Life of Poker Player Will Kassouf: Wealth, Biggest Gains, Biggest Losses, and Private Life

Kassouf

Briton Will Kassouf plays poker professionally. It was on December 19th, 1981 when he was born.

He is well known for his repetitive practice of speaking through hands while playing live, which he likes to refer to as his “speech play.” This undoubtedly helped him gain a lot of attention, particularly during his long run in the well-reported 2016 WSOP Main Event. He acquired a lot of admirers as well as detractors as a result. Some people demanded punishment for him because they claimed that some of his actions violated the WSOP’s rules.

He would often say, “9-high like a boss! “, which made a famous bluff in the 2016 WSOP Main Event and has become ingrained in the collective consciousness of the internet poker community.

Kassouf has earned $1.450 million through live competitions. He won the €1,100 Irish Poker Masters Online Main Event on partypoker in December 2020 for €215,000.

Unfortunately, his 2018 chip palming controversy has severely damaged his reputation.

Important Career Dates

2013: He gave up practicing law to pursue a career as a professional poker player.

In the WSOP Main Event in 2016, he makes a strong showing before busting out in 17th place for $338,288. He draws a lot of media attention because of his constant table banter.

2016: He earns €532,500 by winning the €10,000 EPT High Roller in Prague. That represents his career’s largest single live tournament winnings to date.

2020: He takes home €215,000 after winning the €1,100 Irish Poker Open Online Main Event on partypoker.

Will Kassouf Carrer

Starting points

Kassouf was a lawyer who worked in London. He frequently visited the Grosvenor Casino, sometimes known as The Victoria or just “The Vic,” to engage in low-stakes cash games and tournaments.

Kassouf’s poker profits grew over time, which inevitably led to him playing for higher stakes. He also practiced using his table talk to influence his opponents during this time.

His own website’s bio page states that he decided to abandon his work as a lawyer and pursue a career in poker in 2013.

Live competitions

According to Kassouf’s Hendon profile, he has earned $1.450 million in live competitions throughout his career. This total is the result of exactly 100 ITM finishes during 11 years.

His profile’s first monetary transaction dates back to January 2009. He earned £1,760 for finishing 21st in the $1,060 NLHE Main Event at the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour’s inaugural Brighton stop. According to his website bio, Kassouf has previously participated in several untracked modest buy-in tournaments in London.

The very next time he won money, in April 2009, was also his first live tournament score of over $100,000. In the €3,200 NLHE Main Event at the PaddyPower Irish Poker Open in Dublin, Ireland, Kassouf placed sixth. He received €100,800, or almost $134,000 at the time.

He delivered cash from low and mid-stakes tournaments in England, Ireland, and occasionally the US throughout the following two years. His huge break occurred in the 2016 WSOP Main Event, as we have discussed; we’ll talk more about that later.

Kassouf had a very productive year overall in 2016.

In Nottingham’s renowned Dusk Till Dawn poker facility in September 2016, he placed second in the £550 NLHE Deepstack tournament for £30,000 as part of the September Deepstack series.

He took home €532,500 in December 2016 after winning the €10,300 High Roller European Poker Tour (EPT) event in Prague. His highest score in a live tournament to date is that one.

Will Kassouf at Poker’s World Series of Poker

Kassouf gained notoriety in 2016 after finishing 17th in the WSOP Main Event for $338,288.

He played in a lot of noteworthy hands throughout his deep run thanks to his distinctive “speaking play.” The most well-known incident of it is probably when he bluffed Stacey Matuson with 9-high off of an overpair. That’s when he said “9-high like a boss!” which went on to become his catchphrase. ”

He did, however, incur a one-round punishment and a reprimand from WSOP tournament director Jack Effel following his successful bluff.

He also achieved success in the €10,350 WSOP Europe Main Event in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, the following year, in 2017. He ultimately lost €16,710 in the 64th position.

Kassouf has earned $371,136 in earnings from 7 World Series cashes overall.

Will Kassouf on Live Money Games

Kassouf began his poker career by participating in low-stakes cash games and tournaments at Grosvenor Casino, The Victoria in London, as we mentioned previously.

Kassouf made an appearance on a Live at the Bike stream in September 2017 and participated in a $5/$10 No Limit Hold’em cash game session.

He flipped Quad 6s against Derek’s complete house on the webcast. He “tanked” for three minutes on the river, claiming to be debating folding the nuts, to make matters worse for his unfortunate opponent. Before Kassouf showed his hand, another player at the table recommended he fold the 6 of Spades.

Poker players that engage in this style of showboating are known as “slow rollers” and are thought to be quite disrespectful. Even yet, some players, notably Kassouf and Shaun Deeb, think it’s just a little harmless fun and frequently engage in it when the occasion arises.

Internet poker

Kassouf was never a true online grinder; he has no well-known accounts with a ton of publicly available MTT or cash game winnings.

He also made a significant online profit in 2020, when all poker was forced to relocate online owing to the deadly Coronavirus outbreak.

Through a €109 satellite, Kassouf qualified for the €1,100 Main Event at the Irish Poker Online on partypoker. Then he managed to defeat 202 competitors and win the €215,163 first prize.

Will Kassouf Scandals

His “speech play” has received frequent criticism.

Everyone in the poker world isn’t happy with Kassouf’s original speech play.

Many people think his gimmick routinely transgresses accepted poker clubhouse rules. As shown in the clip from the 2016 WSOP up top, “talk that impacts action” is prohibited in the World Series. Sharing details of a player’s hand while it is still active is undoubtedly prohibited in the majority of poker rooms in the US and Europe.

At the table during the 2016 Main, Kassouf got into another noteworthy argument regarding his propensity for talking nonstop. Griffin Benger, a Canadian professional, lashed out at Kassouf this time, labeling his banter “verbal abuse.”

Unfortunately, Kassouf’s Main Event run came to an end with that hand.

His scandalous chip-palming

Kassouf’s enemy Shaun Deeb, who claims the British national hit on Deeb’s wife, revealed on Twitter in September 2018 that Kassouf had been caught taking a £100 chip from a buddy.

The accusations state that Kassouf and his group were intoxicated and gambling at the Grosvenor Leeds Watergate Casino. One of the group’s members won big at roulette, taking home $2,800. Kassouf decided to bury a £100 chip in his palm as he was getting the payment and enjoying himself.

Deeb’s assertions were initially met with skepticism by the online poker community, especially in light of their history of hostility. On Facebook, one of the friends in the group, however, stepped forward to validate the information. Soon, Kassouf himself acknowledged the error and expressed regret.

He ultimately lost his sponsorship with Grosvenor’s as a result of this.