Phil Hellmuth’s had sufficient of Isaac Haxton sporting a facemask on the poker desk, and the “Poker Brat” known as out his fellow high-stakes professional, arguing that “nobody ought to have the ability to cowl their face,” aside from uncommon cases.
The 17-time World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner spoke with poker journalist Craig Tapscott of PokerOrg in a two-hour interview about a wide range of matters, one in every of them being facemasks. He then retweeted a brief from content material creator “On line casino King,” and additional defined why facemasks do not belong in stay poker.
“NO ONE ought to have the ability to cowl their face, except you utilize your personal palms to do it. This isn’t on-line poker. “Tells” matter in stay poker: it’s a talent to cover your tells and one other talent to learn your opponent’s tells,” Hellmuth wrote.
Ought to Facemasks Be Permitted on the Poker Desk?
In the course of the early days of COVID-19, facemasks have been required in lots of poker rooms. Since then, most have taken the masks off, however there are nonetheless extra who put on them than pre-coronavirus. The difficulty of sporting facemasks in public was initially a well being matter, nevertheless it shortly devolved right into a Conservative (anti-mask) versus Liberal (pro-mask) situation, with most taking a aspect.
Haxton, a liberal-leaning poker professional, has chosen to put on his masks on the poker desk for well being causes. After successful a $25,000 buy-in U.S. Poker Open occasion for $432,000 in March 2023, he proudly wore his facemask within the winner photograph, after which proceeded to taunt the “largest dips***s on Twitter” who get triggered over his mask-wearing resolution.
As Hellmuth defined to Tapscott, his situation is not political, however has extra to do with a possible benefit gained from sporting a facemask.
“That is only a tactic and a method, that is not good for poker,” Hellmuth mentioned.
He then admitted that Haxton, who has over $47 million in stay match cashes, is “among the finest on this planet proper now, however he has to take that white masks off.” Hellmuth claims that the 2023 World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner is utilizing the facemask to “give himself a bonus” in poker tournaments.
“When there’s six individuals left in a match, you haven’t any actual issues of COVID,” Hellmuth continued.
As anticipated, Hellmuth’s tweet sparked a heated debate on facemasks, as if the problem wasn’t overwhelmed to demise three years in the past. However there have been some attention-grabbing arguments made, together with Shaun Deeb, who referred to Hellmuth’s feedback as “one in every of your worst takes” after which sarcastically known as for banning (sic) “hoody’s” and sun shades.
However, maybe essentially the most inventive response goes to Lewis Spencer, who wrote: I’ve all the time thought we want much less individuals in masks and extra individuals coming into the match space dressed as Poseidon with a marching band throughout day 2 of a $100ok.” Touche.
