Many were shocked this week when Ali Imsirovic broke his silence this week more than a year after being accused of cheating by other high-stakes poker pros.

But few were satisfied with the answers provided by the 2021 GPI Player of the Year, who admitted to multi-accounting for several months in 2020, and again in 2022, while dismissing other allegations as “ridiculous,” including that he’s used real-time assistance (RTA) and recently been running an online cheating ring.

The poker community’s reactions to Imsirovic’s video make up the latest edition of The Muck.

“You Don’t Just Get a Reset”

The nearly 30-minute video uploaded by Imsirovic, seated in front of his many poker trophies in a bright hoodie and behind a pair of translucent glasses, did not evoke much sympathy from the poker community. Many thought the former poker darling came across as unapologetic and flippant about his admitted multi-accounting, something universally regarded as unethical in poker.

“What a f***ing joke this guy is,” bracelet winner Jason Wheeler wrote on Twitter. “Sounds irritated he has to defend himself.”

“Imagine Ali just making a 2 min video. Admitting to what was true, saying sorry, and asking for forgiveness or some way back into the poker world. But no. We get 30 minutes of nonsense. They never learn…” agreed Alex Duvall.

Will Jaffe addressed the situation in one of his patented Tough Conversations. Jaffe pushed back on Imsirovic’s assertion that multi-accounting is common in high-stakes circles.

“If everybody was doing it, why are you the only one who got caught?” he asked. “And why did you wait three years to make this video?”

Jaffe also criticized Imsirovic for presenting himself as a victim and complaining about being ostracised by the poker community. “Has it been hard on your family, bro? F***ing winning hundreds of thousands of dollars cheating? Yeah, like they haven’t benefited from that at all … Like it’s not been hard on the f***ing people you scammed and cheated.”

https://twitter.com/dankness3/status/1673130526436397056

“There’s one thing that you can never get back, and that’s your image,” Jaffe said. “That’s your rep. It’s gone, bro.”

Many agreed with Jaffe’s take, including bracelet winner Grant Hinkle.

“Perfectly captured the absurdity,” Hinkle tweeted.

Streamer Jaime Staples gave Imsirovic credit for admitting to multi-accounting but rejected Imsirovic’s claim that he has “paid all of my dues.”

“Good of him to come clean but you don’t just get a reset,” Staples tweeted. “You stole 100s of Ks if not millions in equity from the community. I get you want to move past it. We want our money back. Give it a decade and try again.”

“There’s No Remorse In This Video”

Imsirovic spent a portion of his video denying accusations that he had ghosted players backed by him or cheated in high-stakes online MTTs using RTA.

“It’s literally impossible for me to build an RTA where I just have all these post-flop spots ran for the hundreds of thousands of unique situations that could even come up,” he said. “So it ends up just being impossible to create a real RTA for MTTs. I mean, you can make one but it’s not going to be good. And it’s going to take you a lot of time.”

On the Only Friends podcast, Matt Berkey called Imsirovic’s claim that there aren’t RTA tools for MTTs “total bullshit,” while Landon Tice said the claim was “actually very insulting.”

“Him claiming that he didn’t RTA because ‘Lol, a chip EV model isn’t going to work’ is so crazy to me,” Berkey said.

The Only Friends crew also questioned Imsirovic’s claim that he only multi-accounted for a five-month period in 2020 and again for a brief period in 2022. Berkey tweeted earlier this year that he knew players with knowledge of Imsirovic’s allegedly ongoing cheating stable.

“We’re supposed to believe that that only lasted for a short period of time and that everything got cleaned up again,” said Berkey, who noted that “there’s no remorse in this video.”

“He’s basically saying, ‘Yeah I did bad things, but was it really that bad?’ Yes. And then he did it again,” added Tice.

Both agreed that Imsirovic being ostracised at live events is “completely reasonable” and called on live venues to ban him.

“These actions have consequences,” said Tice.

Joey Ingram called Imsirovic’s statement an “interesting video,” while Doug Polk said a video breakdown was in the works.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the crown jewel of the poker calendar, where players from all walks of life gather to test their mettle and chase glory.

And with poker being a game of skill, strategy, and reading your opponents, one crucial aspect of the game is spotting tells.

These could be subtle physical or behavioral cues that can provide useful information about an opponent’s hand strength. In this article, we explore five common tells you can spot at the WSOP, giving you an edge in the quest for a gold bracelet.

