Quote:
Originally Posted by Viking145
As a longtime friend of Matt Affleck, I feel obliged to comment on the terrible way he and his girlfriend are being maligned.
Luke Vrabel and I have some good history. We both had our first WSOP cashes in a 3k NLH at the 2007 World Series (he finished 10th). At the time, I was impressed with him. He was a young guy, he was focused, and he was having fun. He was someone for whom you wanted to root. I remain a committed amateur, but Luke has gone on to make a fine career as a poker player. I wish he had also done some more growing up. I recognize that this is a harsh assessment. So let me take a moment to explain.
At the end of the Colossus tournament, Luke went on a twitter tirade that has shown no signs of abating. He believes that the WSOP disrespected him, and it is his right to pursue his concerns. But, he has also used this moment to attack the character of a fellow player, Matt Affleck, along with the character of his girlfriend. This moves beyond professional behavior. He himself acknowledged in his interview on High Roller Radio that his crude comments about them are a sign of his immaturity. So why continue to make them? If he has legitimate concerns about tournament operations at the WSOP, he should remain focused on those. Threatening a fellow player over the exuberance of his rail has no place in the game that we love. And there is no question that Matt behaved with perfect decorum at the table. Making demeaning and false comments about a player’s partner has no place in civil society.
I’ve been on the rail for numerous WSOP final tables and near final tables. There is a lot of raucous fun to be had on the rail. For the most part, even the loudest cheers are both part of the game and part of the fun. Players realize that rails will cheer when their player wins a hand, and every hand has loser(s) as well as winners. Most players know that folks cheer and celebrate with the winners, and that this is not meant to demean or taunt the losers.
Luke Vrabel said that when he ran into Matt after they had both busted the final table, Luke told him “good game”. He also claimed on High Roller Radio that Matt walked past him in the hallway as if he did not exist. This is categorically untrue. I was walking alongside Matt and he clearly said “thanks, you too” to Luke. It is certainly possible that Luke did not hear this, but he has taken all of these events as an opportunity to malign another player, in this case Matt Affleck, who has been an upstanding young professional and an ambassador for the game.
This SHOULD stop. As a community, we cannot stand by while an individual uses social media platforms to engage in a relentlessly unfair assault on another player and their partner.
You were not there. taunting a player before, during and after almost every hand from the rail is wrong, no matter who the player is or what their history is. WSOP staff bullying, intimidating, and discriminating against any player is wrong.
10 seat clearly used a team approach to undermine 7 seat, and WSOP staff did nothing to stop it. Poker is not a team sport, and taunting is never allowed (unless its table talk between players in a hand, and that has its limits also)
If your on the rail, cheer all you want. NEVER TAUNT A PLAYER, EVER FROM THE RAIL
Can be no justification for either 10 seat, the gf, or WSOP staff here.