WSOP Cheating
Barbara Yoon
SM 7 STUD wrote:
> Err...I could not find the old issue of Card Player that details the
> Maria Stern incident. From what I can barely remember, it didn't
> go into great detail anyway. Could someone please post a
> description of what actually happened and her comments.
Essentially it was that when the WSOP $1,500 seven-card stud event
got down to the last two contestants, Maria Stern and Adam Roberts,
they made a deal with each other -- more prize money for Roberts, the
title for Stern. The Card Player magazine publisher (a WSOP winner
herself) was appalled, characterizing it as "seriously wrong," and
Mike Caro blasted it for its effects on the spirit and image of poker
competition. And Stern, upon later reflection, sincerely criticized herself
(in Card Player interview); "I regret making the deal for the title and would
not do so again in a similar situation. I made a poor choice for which I feel
great remorse. I hope that acknowledging my mistake will keep someone
else from making the same error. It was the wrong thing to do...I hope that
a deal for the title never happens again." Stern's unsavory little deal there,
while not really "cheating," seems to have been mostly just an unfortunate
"stupid attack" in the heat of World Series competition...
Maverick
On 1 Dec 1997, SM 7 STUD wrote:
> Err............I could not find the old issue of Card Player that details the
> Maria Stern incident. From what I can barely remember,it didn't go into great
> detail anyway. Could someone please post a description of what actually
> happened and her comments.
I don't remember all the specifics of that article, but I came away from
reading Linda Johnson's editorial about that incident with the feeling
that she let Maria Stern write it for her. It was nothing more than
Stern's excuse for why she cheated. At least that's how I remember it.
Maverick
On 1 Dec 1997, AaMarkHays wrote:
> Let's not forget "the rest of the story" Barbara. After the deal was made
> these players proceeded to come out of the deal room and play enough hands to
> try and legitimize the whole thing. It was Tom Sims who first raised the
> question of Adam Roberts losing EVERY SINGLE HAND WITHOUT A SHOWDOWN after they
Now let's be fair AaMarkHays...it wasn't EVERY single hand...it was more
like 38 out of 41.
> came out of the deal room. Barbara, you have repeatedly stated that this is
> not cheating. I have always been under the impression that passing tournament
> chips to another player by deliberately losing hands IS cheating. Wasn't there
> an incident at a Peppermill tournament where a player was ejected for this
> very thing?
>
> Also, is it a "stupid attack" when you are so much aware that what you are
> doing is wrong that you feel the need to try and cover it up? If Roberts and
> Stern had come out of the deal room and announced that Stern was the winner
> there would have been a debate over whether or not this was appropriate, but
> there would have been little or no reflection on the honesty of either player.
> It is the attempted coverup that was so reprehensible.
>
> Last rant. Stern has gotten the lion's share of criticizism for this affair.
> What the hell about Roberts? His part in the affair was equal and he deserves
> equal condemnation.
>
> Mark
>
>
> They either fear their fate too much,
> For their desserts are small,
> Who dare not put it to the touch,
> To win or lose it all.
>
>
SM 7 STUD
Err............I could not find the old issue of Card Player that details the
Maria Stern incident. From what I can barely remember,it didn't go into great
detail anyway. Could someone please post a description of what actually
happened and her comments.
going out of their way to catch cheaters, then we might see poker dropped from
many casinos.(costs involved) But the casinos/cardrooms that were on this
"list" would do a tremendous amount of additional buisness in the future. Word
travels fast here and wouldn't you much rather be in a more "safe" setting?
Fold in turn.........
Scott
AaMarkHays
Barbara Yoon wrote:
>Essentially it was that when the WSOP $1,500 seven-card stud event
>got down to the last two contestants, Maria Stern and Adam Roberts,
>they made a deal with each other -- more prize money for Roberts, the
>title for Stern. The Card Player magazine publisher (a WSOP winner
>herself) was appalled, characterizing it as "seriously wrong," and
>Mike Caro blasted it for its effects on the spirit and image of poker
>competition. And Stern, upon later reflection, sincerely criticized herself
>(in Card Player interview); "I regret making the deal for the title and would
>not do so again in a similar situation. I made a poor choice for which I
>feel
>great remorse. I hope that acknowledging my mistake will keep someone
>else from making the same error. It was the wrong thing to do...I hope that
>a deal for the title never happens again." Stern's unsavory little deal
>there,
>while not really "cheating," seems to have been mostly just an unfortunate
>"stupid attack" in the heat of World Series competition...
Let's not forget "the rest of the story" Barbara. After the deal was made
these players proceeded to come out of the deal room and play enough hands to
try and legitimize the whole thing. It was Tom Sims who first raised the
question of Adam Roberts losing EVERY SINGLE HAND WITHOUT A SHOWDOWN after they
sh...@asu.uswest.net
>On 1 Dec 1997, SM 7 STUD wrote:
>> Err............I could not find the old issue of Card Player that details the
>> Maria Stern incident. From what I can barely remember,it didn't go into great
>> detail anyway. Could someone please post a description of what actually
>> happened and her comments.
>
>I don't remember all the specifics of that article, but I came away from
>reading Linda Johnson's editorial about that incident with the feeling
>that she let Maria Stern write it for her. It was nothing more than
>Stern's excuse for why she cheated. At least that's how I remember it.
My two cents. . .
I'm not really a poker player and have only read about four issues of
Card Player. The issue with Johnson's editorial about this WSOP
trouble was actually the first issue I ever read. Not knowing
WSOP/poker table decorum, I didn't form a strong opinion on the
matter.
I browsed through this newsgroup a few days ago and this thread caught
my eye. So, FWIW, as a fresh-faced newbie to CP and dealmaking, I
*definitely* got the impression from Johnson's piece that this
Stern/Roberts thing was lamentable, but not really a big deal. It was
really sympathetic. In no way did I infer that the poker community
might be this outraged. If others like me had a similar reaction,
then that editorial was very subtle and influential.
It's the nature of the beast in all media outlets, I guess. One
poster remarked that somehow the national news media has remained
above this problem. This ain't so. A great book, _Unreliable
Sources_, illuminates this problem very well, and might shed some
light and understanding on the predicament that CP is in.
-Rob Vega
J AND SCAR
write cardplayer mag,