Timing Tells

Timing tells can reveal valuable information about an opponent’s thought process. Certain players may act quickly when they have a strong hand to portray confidence, while a lengthy deliberation could suggest weakness or uncertainty. Observing a player’s consistent patterns of quick or slow decision-making can help you decipher their hand strength and potentially exploit their tendencies.

Body Language and Gestures

Physical tells, such as body language and gestures, can be crucial for figuring out how strong or weak someone’s holdings are.

Be sure to focus on an opponent’s facial expressions, posture, and hand movements during key moments in the hand.

For instance, a player who suddenly becomes still and tense may have a strong hand, while fidgeting or nervous tics might indicate weakness or anxiety. It’s important to note that experienced players may deliberately display false tells to mislead their opponents, so that’s always something to keep in mind as well.

Bet Sizing

One of the most telling cues at the WSOP is a player’s bet sizing. Generally, when players exhibit consistent patterns in their bets, it can provide hints about their hand strength.

For example, a small bet might indicate weakness or a marginal hand, while a large, confident bet could signify a strong hand. However, it’s important to consider each player’s individual style and adjust your analysis accordingly.

This is one of the main tells you should be looking out for when playing against weaker opponents at the WSOP.

The eyes are often considered the windows to the soul, and they can reveal a lot at the poker table.

Maintaining eye contact or deliberately avoiding it can be a significant tell. A player who confidently maintains eye contact will likely possess a strong hand, whereas avoiding eye contact might indicate that someone is bluffing.

However, it’s essential to exercise caution, as some players are adept at disguising their true intentions through deliberate eye contact manipulation.

Verbal Cues and Speech Patterns

Verbal cues and speech patterns can provide valuable insights into an opponent’s mindset. Pay attention to any verbal statements, such as sighs, hesitations, or changes in tone. These cues might indicate confidence, frustration, or deception.

Moreover, listen for inconsistencies in players’ statements, as they may inadvertently reveal their true hand strength or intentions. Skilled players can use their words to mislead, so it’s crucial to analyze speech patterns in addition to other tells.

Conclusion

You need to be an observant person to pick up on poker tells. Furthermore, you need to use poker tells as part of your information gathering and not as the only component of it. Pay particular attention to the hands your opponents showdown after acting a certain way. What did they do before and during a hand where they showed a strong holding? What about when they were caught bluffing? Build a mental database of your opponent’s tendencies.

Also, be aware some players are incredibly clever and will act weak when strong and vice-versa.

Finally, do not only observe these tells in your opponents but be aware you may be giving off similar tells. Keep your actions uniform regardless of what you plan to do in the hand, and prevent opponents from picking up information about you and your holdings.

Editor & Live Reporter

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.

Poker Hall of Famer and seven-time bracelet winner Billy Baxter is on the verge of closing in on his first WSOP bracelet in 21 years after making it to the final table of the $1,000 Seniors Event at the 2023 World Series of Poker.

Baxter, who sits in third place going into the final day, has had a career that has spanned six decades and has seen him earn $2,739,628 in live tournaments alone. And he’s already locked up another $122,130 for making it to the final seven. If he manages to make it to at least fourth place, he will secure his biggest-ever tournament cash. Just another remarkable achievement for one of the legends of the game.

However, standing in his way are Dan Heimiller and Lonnie Hallett, who are the overwhelming chip leaders. This is familiar territory for Heimiller, who won this event back in 2014 for $627,462.

$1,000 Seniors Event Final Table Chip Counts

Baxter’s Legacy

Only six more players have accrued more bracelets than Baxter, with Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, Erik Seidel and Johnny Moss being in that elite group.

Furthermore, many poker players have the 82 year-old to thank for helping them keep Uncle Sam away from their winnings as Baxter famously won a 1986 court case that argued that poker was a game of skill.

In 2008, Baxter finished seventh in that summer’s $2,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball, which was his last deep run at the WSOP. And surprisingly, the Seniors Event marks the furthest he has gone in a WSOP No-Limit Hold’em tournament.

Billy Baxter’s WSOP Bracelets

Route to the Final Table

PokerNews spoke with Baxter to get a brief taste of his journey to the final seven in what’s been an up-and-down few days for the poker veteran.

“The first day, I wound up with 155,000, so I didn’t really have chips, and then it got to the second day, and I got 655,000, but I only got that after all day just catching nothin’ hardly. And then, finally, last night, I caught a little run there. I got a few chips. And then today, the blinds are so big that you can hardly lose a pot.”

Baxter’s run was then looking like it was coming to an end early on in Day 4.

“I just had a race for quite a bit of money just now,” Baxter said during the first break. “Ace-king against two sevens. And the door was the ace for me, and then (on the flop was) a seven.”

