Payouts, bracelet temporarily withheld
The World Series of Poker has opened an investigation into Wednesday’s heads-up match at the end of the $1,500 Millionaire Maker event amid concerns of possible collusion between the winner, Jesse Yaginuma, and the second-place finisher, James Carroll. Their payouts – about $1.2m and $1m, respectively – plus the gold bracelet have yet to be awarded.
After about half a day of speculation about how the event concluded, the WSOP published a statement announcing the probe:
Until the announcement, any talk about collusion was pure speculation, but now that the WSOP is officially investigating, the allegations could have some legs. Of course, it all remains to be seen.
Odd play, million-dollar incentive
There were two things going on during the heads-up match that have raised eyebrows in some circles. The first is the play itself. Carroll had a 10-to-1 chip lead going into heads-up, and that gap widened significantly. Yet after a double-up to keep himself alive, Yaginuma played flawlessly and was able to mount a stunning comeback without risking all of his chips.
believe that Carroll was intentionally dumping chips to Yaginuma, allowing him to win
In addition to Yaginuma’s perfect reads, many viewers felt Carroll made loads of head-scratching plays, just a curious juxtaposition of great play by one person and questionable play by the other. Though that simply raised the eyebrows of many fans, others who watched closely believe that Carroll was intentionally dumping chips to Yaginuma, allowing him to win.
The loudest voice was that of ACR Pro Rob Kuhn, who posted a thread of screenshots on X that showed, in his opinion, a clear pattern of signaling. Kuhn believes that if Carroll had a weak holding or was bluffing, he would bet an odd multiple of a million. If he had a strong hand, he would wager an even multiple. Though he didn’t know the exact hand his opponent had, Yaginuma would generally make perfect raise and fold decisions thanks to Caroll’s indicators.
The second factor is one that would give the two men a reason to collude heads-up. Yaginuma had won a promotion through ClubWPT Gold that would award him $1m should he win one of a selection of WSOP tournaments. The Millionaire Maker was one of the events that counted in the promo, so not only would a bracelet victory earn Yaginuma $1.2m, but ClubWPT Gold would throw another million on top of it.
Those who are suspicious of collusion believe that the two players made a deal to guarantee a Yaginuma win and then split the extra million. But again, this is all alleged and is why the WSOP is conducting its investigation.
Poker world’s reaction
Opinions in the poker world are mixed on the controversy. Some people question whether or not the alleged collusion even matters or is technically against the rules. Collusion, which includes chip dumping, is defined by the official WSOP rulebook as: “….any agreement between or among two (2) or more Participants to engage in illegal or unethical acts against other Participants.”
no other participants were affected
As this was a heads-up competition, no other participants were affected, and thus any actions by the two players might not have necessarily violated any rules. Of course, it would affect ClubWPT Gold, but that’s a different argument.
Others, naturally, have little sympathy for those who intentionally break the rules and are therefore happy that the WSOP is at least looking into it.
The biggest critics of the WSOP withholding the payouts are those who view alleged collusion as simply a way for the players to facilitate a deal. Deals are common at final tables of big tournaments, but the tricky part here is that the WSOP does not officially sanction them. Thus, it is up to the players to make their own arrangements. Poker pro Matt Berkey had some particularly strong words for the WSOP:
Others, like Bart Hanson and former WSOP Main Event champ Joe Cada, agree with Berkey that the players should be paid, but they also want the WSOP to investigate play prior to heads-up, just in case.
Poker Hall of Fame nominee Scott Seiver was even more critical of the WSOP and anyone who sides with it, seeing it as a David vs. Goliath scenario:
The World Poker Tour, which owns ClubWPT, doesn’t seem too concerned about giving away $1m, regardless of how it happened:
