Will Kassouf Discusses WSOP Controversy: “I Was Only Reacting to How I Was Being Treated”

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Aug 16, 2025 6 min read

The World Poker Tour (WPT) Cyprus Championship, which runs through August 18, is the keystone event on the schedule for the $5 Million GTD Festival at the Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino. One player who made the trip to the island nation was Will Kassouf, the most controversial figure from last month’s 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.

On his way to finishing in 33rd place for $300,000 (he claimed in the interview to have had 100% of his action), Kassouf ruffled a lot of feathers among his fellow players, tournament staff, and poker fans due to his incessant talking, frequent tanks, and escalating antics.

Kassouf proved to be an extremely polarizing figure, with 67% of people in a recent PokerNews poll saying they don’t like him and that he’s bad for poker. Only 16% said they loved him and he is good for the game, 10% were indifferent, and the final 7% said they had never heard of him.

While at the WPT Cyprus, Kassouf sat down for an exclusive interview on the PokerNews Podcast in which he said, “There's two sides to every story.” Below are some highlights from the interview, but if you want to hear his story in full, you can do so here:

Clashing with Players & Staff

Anyone who tuned into PokerGO coverage of the WSOP Main Event, or even checked out PokerNews’ own social media and YouTube channels, got to see Kassouf’s behavior on full display. However, while many assume Kassouf was going out of his way to act unsuitably, he claims otherwise.

“There are two sides to every story. It’s not about me being a jerk, an asshole, being obnoxious or whatever, and I deserve everything I get. There’s a reason why I reacted that way is as a result of how I was being treated. I wasn’t actively going out and hating, berating, and name-calling people on the table, I was only reacting to how I was being treated by all the players, and the staff, the officials, and even the tournament director of the Main Event.”

One thing Kassouf said he grew frustrated with was conflicting rulings by tournament staff.

“They definitely could’ve handled it a lot better,” he said. “May have brought in warnings earlier on – one hand penalties, three hand penalties – whereas I wasn’t given any of those warnings, not one hand, not three hands, it was instant one round penalty on Day 7 when I was sitting with 10 big blinds … and then to put me on a 10-second shot clock from Day 6 after dinner break for the rest of the tournament, that’s what I was told, and I had to fight hard to get that taken off at the end of Day 6 for the start of Day 7.”

Kassouf continued: “They said I’d be treated as a new player at the start of Day 7, given two minutes to act to my hand, if someone calls a clock, I have 30 seconds to make a decision just like everybody else. We got to Day 7, and one of the guys there on my left announced to the table, ‘Hey guys, if you want floor to come over, you can call the clock on this guy whenever you want, it doesn’t have to be 10 seconds.’ I hadn’t even played a hand on Day 7, and this person is saying how it’s going to be from the start, actually trying to collude and gang up against me to try and call the clock even though it's unreasonable.”

In this instance, Kassouf claimed a clock was called straightaway, and the floor enforced a 10-second clock, despite him explaining that he was told the night before he was told he’d be treated as a new player. What’s more, Kassouf said that he felt threatened by the player in Seat 1 – which, according to the Day 7 seat draw, was poker pro Nick Pupillo – who Kassouf alleges said he’d “cut your tongue out.” What’s more, Kassouf said he took exception and felt ganged up on when no one supported him when he complained to the floor.

Was He on Drugs? Was It a Mental Health Episode?

One explanation for Kassouf’s behavior during the 2025 WSOP Main Event, at least one popular on social media, was that he was either on drugs or experiencing some sort of mental health episode. Kassouf is aware of such theories, but denies them both.

"No drugs whatsoever … Just me. I’m naturally full of energy. Maybe I’m just built different."

“No drugs whatsoever … Just me. I’m naturally full of energy. Maybe I’m just built different. I can function on two hours of sleep,” Kassouf said while also suggesting he was of sound mind during his run.

The Donald Trump of Poker

When asked how he thought he was perceived in the poker world, Kassouf said that he was well aware that he had both supporters and haters, even likening it to the current American political landscape, where there are hard sides between Democrats and Republicans.

“With me, I think I’m a bit like the Donald Trump of poker,” Kassouf self-proclaimed. “I’m controversial, polarizing, and chaotic, but I speak my mind and I get shit done. That’s the bottom line and that’s what counts, right? … Some people love me, some people hate me. Some people would love to be handcuffed to me for $250K, some people wouldn’t even do it for $2 million. I have that sort of effect on people.”

Did He Tip & Where Do Things Stand Now?

One question Kassouf was asked was whether or not he tipped on the $300,000 he won.

“The lady asked, ‘Would you like to leave a tip, sir?’ She realized when she saw the police and security behind me that something was up here, right, so I could’ve been rude and said, ‘I’ll give you a tip, here’s a tip,” and say something, but I thought no, she’s just doing her job. I said, ‘Unfortunately, as a result of the way I’ve been treated this year, unfortunately I won’t be tipping this year. Sorry about that.’”

Prior to collecting his winnings in cash, Kassouf was informed that he couldn’t play “anymore WSOP events this year.” But what did that mean? Was it for the remaining five days of the 2025 WSOP, or did it mean through the end of the year, so no WSOP Circuit stops nor December’s WSOP Paradise?

Kassouf was allowed to remain at the Paris & Horseshoe, given he was staying at the hotel, though he was no longer allowed on the WSOP gaming floor. Since then, he sought clarification from WSOP officials that he is allowed at WSOP stops, such as the upcoming WSOP Paradise, and Kassouf actually made an appearance at the recent WSOP Circuit Bratislava.

However, what he’s not sure of is whether or not he’s allowed at Caesar’s properties, which, if not, would mean he wouldn’t be able to attend the 2026 WSOP next summer. Kassouf hopes to seek clarification on that matter soon.

Kassouf’s Legacy

While at the WPT Cyprus Championship, Kassouf was dialed back considerably from the last time the poker world saw him one month ago. Over the course of three days, he grinded quietly while still engaging his tablemates with his patented table talk. When polled, his table actually all agreed that they enjoyed playing with Kassouf.

“The fact I’m talking in a hand creates a fun atmosphere,” Kassouf said of playing in this part of the world. “You’re here to play live poker, you’re playing for eight, nine, ten hours a day, sitting with the same faces. If everyone sat there like a bunch of nits with their headphones, hoodies, and sunglasses on, said nothing for like 8-12 hours a day, like in the Main Event for 12 hours, it would be so boring.”

As for his future in poker, Kassouf simply referenced one of the game’s all-time greats.

“Daniel Negreanu once said on his podcast, the thing about Will Kassouf is whether you like him or dislike him, you talk about him, so he stays relevant, and staying relevant in poker is one of the hardest things to do long term.”

You can listen to Kassouf’s appearance on the PokerNews Podcast on all major podcasting platforms or via the player below:

PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, host of both the PokerNews Podcast & MPST Podcast Presented By PokerNews, and 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

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