Managing Editor
The WSOP Main Event was a lot quieter on Sunday’s Day 8 after notorious “speech play” enthusiast William Kassouf was eliminated on Saturday and subsequently banned from the remainder of this year’s WSOP events. It’s unclear whether he will be allowed back in future years, but it has been widely speculated that he won’t be.
Kassouf first entered the public eye ten years ago, with a similar deep run in the 2016 Main Event. He immediately made a polarizing impression on the poker world with his table antics. His persistent violations of poker etiquette made him unpopular with many. He was not without his supporters, however, particularly among those who feel that the silent, stoic style favored by most contemporary professionals has made poker boring.
He seems to have gone too far in this year’s run, however, particularly in terms of the slowness of his play. Problems began for Kassouf on Day 6, when his opponents began calling the clock on him repeatedly. After failing to accelerate his pace, he was limited to just 10 seconds per decision by tournament staff.
Repeated Clock-Calling and Penalties Put Kassouf on Tilt
When play began on Saturday, Kassouf again had the clock called on him by his opponents. After running out of time, he proceeded to argue with tournament officials that he hadn’t received the full allotment. That landed him a one-round penalty. As the day wore on, continued arguments with opponents and staff resulted in additional penalties, which depleted his chips.
After having the clock called on him once again immediately after returning from one of those penalties, Kassouf pushed all-in with pocket Sevens. Kenny Hallaert called with King-Five and hit a King to eliminate Kassouf in 33rd place.
That was good for $300,000 for the British player, but tournament officials then informed him that he was no longer welcome at the series. After continuing to argue, he was escorted off the premises by security. The exchange was caught on camera.
The Best and Worst of Will Kassouf
Although Kassouf’s 2025 run came to an ugly end, it wasn’t without its highlights.
Shortly after the money bubble burst last week, Kassouf played a hand that shows how his approach to the game can be effective, albeit annoying to others.
Kassouf held pocket Threes on a board with five overcards as well as possible straights and flushes. On the river, he verbally encouraged his opponent to make a bet, telling him, “we’re in the money, you might as well go all-in,” and “just bet like 10,000, you win, I miss.”
Eventually, the opponent, Johnny Bromberg, complied. After a few minutes of talking and “pump-faking” with his chips, Kassouf correctly guessed that his opponent had Ace-Queen and did not connect with the board. He called, and his pair of Threes was just barely good enough to claim the pot.
Unfortunately, the Kassouf memory most will be left with after this year’s series will not be the clever form of antics, but of his tirades and insults against opponents and staff alike, whom he called “a disgrace” and “pathetic” as he exited the tournament.
He also threatened to sue the WSOP and have tournament director Jack Effel fired for banning him. However, the WSOP’s terms suggest that Effel was within his powers to ban Kassouf.
In addition, any individual may be excluded from an Event before, during or afterwards at WSOP Management’s discretion for any reason (e.g., cheating, abusive behavior).
“God Bless America”
Part of Kassouf’s schtick is to attempt to coin catch-phrases. He did that to great effect in 2016 and will forever be associated with the line “Nine high, like a boss.”
As his 2025 run came to an end, he was similarly repeating himself. This time, the line was “God bless America,” which he said each time he was escorted away by security—first as he was issued his penalty at the start of Day 7, and again after his ban.
It’s not the first time Kassouf has implied that the negative reactions he receives at the WSOP boil down to some sort of cultural difference.
In a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” thread after his 2016 Main Event run, he suggested that his speech play is normal elsewhere, but that Americans aren’t used to it:
I think what you saw on ESPN WSOP coverage, especially on Day 7, is a lot of people letting me get under their skin, taking it personally…there’s no malice to what I say or do, I play within the rules, but it’s standard speech play and a lot of Americans weren’t used to it, and it got the best of them and they got quite frustrated and basically the whole table tried to gang up on me, because they found it frustrating and they weren’t used to it.
Kassouf has also been banned from at least one casino chain in his home country, albeit for a different reason. In 2018, Grosvenor Casinos ended a sponsorship with Kassouf and banned him from its properties after he was caught on camera drunkenly stealing chips from his friends at a roulette table.
Some Feel Kassouf Was Treated Harshly
Even in leaving the WSOP, Kassouf was able to make himself the center of attention on social media over the weekend. Many rejoiced in his ban, and his arguing and threats may have alienated some one-time supporters.
Nonetheless, he isn’t without apologists.
In particular, putting him on a 10-second clock for every decision due to repeated tanking is a decision that several players have said was unwarranted.
High roller Chris Brewer was the most recognizable name in the pro-Kassouf camp, while most big names were against him. Fans, however, were more split.
man I swear wsop is handling Kassouf in a way I am beginning to be on his side….. what is happening
— Chris Brewer (@Chris_D_Brewer) July 12, 2025
X user @kickDGEN’s take was typical of the portion of fans who were on Kassouf’s side, writing:
Terrible decision. I dont like the guy at all but banning someone for table talk is wild, on top of the restrictions and rules they only put on him throughout the tournament. He got in peoples heads to exploit them, thats poker.
If Kassouf’s ban does prove to be permanent, it will likely be due to his clashes with tournament staff and refusal to follow instructions, not table etiquette per se. Nonetheless, it is rare to see issues other than cheating or violence escalate to this sort of level, especially on a stage as big as the WSOP Main Event.
Image Credit: WPT via Flickr (license)
