button in Safari7 Memorable Times Misbehaving Poker Players Were Dealt Karma
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What do William Kassouf, Tony G, and Ali Imsirovic have in common? Yes, they're all obviously poker players (thanks, Captain Obvious). But what we're really getting at here is they've all been dealt a heavy dose of karma during their poker careers, just like the four other players on the list you're about to read.
There are a number of instances where a poker player got revenge on an opponent who talked trash or acted in a shady manner. In some cases, the karma didn't occur until years later, while others happened nearly instantly, as you'll discover from this list of seven memorable times karma showed up in poker.
1. Dylan vs. Garrett
Who remembers Dylan Gang from Hustler Casino Live about four years ago? He made a splash on the show before angering viewers when he slow-rolled Garrett Adelstein, the most popular player on HCL at the time.
Gang bet $55,000 with a set and Adelstein called with top pair on the river. After the call, Gang announced, "good call." Adelstein turned his cards over before the player with the better hand paused for a few seconds and then showed his superior hand.
"Just kidding," Gang said.
Revenge came a week later when Dylan moved all in for $167,900 with A♥4♥ on a board of 6♥2♦9♦10♥, putting Adelstein, who had 10♣9♣, in a tough spot. He made the call and the 2♠ on the river bricked to give Garrett the $390,000 pot. Gang hasn't been heard from since.
2. Tony G Silenced for the First Time Ever
The PokerStars Big Game always brought out the biggest names in poker during the poker boom era, including Tony G, one of the top trash talkers in the game. His mouth, however, would be silenced by Vanessa Rousso, a PokerStars ambassador at the time.
Tony G, the small blind, raised preflop to $1,200 with 6♣5♠, but Rousso, the big blind, woke up with A♥A♣. She opted to just call, and her opponent, who began engaging in conversation before the flop was dealt, bet $2,000 in the dark. That seemed to work out well as he hit two pair on the 6♠J♠5♣ flop.
Rousso, with the over pair, raised to $5,000 before facing a three-bet to $20,000.
"You can get it all in," Tony G said, as he attempted to bait Rousso into raising into his big hand. "You ready? If you win the hand, you keep me quiet."
Rousso made the call, and then Tony G led out for $10,000 on the A♠ turn, a card that left him in horrible shape. He then informed her, "you can shut me right up," to which Rousso asked, "How?"
"By being all in and winning the pot," he responded.
She decided to just call. The 5♥ on the river was the ultimate cooler card, as it gave both players a full house. Tony G had checked in the dark, but he continued with the speech play, calling for Rousso to "show some guts" and asked her if she is going to bet or "make a really weak check." Rousso then moved all in for $65,000 and received a snap-call. Tony G saw the cooler and didn't have much to say other than, "very nice."
3. Poker Tournaments Ban Admitted Cheater
Karma for Imsirovic didn't come in the form of a brutal cooler. Instead, the admitted poker cheat was dealt his dose of karma by some tournament operators who didn't want him around.
Imsirovic, who along with fellow high roller crusher Jake Schindler, faced some heavy cheating accusations in 2022 for mutli-accounting online and collusion in live events. He's mostly disappeared from the public eye. But he still pops up for an event or two at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) each summer.
He still hasn't been banned from the WSOP, but he did get sent packing before registering for a tournament at Champions Club in Houston, Texas last year. Imsirovic was then kicked out of a tournament in Florida after he'd already registered a couple months later.
4. 'Check Your Privilege'
Kassouf didn't just cause a stir during a deep run in the 2025 WSOP Main Event. The British poker player initially made a name for himself in the poker world during his first deep Main Event run in 2016, when he annoyed opponents and ESPN TV viewers with his incessant speech play and constant tanking.
That behavior led to some frustration and irritation among other players at the table. And it ended with one of those annoyed opponents sending him home in one of the most memorable coolers in televised poker history.
