Those who have been playing the game long enough will probably remember Russ Hamilton and the role he played at the Ultimate Bet scandal – an incident that marked his reputation far more deeply than his victory at the 2004 WSOP Main Event ever did. Most people have gotten over that incident and moved on with their lives, but it is totally unavoidable to dredge up old grudges when a blatant reminder is shoved under their noses. This is exactly what happened with Slifdog, a member of the popular poker forums, TwoPlusTwo. Apparently, he and a friend of his managed to provoke one of “Poker’s Most Wanted” into a raging outburst, complete with the hurling of rather potent obscenities.
A Not so Friendly Game
The whole affair began when Slifdog and his friend went to play at Gulfstream Park, a place well known for their poker games and also real money slots. They went straight for the $5/$10/$20 No Limit Hold’em Tables and saw a guy who had well over $10,000. They went to sit with the said player, only to see that it was actually Russ Hamilton. Slifdog’s friend, not one to pull punches, told Hamilton that he was “karmically screwed” because of the things that he did at Ultimate Bet. If you can still remember – and let me tell you, it’s pretty hard to forget – Hamilton was the alleged mastermind of the UB scandal, and he managed to steal over $20 million dollars from several players, draining the bankrolls of many, even some big poker pros, through the use of a special program.
Hamilton is a living, breathing example of why poker should be regulated – and soon. No charges were filed against him because the law didn’t know better back then – still doesn’t even now – and that’s why he’s still walking around and playing at poker rooms such as Gulfstream Park. Slifdog and his friend decided to mete out some much deserved punishment through a few barbs – one of which involved telling him that poker is a “tougher game when you cannot see your opponent’s cards.” That remark was the one that finally set Hamilton off.
Hamilton’s Outburst
Any sort of explaining will no doubt dilute the potency of Hamilton’s outburst, so let me give it to you ‘raw’, exactly as Slifdog quoted:
“You are a f—ing d-ck… a f—ing d-ck. If you believe everything you read, you are just stupid, just a stupid f—ing d-ick. You do not know what you are talking about’ you were not there. You just read about it and think you know.”
I’m pretty sure you can fill the blanks from there. Anyway, after that outburst, the management came to talk to Slifdog’s friend and asked him to stop provoking Hamilton. Billy, Slifdog’s friend, said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear that he didn’t want to play in a place that catered to ‘cheaters’ like Hamilton in the first place, and promptly stormed out of the establishment.
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