Smith and Bonomo desperately trying to get invites........I guess not surprising.

Jason Koon referring to people as "VIPs" is actually the most cringe part about this whole thing. 2:08:48 "I had two VIPs come up to me...".

Fish, whale, VIP, etc. all these terms need to go. Fun player or rec player seem ok to me as it's not insulting unless that person thinks they're a pro maybe. But come on referring to somoene as a VIP because they're rich and lose a lot at poker is cringe as ****. Someone doesn't become more important because they have money that you're after. Koon has enough money too that he should value his character more at some point rather than being some groveling simp to some perceived "vip".

If I was a rich amateur and Koon called me a VIP he wouldn't be getting an invite to any game I'm in. I'd want to just be one of the guys no matter how much money or celebrity I had. And I could spot bottom feeder kiss ass orbiters like Koon a mile away. Cringey phoney ass dude that he is.

In almost all Triton posts they refer to the recs as VIP's.

Jason has more influence with the Triton guys then most pros. I can see how it only benefits Jason to call out Dan as he did on stream to build more credit with Triton guys but given he's already among the pros with the most pull I doubt that played much into it. He was also clearly agitated...it's not like he randomly brought it up on stream and only did so when once again Dan shut down the convo for his moment of quiet.

*By more influence I mean well liked and he's an official ambassador for triton poker, for whatever that is worth.

I wouldn’t give a **** about vips talking to koon if I’m Dan smith. Pretty bad offense? Lmao.

The fish can talk to Dan directly. If it was such a huge issue koon could have talked to Dan when the issue was raised. Raging about whales on camera at the final table of a super high roller full of crushers is about as tone deaf as it gets

They are treated like VIPs and they know it - and for what reason. Calling them anything other than exactly that would be condescending as ****.

Yeah and I imagine some of these "VIP"s might like being treated that way. I'm sure behind closed doors Jason Koon is happy to get down on his knees and get his nose all the way up their behinds and some of them probably like that. The whole thing is cringe as hell to me. Being true to one's self is worth more.

I acknowledge there is a world with people more important than me and I refuse to engage with that world. In my world, everybody is equally important. Anytime someone thinks they're more important than me (or they actually are more important) I treat them as my equal. Same as anyone else. If I was president I would refuse to allow the secret service to protect me with their bodies. No man is more important than any other man.

Calling them equally important as every other human being is condescending? Since they are worth more according to you, can you tell me which human beings are worth less?

Dan Smith literally campaigned for an invite from a VIP to the invite only 200k. The bolded is simply incorrect but does add merit to it being out of line from Jason as well.

This isnt a normal Super High Roller. This is invitation only where Triton chose 28 "VIPs" and each one of those VIPs invited a "Pro" to participate. They even segregated the VIPs and Pros on Day 1 and then combined the fields for Day 2 on with tables being balanced around the VIP/Pro dynamic. (You cant have a table with 6 VIPs/ 2 Pros and a table with 2 VIPs/6 Pros, they will balance it out to 4/4)


VIP is Triton's term, not Koon's.

Koon knows exactly when he addresses what situation. Pretty sure he already had his response ready and waited for Smith to do something that warranted it.

Doesn't mean it's a bad thing or OOL but it's laughable to think it wasn't planned and out of self-interest.

That's how those players have been referred to for a while for example in home games and specifically in this Triton event. Not sure what's cringe about it, because that's exactly what they are. Players who pay for the VIP experience.

Thank you for clarifying that for me. I still dislike the term VIP but Koon's use of it in this context is acceptable.

You seem to be taking the meaning of VIP quite literally! Seems unreasonable. You have no idea what I think of their worth, as I haven't voiced my opinion on the matter.

As an aside, Koon may have previously talked to Smith privately about his stalling and whatnot, but to no avail.

You don’t think making the playing experience miserable for the only Recs in a high roller field to be a bad offense? And for demanding silence for preflop decisions? Lmao

He might have been planning on saying privately but if someone is being such a doosh it prompted immediate attention. The delicate flower just needs to deal with it.

Frankly I can’t believe this is getting so much back and forth. Seems 100% Koon to me

Seems OOL to bring up someone's perceived likability in public and on stream.

It is such a lame move to shush people at this point in a hand.

Correction: preflop limped pot

Yeah I mean it’s clear he was going to talk to him at some point, don’t think I ever said he didn’t think about it beforehand

And yes certainly in his interest, but clearly in everyone’s interest in keeping the games as fun as they can be

Can’t believe this is generating so much debate. Have you ever seen someone ask for moments like this?

I dont think there is a standard play with 99 off 20bb vs a strong/balanced limp, so this is probably a spot that requires some thought. That said, if table talk distracts you, bring headphones.

Asking people to be quiet every time you need to think about a decision will definitely get annoying, esp to someone like Koon who enjoys making conversation. I have seen Dan do this on PokerGo streams several times.

Of course it’s ok to ask the table to think, i.e. quiet down, in say a big spot on the river where someone just moved in on you for your tournament life. This is not that spot! It was a single limped pot to Dan holding 99 with 20bb. Shushing the table over that spot was just silly.

I always thought the standard etiquette here was not to talk across a player while they are making a decision. So if the action is on the BTN, it would be rude for the CO or HJ to talk to the SB or BB, but fine for SB or BB to talk to UTG.

Yes it is but not really on first betting round.

I mean if HJ folds do you really think it’s in appropriate to ask the SB something?

Dan Smith is such a snowflake & his charity is a scam.

Is he pretending to have a decision for "balance"? High roller meta is so lame
This is worse than when Vogelsang took like 6 minutes pre HU.

Didn't know this part. Well, guess he wont be getting invited back lol

Nobody would have even said he should have brought it up privately if Smith wasn't acting like such a little bitch.
If you routinely play in a manner that VIPs in nose bleeds are complaining about it you deserve to be embarrassed and shamed for it.
Koon wasn't even berating him for it- he just mentioned it happened.

I watched until the 2:14 mark and even just watching these guys for 6 mins was super tilting.

I get why guys go all in on the river except for one chip (although it will be hilarious if someone ever bluffs them off that one chip) but seeing Chidwick do it preflop- cmon man. nobody is letting you keep that chip post flop.

Who on earth would want to play with these guys?

so you mean not a robot?

Great to see Koon smoking these annoying geeks.