the journey, meanwhile completing our cross country move, get a home game going, and move on to next/new hobbies.

Have been chatting about those with friends, folks here, the wife, etc. Returning to touching grass and real life will be a breath of fresh air.

 

[BarrieJ3]

So obviously no one wants to be a table with kassouf.

But I saw a video in passing the other day of negraneus (sp) last hand in a tournament. The guy pulls out his phone, narrates, and plays his hand. I don’t watch poker content generally, so I had never thought of this that much.

I’m not sure anything would annoy me more. I don’t want to be at any table with people videoing, vlogging, narrating, etc., and I can’t believe it’s allowed.

I’ve gotten to sit with a ton of extremely well known pros, and I never have any remote clue as to who they are. It’s so much fun to sit at a table and get to know the folks while playing.

Not to sit there watching someone make content in a shared setting.

I get it’s 2025 and I’m an old man yelling at clouds, but it’s a big ick. For me similar to people taking calls on speaker phone in public places.

 

[Jacks]

So obviously no one wants to be a table with kassouf.

But I saw a video in passing the other day of negraneus (sp) last hand in a tournament. The guy pulls out his phone, narrates, and plays his hand. I don’t watch poker content generally, so I had never thought of this that much.

I’m not sure anything would annoy me more. I don’t want to be at any table with people videoing, vlogging, narrating, etc., and I can’t believe it’s allowed.

I’ve gotten to sit with a ton of extremely well known pros, and I never have any remote clue as to who they are. It’s so much fun to sit at a table and get to know the folks while playing.

Not to sit there watching someone make content in a shared setting.

I get it’s 2025 and I’m an old man yelling at clouds, but it’s a big ick. For me similar to people taking calls on speaker phone in public places.

I love watching dnegs vlog but I feel like he’s super annoying/needling to others at the table sometimes by nature of him making his content.

I wonder if we are biased though looking only at the few hands he does this, he’s sitting there for 10 hours a day and only has a few clips at the table so maybe it’s not too bad on the whole…

 

[BarrieJ3]

I love watching dnegs vlog but I feel like he’s super annoying/needling to others at the table sometimes by nature of him making his content.

I wonder if we are biased though looking only at the few hands he does this, he’s sitting there for 10 hours a day and only has a few clips at the table so maybe it’s not too bad on the whole…

Absolute fantastic point. I didn’t remotely think of that.

If someone needs a hand or two (or whatever negligible #) for content, and is amicable and engaging in exchange for having the rest of the table acquiesce, I agree I’m good there.

Idk why I thought it would be somewhat constant. Obviously I’m not usually around in tourneys long enough to experience it first hand much

 

[JP1984]

I appreciate the personal experiences and I'd love to hear more. But what I'm having trouble with is that this is a guy who's now got a 33 and a 17 in the WSOP main event. I suppose anybody could luck into one deep run. But two deep runs like that suggests to me that he's probably good at poker.

The guys have covered it really, cash and tourneys are very different.

There's no doubting his tourney results in the last few years, and I'm very aware that I sound bitter. He's had great results in the Irish Open way back in the day as well and an EPT "win" too (he took second place money in exchange for being allowed to call himself the winner). There's no doubt he knows what he's doing, but he never translated these results to profit in cash games.

Most of us regs would shut him down pretty quickly or finish his sentences for him..."we don't know how many miles it is from here to Hollywood and we won't look it up Will"...or we'd just put our headphones on. One of his biggest skills is delaying the game and tanking to help him ladder when deep in comps too, doesn't help him when he's 300+ BB deep and facing a 4b on the river.

 

[Old State]

How this cope isn’t banned for life at this point is insane. He is the worst of the worst. He isn’t in torment or anything like that…he is likely a a legit sociopath that gets joy out of this.

 

[JP1984]

It'll catch up with him, maybe it has now...thing is WSOP want eyes on their socials and coverage, Will knows this as much as they do. There is a point where it becomes too much though.

He is banned from the largest casino owner in the UK, who used to sponsor him as well. Although that was for stealing not his chat...they too tolerated that for way too long.

He does have some friends who honestly believe he gets an edge from it, Will believes that as well.

I loved the 10 second shot clock idea, on him alone, brutal ruling but I'm here for it...

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Need to watch it on mute, obvs...

 

[Taghkanic]

fify - you can be good a tournaments and bad at cash, yes?

Well I lost $900 playing cash on Saturday and won $1200 playing a tourney on Sunday, so yes?

(But I’m actually better at cash. Really I am.)