The latest poker video to go viral comes from the recently completed PaddyPoker Irish Open. You’ve probably already seen it, or at least heard about it. It comes from the final table and has been described as the biggest slowroll of all time. The ultimate slowroll.
The infamous hand started with Irish poker legend Don O’Dea raising with {Ac}{6c} and the short-stacked German Andreas Gann making the call in the small blind with {Kd}{Qd} with a stack of just five big blinds. The fact that Gann called in this spot, with this stack, already gives us a clue that he’s not exactly a poker pro.
The flop landed {Ad}{6d}{8d} giving O’Dea two pair and Gann the nut flush. Gann checked it over to O’Dea who quickly bet enough to put Gann all in. This is where things got messy.
It should’ve been an instant call from Gann with the nuts but for some inexplicable reason, Gann would deliberate for over one minute before making the call.
The commentators on the live webcast were outraged, as were the players at the table when the cards were turned over, while the fans watching the final table on the rail started booing!
What happened next was a thing of beauty as the {7c} turn was followed by a {6h} river to give O’Dea a spectacular full house to eliminate the slowrolling Gann from the tournament much to the delight of the poker universe. Poker justice was served.
Watch it for yourself right here:
Now the question is, why would someone even slowroll like that? It’s commonly known as the worst thing you can do to someone in terms of poker etiquette. So why would this German amateur take this moment in time, on a rather significant final table, to attempt a slowroll for the ages?
Over the last few days the worldwide poker community has erupted in outrage at Gann’s actions. Even the commentators were all over him, calling the behaviour “disgraceful”, “horrendous” and “appalling”. And if he was deliberately slowrolling, then their comments would be entirely justified.
But when I first watched the footage, I just couldn’t see how this guy would’ve done this deliberately.
My first thought was that he misread his hand. Perhaps he thought he only had a king or queen of diamonds to gamble with a flush draw. However after some further exploring it turns out that wasn’t the case.
It turns out that Gann’s defence was that he simply didn’t understand that slowrolling was bad etiquette. He told people at the event that he was simply trying to make things exciting for his friends and family following on the broadcast back home in Germany.
When it was explained to him that he’d committed the most offensive crime possible at a poker table he was quick to return to the final table set and apologize to O’Dea and the table.
So is it fair that the internet has completely slammed this obvious amateur player over something that was seemingly an innocent mistake?
If his actions were deliberate then of course it would be the worst slowroll of all time, but it seems pretty clear that wasn’t his intention. The reality is that I see slowrolls with more intent every time I sit down at a table in Macau.
I think we need to remember that we were all beginners once. We all made mistakes at the table. Sure, some of ours were a lot worse than a huge slowroll on an internationally broadcast final table, but if we had the entire poker world hurl abuse at us for our early mistakes then we may not have played poker ever again. And that would be a shame.
It all comes back to us all taking some responsibility for educating, assisting and nurturing new players in poker if we want the game to survive and thrive. Hurling abuse at a new player who makes a mistake at the table, isn’t going to keep new players in the game.
Slowroll or misunderstanding? What’s your verdict?
For the record, the Irish Open would eventually be won by Greek player Ioannis Triantafyllakis who took home €209,500 after a heads-up deal with Irishman Kevin Killeen. O’Dea would finish in 3rd place for €111,750 while Gann collected €26,750 and a rather unfortunate place in poker folklore for his 8th place finish.
Follow Heath "TassieDevil" Chick on Twitter @_TassieDevil_
