Ambassador Doug Polk Criticizes Poker Site's Hand Reveal Feature
The controversial new hand reveal feature at ClubWPT Gold is so unpopular that even one of its top poker ambassadors is a critic.
Doug Polk, in a seven-minute YouTube video, spoke out about the feature that allows players to pay a fee to view folded hole cards after the hand concludes. The poker pro has a history of criticizing poker sites for actions he deems to be bad for the game, and that includes the site he represents.
Why Polk Criticized ClubWPT Gold
Numerous poker pros such as Brian Rast and Shaun Deeb trashed ClubWPT Gold for the new feature that Matt Berkey referred to as an "idiot tax." A player can pay two to three big blinds, depending on the stakes, to disclose folded hole cards after a cash game hand concludes. The money goes straight to the poker site, not the players.
Most poker pros on social media seem to despise permitting players to view folded hole cards, but they appear to hate it even more that the fee is paid to the sweepstakes poker site. Polk had some choice words of his own, but he first explained a benefit to players having the ability to expose folded cards.
"This feature is very good for helping avoid collusion," Polk claims. "When players are at a table and something looks fishy, you now can instantly see the hands and know if it was collusion or not. That's a good thing. That's something we should be embracing and enjoying about this feature, the fact that you now have this direct ability to prevent it from these people being able to cheat you, if you see something happening."
The three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner began his video teasing the viewers into thinking he was about to toe the company line, a move that undoubtedly wouldn't go over well with his longtime followers. He even jokingly went down the "more rake is better" line, an ode to his former rival, Daniel Negreanu. But then he shifted gears.
"I'm not sure if ambassadors are supposed to speak out against their own sites here, but that's what we're going to do here today because I don't like this whatsoever," Polk said. "I get that there are a couple of positives, but the cons greatly outweigh them."
"Code Doug" then claimed the feature will serve as a "tax on weaker players because I don't think pros will use this." He went so far as to say the pros wouldn't benefit from the hand reveal feature, and discouraged them from paying the fee.
"Players get to vote with where they play, so if you really hate this, probably don't play on ClubWPT Gold. I think I might be the worst poker ambassador of all time," Polk said, although that title might go to Nacho Barbero instead.
Polk then said he will do what he can to push the company to either get rid of the controversial feature altogether or at least have the "idiot tax" go to the players instead of the site. But he couldn't make any promises and stressed that "ultimately I do not make the decisions for this company."
This isn't the first time Polk has done something that might not sit well with the sweepstakes poker site he represents. In a recent mainstream news televised appearance, he wore his ClubWPT Gold patch upside down.