Kassouf, with just 17 players remaining in the 2016 Main Event, picked up pocket kings and three-bet Canadian pro Griffin Benger, who had pocket aces. While Benger contemplated his next move, Kassouf began his speech play, saying "I have to find out where I am. I think I'm ahead at the moment. I think you need to get lucky."
Kassouf wouldn't let up and continued rambling on, before Benger came back with a four-bet. That caused Kassouf to go into the tank, despite knowing he was going to move all in. A couple minutes later, following non-stop banter from Kassouf, Benger had enough.
"You're just an abusive person, man. It's not funny. It's not a game. You're being abusive to me," Benger told his opponent.
Kassouf questioned how he was being abusive, to which Benger replied, "you're a bully," before telling Mr. Speech Play to "check your privilege."
"You want to gamble? Okay, I'm all in," Kassouf announced.
Benger excitedly snap-called the bet with the best preflop hand in no-limit hold'em. The pocket aces held up and Kassouf was out in 17th place for $338,288, while Benger reached the final table and made $1,250,190 for seventh place.
5. Slowroller Ends Up in Prison
The 2005 WSOP Main Event had many memorable hands, one of which involved popular poker legend Jennifer Harman and New York pro Cory Zeidman, who hit a straight flush with 9♦8♦ on a board of 10♠J♦Q♥10♦7♦. Harman, who had Q♦Q♣ and was coolered, put him all in on the river.
Zeidman, whose hand was unbeatable, acted frustrated with the bet. He not only didn't snap-call, but went into a bit of a tank and said, "I guess I could do a lot of sightseeing if I lose this hand," before finally making the call to double-up.
If there's any silver lining for Harman, Zeidman pleaded guilty in a federal sports betting fraud case in December 2024, and was sentenced to 46 months in prison last October.
6. Legendary Irish Poker Open Slow-roll
Irish Poker Open fans probably never cheered louder than when they saw the river card in the following (and above) hand. This one is the dirtiest slow-roll on the list, and perhaps the most deserving river card ever dealt.
At the 2015 final table, Irish poker legend Donnacha O'Dea hit two pair with A♣6♣ on a flop of 6♦A♦8♦. He bet enough to put his opponent, Andreas Gann, all in. But he was in deep trouble because Gann flopped the nuts with K♦Q♦.
Gann, however, took his merry little time to put his chips in the pot, knowing he had the nuts and wasn't going to fold. David Lappin, a commentator, was highly critical of the obvious slow-roll.
"What is going on?" Lappin asked. "If there's any justice, an ace is going to roll off on the river."
The announcers continued to blast Gann, who finally made the call for his tournament life after tanking for about two minutes. Lappin wasn't kidding, because after the 7♣ appeared on the turn, the 6♥ hit on the river, giving O'Dea a full house to win the pot and send the slow-roller home in eighth place.
7. Justice at the Aussie Millions
The Aussie Millions series is finally back, and PokerNews will be live reporting the action starting this weekend. The series was, pre-COVID, the flagship event on the Australian poker circuit each year. There have been hundreds of exciting moments at the festival, including a hand from the 2016 Main Event involving Sam Abernathy, who got justice against a slow-rolling opponent.
With 15 players remaining and the big blind at 24,000 in the Main Event, Dylan Honeyman raised to 50,000 with A♠2♥ from under the gun. Mikel Habb, who only had 467,000, three-bet to 112,000 with K♥K♠. Abernathy, the big blind, moved all in for 514,000 with 6♥6♦. Honeyman folded, leaving Habb in a snap-call situation. But he instead decided to go into the tank and make a scene before calling it off for slightly less than Abernathy's bet.
Commentator Jason Somerville was highly critical of the slow-roll and called for a six to hit. He eventually made the call and then stood up from his seat, walked around the table, and shouted, "come on!"
It didn't appear as if Somerville would get his wish after the flop and turn, which came out 10♠Q♠9♦10♥, gave little hope to Abernathy. But the 6♠ on the river gave her the massive pot and sent Habb home in 15th place for $59,505. Abernathy ended up in third place, which paid $437,543, after justice was served.
