Editor
The 2025 WSOP is quickly becoming the summer of Martin Kabrhel. The Czech pro has been the center of attention and social media discussion for most of the series, thanks to his controversial table antics and non-stop talkative play. He has even coined the catch phrase of the summer, “Not like that!”, which can be heard multiple times a day from tables throughout the Horseshoe.
On Wednesday, his name once again lit up the internet after his Mini Main Event win. The 10,794-entry tournament lasted three days and was primarily played in the Horseshoe ballroom, away from the cameras and live streams. Kabrhel nonetheless acquired a rail of supporters cheering him on, not for the first time. Previous deep runs this series have made him a favorite among spectators.
This week’s win also puts him out in the lead for the 2025 WSOP Player of the Year race.
The WSOP social media accounts have also been inundated by Kabrhel content throughout the series. Each post regarding Kabrhel tends to receive a significant amount of engagement from fans.
The Poker World’s Love-Hate Relationship With Chatterboxes
The WSOP is no stranger to colorful characters, having produced many memorable ones over the years. Consider Will Kassouf’s constant chatter and famous “9-high like a boss” quip that got under his opponent’s skin in 2016. There was also Zach Rigby’s “dirty diaper” loose play with three-deuce, and way back in 2007, Hevad Khan’s boisterous and exaggerated celebrations.
Kabrhel is also not a new character in the poker world. He and his antics have been featured in the poker media for years, particularly in European events.
Not everyone’s enamored with his persona, however. He is a polarizing figure, with many considering his behavior to be poor poker etiquette. The never-ending barrage of table talk, slow play, and other quirks is often assumed to be a ruse meant to exploit opponents.
Some spectators can’t even quite decide how they feel about him.
Walking the Walk in 2025
But Kabrhel’s performance in the 2025 WSOP has helped him jump from being a niche poker personality to standing fully in the limelight. Now that he’s walking the walk as well as talking the talk, he’ll easily find a place in WSOP lore. Some quirky WSOP characters are flashes in the pan, but those who make multiple final tables and win bracelets tend to stick in the collective memory.
Kabrhel started this series with a third-place finish in a $5,000 PLO 8-Handed event and then added two more final tables. He took seventh in the $250,000 Super High Roller and fifth in the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty.
Those performances had already brought him plenty of attention. Now, winning a 10,794-entry event to back up all the talk is the true definition of “putting your money where your mouth is.”
If anything, expect him to get louder now.
