The World Series of Poker Europe festival has just wrapped up at King’s Casino in Rozvadov, with Marti Roca de Torres winning the Main Event and Chris Ferguson clinching 2017 WSOP Player of the Year honors. But the talk of the poker world has been centered on King’s owner Leon Tsoukernik, who has filed a counter-suit against Australian pro Matt Kirk over an alleged $2-million poker debt. Kirk says Tsoukernik owes him the money after losing $3 million in heads-up play at the Aria this past May; Tsoukernik says he was intoxicated and taken advantage of by both Kirk and the Aria.
A third party weighed in on Sunday with his take on the events, and the details are very juicy indeed. Rob Yong, owner of the acclaimed Dusk Till Dawn poker room in Nottingham, posted on his blog that he was at the game in question before going to bed, then spoke with Kirk afterward. According to Yong, Kirk was concerned about playing against Tsoukernik while he was incapacitated but didn’t want to “hit and run” the VIP casino owner. Then Yong brokered an agreement between the two players that would see Tsoukernik pay $2 million of his losses, with Kirk putting the remaining $1 million back on the table for another heads-up session.
That’s where things appeared to fall off the rails. Shortly afterward, Kirk told Yong the deal was off, having spoken to someone on the phone – possibly his backer – and that the situation was “out of his hands.” Tsoukernik was incensed, and things degenerated from there. Yong says he’ll provide the same account to the courts if it gets that far. Stay tuned to Bovada Poker for more as this story progresses.
M Resort Robbed; Pastor in Custody
More details have been learned about last month’s robbery attempt at the M Resort Spa Casino in Henderson, just off the Las Vegas Strip. According to reports from KTNV, police say they arrested Gregory Bolusan and charged him with burglary, attempted robbery, and robbery for the October 28 incident. The reports say Bolusan is a senior pastor at Grace Bible Church Las Vegas, and this was his third attempt at robbing the M Resort over the past three months; Bolusan was apparently wearing the same clothes in all three attempts, driving the same car and parking it in the same spot.
Check out last week’s poker news here.