However, Baxter was able to rally back by winning a flip with ace-queen and then being on the right side of a preflop cooler to secure his spot for Day 5.

Editor & Live Reporter

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.

Every Texas Hold’em players loves looking down at their hole cards and seeing a pair of aces staring back. Why wouldn’t you? Aces are, after all, the strongest starting hand in Hold’em. However, some players have a favorite starting hand that is much weaker that “pocket rockets,” and WPT Global wants to know what those hands and is prepared to give two lucky PokerNews readers a free ticket to the Grand Slam worth $330.

Together with PokerNews, WPT Global is giving away two $330 tickets to the Grand Slam. All that you need to do is reply to the competition’s tweet, which is embedded below, with your WPT Global username and an answer to the question, “what is your favorite starting hand in poker?”

This fantastic promotion runs from June 26 through June 29, so you have plenty of time to get your entry in. Entries are limited to one per person, and you must have a real money WPT Global account to be eligible for the prize. A real money account is one that has had at least one deposit made into it since its creation.

Someone from the PokerNews social media team will randomly select two winning entries on June 29 and contact them. We will also announce the lucky winners in the PokerNews Discord Channel, one of the coolest corners of the internet!

What is the Grand Slam at WPT Global?

The Grand Slam is a relatively new addition to the bustling WPT Global tournament schedule. Costing $330 to enter and guaranteeing at least $20,000 will be won, the Grand Slam is one of the biggest and most exciting tournaments you can play online at WPT Global.

The Grand Slam shuffles up and deals every Sunday at 10:10 p.m. CET and for your $330, or you free ticket if you win one, you receive 20,000 starting chips, and play 10-minute levels starting at 25/50.

Check Out the Incredible WPT Global Welcome Offer

Those of you that do not have a WPT Global account can download WPT Global via PokerNews, and enjoy one of the most lucrative welcome packages in the online poker world. Not only do you receive a 100% up to $1,200 first deposit welcome bonus, which releases in $2.50 chunks for every $10 of rake you generate, but you can also walk away with up to $341 worth of free tournament tickets.

New players who make their first deposit at least $20 receive a ticket to the Mini Slam tournament worth $11 for free. Both new and existing customers who make a second $20+ deposit receive another free $11 Mini Slam ticket, for two tickets in total.

Should you wish to make a larger deposit, WPT Global will make it worth your while. Deposit $300 or more, and a free $110 Sunday Slam ticket is all yours. The $110 Sunday Slam takes place every Sunday, as its name suggests, and boasts a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool!

Really push the boat out and make a $1,200+ deposit to receive two $110 Sunday Slam tickets for nothing! Best of all, you receive all of the tickets from the lower tiers, meaning a $1,200 deposit awards you the grand total of an $11 Mini Slam and three $110 Sunday Slam tickets for free!

A man who is accused of brutally attacking his wife apparently won a World Series of Poker (WSOP) online bracelet on WSOP.com in Michigan last week.

Rudy Gavaldon, a 36-year-old from Traverse City, is currently awaiting trial in Grand Traverse County, Michigan from an alleged violent incident that took place on July 29, 2022. He faces felony charges of intent to commit murder and for being a habitual offender. In 2011, he pled guilty to larceny in a building and third-degree home invasion. He was sentenced to 11 months in jail and 36 months of probation.

PokerNews contacted the Grand Traverse Correctional facility to verify Gavaldon wasn’t in custody during the online bracelet event won June 18 under an account connected to his name and were told he hasn’t been in custody since August 2022 and is out while awaiting trial.

Rudy Gavaldon Among Michigan Online Bracelet Winners

The online poker account under the same name won WSOP.com Michigan online bracelet Event #3: $500 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo 6-Max for $20,193 using screen name “Flyheim86” (Galvadon was born in 1986). The tournament victory came 11 months after he was arrested and charged with allegedly brutally assaulting his wife, Lara Gavaldon.

For security reasons, WSOP.com does not release personal information about winners in the online bracelet events beyond name and place of residence. The only information available was that the winner’s name is Rudy Gavaldon and the city of residence is Traverse City, Michigan. From a public records search, there’s no one else with the same name in that town.

The win happened just six days after Gavaldon nearly claimed a WSOP Circuit ring. He finished third for $2,858 in the WSOP Online Circuit Series Event #12: $20,000 NLH PKO 6-Max.

