Just posted a blog on this.
http://news.pokerpages.com/index.php...ew&id=2149
Here's the full text:
In other news there has been some controversy brewing over the end of the poker tournament at the Playboy mansion. I had left shortly before this, but I saw all the set-up. We had to be off the mansion grounds by a set time, and to accomodate this the tournament directors were forced to end the tournament by chip count rather than playing it out. I heard that they did not get a lot of time, but again do not know the details for sure. The player who took third basically could not win by picking up the blinds and antes, so Steve and Shannon simply folded their hands to lock up first and second.
He's not happy about this at all, and is taking aim at everything, including the charity, not just the parties involved - the two other players and the tournament directors. I am not sure when they went to number of hands, but the player who took third is livid. First point: no reason for him to have conflict with anybody other than who was responsible for that final table period.
But wait, here's some more gasoline on the fire! Steve was drunk as a skunk (as were 99% of the people in attendance... but that's besides the point). Annie Duke was sweating him in at the end. I have a great picture of them both in my previous blog, and that is basically what it looked like. Two drunken idiots having a great time while this drunken idiot laughed along and took pictures. The bad news is that Annie was telling Steve that he really should not be playing a hand While drunk Steve protested and said he wanted to at least look at his cards, and she said no way. This is a pretty blatant violation of the "one player to a hand rule".
Maybe Steve was serious about looking at his cards, maybe he was joking because it would sound funny, or maybe he was just there having a great time at the playboy mansion. I still think that it would have been pretty impossible for it to slip beyond his conscious realization that if he folded every hand he would lock up a seat in the main event. The place was a zoo - just look at the pictures! There were at least 50 people within five feet of the felt on that final table. Further, if the guy had a problem with Annie sweating Steve, or suspected foul play, why didn't he say anything Saturday night?!? This just came up recently.
Nothing obviously can be done now as the event has concluded, but lots of damage to many reputations of individuals and orginazations can be done if this is made public without all the facts and circumstances out there.
Just my two cents.
Shortly after writing this, I received this e-mail and thought I should pass it along.
"We are obviously so sorry that Terrence feels he was slighted in any way. I obviously would have prefered that everyone was happy, as we raised even more money this year than last, which was our goal. The kids in inner cities that benefit from this program and the hundreds of lives being saved in Africa as a direct result of people donating and attending this event I'm sure are more than thankful for everyone's support. I am more than happy to refund Terrence's monies that he paid to attend the event if he feel he was wronged in any way by winning a $15,000 prize. I cannot in good conscience split up a prize after the event when Steve and Shannon won, and I believe one of them is going to re-donate the prize back in order to benefit the Urban Health Institute." - Joy Miller, Urban Health Institute Tournament Consultant
Any questions, concerns, or interest in where the monies raised for the 501C3 non-profit organization go can be directed to Joy Miller at
[email protected]
Devo