PokerStars ambassador and writer Maria Konnikova received her first World Collection of Poker (WSOP) bracelet earlier this week. However the victory was surrounded by a little bit of criticism from Norman Chad, who opposes limitless reentry/rebuys. Chad was none too thrilled with Konnikova shopping for in 4 instances en path to successful the $888 buy-in on-line poker match.
Regardless of Chad’s feedback, the favored poker ambassador does in actual fact personal a gold WSOP bracelet. She wrote a prolonged Substack to debate her ideas on the criticism, and she or he did not maintain again.
You’ll be able to learn an excerpt beneath.
Konnikova on the WSOP Win
This Monday, within the early hours of the morning—round 3am PT, to be precise—I received my first ever World Collection of Poker bracelet. It was in a web-based WSOP occasion, the $888 Loopy Eights, in a discipline of 468 gamers, after virtually ten and a half hours of play.
I do know individuals are likely to look down on on-line bracelets as one way or the other much less actual than ones received on the reside felt. And I do know that 468 gamers—effectively, 464, if I’m being trustworthy, since 4 of these entries have been my very own—is much fewer than the a number of thousand that almost all summer season reside occasions routinely get. However I’d be mendacity if I stated I wasn’t proud and completely satisfied. I’d been working exhausting for a number of years to get right here, not figuring out if any gold bracelet, reside or on-line, was ever in my future. And it felt unbelievable to lastly make it occur.
Once I awakened later that day, I used to be nonetheless barely delirious—it’s exhausting to sleep with all of that adrenaline!)—however very completely satisfied. After first taking over poker in 2017 for The Largest Bluff, I’d completed it! I’d lastly received a bracelet! I made a decision I might spend a couple of hours reviewing my play, run a couple of sims, after which write a bit for my readers about the entire expertise. I’d speak about my determination making throughout the run-up to the win, mirror on mindset, and dissect a couple of pivotal arms. It was a stable plan. After which I checked Twitter.
Earlier than going to sleep, I had posted a photograph of my win—the identical one you see above. There was an outpouring of assist and congratulations; it made we really feel extremely fortunate to be a part of such a terrific group. After which there was the opposite response. The response that determined to take this second to make use of me for example of…effectively, I’m not fairly certain. Every thing fallacious with match poker nowadays, I believe it’s.
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The poster little one (man?) for this response: Norman Chad, WSOP announcer for the final nonetheless a few years. I’m not really certain what his official title is, however he does the WSOP broadcasts with Lon McEachern. And, although he has by no means met me, he apparently has Many Points with my win (to not throw shade or something).
I not too long ago rewatched the primary few episodes of Sport of Thrones. In a single, the fantastic Peter Dinklage, aka Tyrion Lannister, visits the famed Wall that guards the Seven Kingdoms. As he tells Benjen Stark how impressed he has been by his go to, he says, “However…” And Benjen interrupts him. “My brother as soon as instructed me that nothing somebody says earlier than the phrase ‘however’ actually counts,” he counters. And, certainly, it doesn’t—as Tyrion then demonstrates by primarily negating all of his reward. what phrases most reliably sign that nice offense is about to be given? I don’t imply to offend, however… You’ll be able to make certain that no matter is coming subsequent is a nasty because it will get.
So let me simply say this: Norman Chad completely did need to throw shade on me. In any other case, why single me out, why tag me, why the non-public contact in that remaining little bit of prose? She ran out of chips. She re-entered. She ran out of chips once more. And on and on.
I’ve by no means met Norman Chad. I don’t know what he has in opposition to me. But it surely’s undoubtedly one thing. I’m removed from the one bracelet winner to rebuy—certainly, I occur to know that a number of winners of this on-line collection in the previous few weeks rebought a number of instances. However I’m the one one who he has chosen to single out. And the one means I stand out from the others—or from a lot of the reside winners this summer season, as most occasions are re-buys and the freezeout format is a uncommon breed—is an easy one.