Poker Player Facing Serious Charges

According to a police report, Gavaldon told officers upon their arrival at the crime scene at 12:05 a.m. on July 30, 2022, that his wife was dying and needed medical attention. Upon arrival, authorities discovered Galvadon walking in the roadway while carrying his child. His 28-year-old wife was discovered in their home and transported to a nearby hospital, and eventually med flighted downstate to Grand Rapids Hospital, with life-threatening injuries while he was taken into custody.

Galvadon “was lodged at the Grand Traverse County Jail for Assault with intent to commit murder,” the sheriff’s office stated. “Detectives have collected evidence and are continuing to investigate.”

A friend of the victim set up a GoFundMe to help the domestic violence victim cover medical bills and lost wages due to the assault. At present, she has received over $28,000 in donations with a goal of reaching $50,000.

The case against the accused domestic abuser was scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in the 13th District Court in Grand Traverse County on June 23. He was arraigned on June 9 and pled not guilty three days later.

Gavaldon’s online poker account also cashed in a $500 no-limit hold’em Michigan online bracelet event on June 4, a $1,242 score for 10th place. He doesn’t have any live tournament results, per Hendon Mob.

According to a post from Lara Gavaldon on her Instagram, her now ex-husband was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the assault. Photos show severe lacerations, bruises, and swelling of the right eye. She is currently in the process of getting fitted for a prosthetic eye.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time poker and the state of Michigan have made headlines in regard to a heinous crime. In 2020, Susie “Susie Q” Zhao, a Los Angeles-based pro who made several deep runs in the WSOP Main Event, was viciously murdered with the culprit ultimately being sentenced in 2022 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

PokerNews was unable to reach Gavaldon for comment.

*Featured image courtesy Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Department.

The 2023 Wynn Summer Classic began on May 25 and is scheduled to run through July 19. The series features 48 events offering a total of $28 million in guaranteed prize pools at Wynn Las Vegas.

The six-week festival will culminate with events such as the $10,500 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) Everyone for One Drop featuring a $10 million guarantee and the $111,000 buy-in WPT Alpha 8 for One Drop.

Among those to claim titles recently were Uri Kadosh ($1,100 PLO $200K GTD for $59,585), Anthony Hall ($1,600 NLH $2M GTD for $300,000), and Ravee Sundara ($1,100 5 Card PLO $100K GTD for $68,009).

Here’s a look at some other notable recent winners of the Wynn Summer Classic.

Check out the Wynn Poker Room review here on PokerNews!

Brandon Mitchell Last Player Standing in 3,737-Entrant Field

The $1,100 NLH $1.5M GTD event attracted a massive field of 3,737 entrants over four starting flights to generate a prize pool of $3,624,890 paid to the top 408 finishers.

At the end of the three-day event, Brandon Mitchell was the only player remaining and won the trophy and $327,817. Mitchell multiplied his total live tournament earnings by a factor of more than ten according to the Hendon Mob.

Mitchell navigated a final table that included Richard Kirsch (2nd – $232,558), Yanki Koppel (3rd – $188,436), and Chad Lipton (7th – 55,237), who would claim a Wynn trophy just a week later when he won the $1,100 NLH $200K GTD for $86,319 on June 16. Popular vlogger Ethan “Rampage” Yau just missed out on the final table as he fell in 10th place.

$1,100 NLH $1.5M GTD Final Table Results

Sonny Franco Takes Down $1,100 NLH Turbo $100K GTD

On June 16, $1,100 NLH Turbo $100K GTD saw 180 entrants battle it out on the felt for a piece of the $176,400 prize pool paid out to the top 20 finishers.

In the end, France’s Sonny Franco took home the trophy and $48,794 when he defeated Pierce McKellar in heads-up play. Franco returned the following day and attempted to repeat the feat in a tournament of the same format, but he ultimately fell in 15th for $3,182 in that event.

$1,100 NLH Turbo $100K GTD Final Table Results

Get to Know Jeremy Becker, the Man Who Has Won Eight Wynn Tournaments in a Month

Ryan Awwad Victorious in $550 NLH $100K GTD

The $550 NLH $100K GTD event on June 15 attracted 661 entrants and created a prize pool of $317,280 shared between the top 71 places.

Among those who cashed in the tournament but fell short of the final table include Jeff “Boski” Sluzinski (21st – $2,542), Jack McClelland (58th – $1,312), and Hayley Hanna (64th – $1,193).

The lion’s share of the prize pool went to Ryan Awwad, who won $60,124 for his victory after he defeated Eden Anzio in heads-up play.

$550 NLH $100K GTD Final Table Results

2023 Wynn Summer Classic Winners Thus Far