There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Dominik Nitsche having a laptop in the spectator area and "coaching" Jonathan Tamayo during the Final 3 of the 2024 WSOP Main Event.
The debate intensified when Nitsche tweeted, "The best part of having a piece win the main is definitely the money. But the 2nd best part is how mad the biggest dipshits on twitter get when they see someone using a laptop on the rail."
Alan Keating, a high-stakes cash game player and star of Hustler Casino Live, is among those who disagree with this practice.
(Alan Keating)
Keating twitted "I can’t comment on whatever is on that laptop, but I will share that I was with a dozen friends last night watching the final table playing on the background and not a single one of them thought whatever is on that laptop was tasteful or within the spirit of the game. I’m glad y’all won money for yourselves but the experience we had watching reinforced the idea that tournament poker isn’t for us."
"If poker needs recreational players, then there's a need to produce an environment where the average recreational player believes that they have a decent enough chance of winning," Vincent Robinson (@pokervincent) responded.
"Rails are for cheering, not for solving," @Bquadrant argues.
Se7en (@pressthe7) :“There should be zero ‘coaching’ at the FT, it’s not a tag team event or a team effort. Solvers should be nowhere near any tournament or cash table nor allowed on a casino floor at all, let alone on the fucking rail in the most ‘prestigious’ event in poker with 8 figures on the line. The nerds are ruining the game as they always have. I’ll throw in PokerGo pay walling it is equally as bad for the game, needs to be on ESPN with no nerds with laptops.”. Collion Capone also weighed in “Poker is a team game now?”
Andreas Froehli, another verified account, commented, "There was no in between hands solving in tournament area all summer with GTO Wizard being banned. You can see the double standard, right?"
(Spectators captured images of Nitsche's laptop screen as well as his discussion with Tamayo.)
Other neutral opinions suggest that since WSOP doesn't explicitly prohibit it, Nitsche's actions don't constitute cheating. However, it seems the WSOP organizers will need to revise their rules for the coming years.
"Look man, they're playing for $10 million. They're going to do anything within the rules to win. If you don't like it then complain to the organizers," @APAP74902546 tweeted at Keating.
"You speak with the privilege of someone who plays poker for fun, but has absolutely no burden or obligation to make a profit," writes @MagicJourney69, taking a shot at Keating.”
(Dominik Nitsche, the focal point of the drama)
Nitsche also fired back on Keating's tweet regarding the issue:
“what's funny is that you acting like an absolute clown on stream to get whale action in private games isn't exactly anyonen's definition of "spirit of the game" either. i prefer competing over sucking up to rich guys”.
Nitsche continued when Alan said “You know nothing of what you speak.".
“Exactly. If tourney poker isn't for you that's cool. Don't play. Don't hate on people trying their hardest to make life changing money for them and their friends in the biggest spots of their lives. (Public MTT)Poker is thriving because it's a competitive game”.
Clearly, both want to develop the game in different ways. Keating is concerned about how this will affect recreational players, while Nitsche focuses on helping poker players improve their game. They represent two extremes of the game – one (Nitsche) following a GTO approach in tournaments, and the other (Keating) playing with an 80% VPIP in most cash game tables.
What do the top players in the world have to say?
Fedor Holz has spoken out on the issue, and it seems he sides with Keating rather than his fellow countryman, Nitsche.
He shared, "I think this will be bad for the game when players go to the spectator area to check charts, look at solver simulations, or get advice from those tools. I believe that's not part of the game. I hope the rules will be changed next year."
Another reputable name, Daniel Negreanu, weighed in with his opinion: "Based on my understanding, looking at solvers or charts in playing is not allowed. Some else running solvers and then tell you in between hands also should not be allowed."
Opinions on this issue continue to be lively on social media X. What are your thoughts on the matter? In any case, Jonathan Tamayo remains the 2024 World Champion, and he did not violate any rules to achieve this victory.
