Poker Night in America Robbery Joke Gone Wrong

A commentator’s robbery joke on Poker Night in America went badly wrong this week, resulting in a Twitter backlash led by last year’s WSOP Main Event runner-up Tony Miles…

As a professional I feel disappointed that a commentator would suggest that people follow my friend home from a high stakes game and rob him. It’s a scary world we live in and people should never be incited to behave violently. What do you guys think 🤔pic.twitter.com/L53XC4Airw

— Tony Miles (@Lost_Fr33quenCz) August 10, 2019

Jesse Abramowitz, speaking of Miles’ friend Quinn Bruno, joked: “Oh my god, we should all just follow this guy home and just rob him…who’s onboard?”

The throwaway comment came from Abramowitz during the six-hour live-streamed $25/50NL PNiA cash game from the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Robbery Joke Going Too Far?

There were plenty of poker players who were taken aback by the ‘joke’. However, including those who had actually been attacked after leaving poker events…

I got followed home and robbed from a high stakes cash game. 4 vs 1 and they had weapons, this shit happens. pic.twitter.com/0m7nWGRZY9

— Jody Fayant (@IamJoFay) August 11, 2019

Attacks on poker players are very common. As we reported just over a month ago, Joe Salvaggio was robbed at gunpoint in the Rio car park, the attacker making off with Salvaggio’s $10,000 Main Event buy-in, the victim describing it as the “scariest moment of my life”.

Just got robbed at gunpoint at @wsop Pavilion parking lot of the Rio.Guy jumped out of car in camouflage, shoved a gun in my face and demanded my backpack with thousands in it and the keys to my car. scariest moment of my life #wsop2019#wsop@CaesarsEnt retweet for awareness.

— JoeySal (@JoeSalOG) July 1, 2019

Aussie player and industry stalwart Gigi Fab reminded the Twitter crowd of the devastating repercussions of assaults on poker players, her friend stabbed this year after leaving a casino in Queensland…

I’m trying my hardest to see this as an unfortunate bad joke by him but I can’t. Not when I have to talk nightly with my friend through his suicidal tendencies after he was seriously assaulted &robbed after poker. Severe lacerations to his face and 5”in stab wound in his chest.

— Gigi Fabulous (@GiigiiFabulous) August 10, 2019

Several Attacks on Poker Players

…and the poker community will recall the shooting of Tom 3betpanda Steinbach last year. The young pro was very lucky to survive after being the victim of a robbery gone wrong outside the Texas Card House.

There have, of course, been countless other attacks and robberies of poker players over the years. Jungleman Dan Cates was seen on Joe Ingram’s podcast sporting a black eye just a couple of months ago, having been assaulted and robbed on the streets of Las Vegas…

No real surprise, then, that Jesse Abramowitz’s intended joke was so quickly shot down as being inappropriate and offensive. There’s a time and a place for jokes, and this wasn’t it’, being the most common refrain.
However, there were those who felt that Jesse was being dealt with too harshly by the masses…

As a professional, it’s disappointing for people to go straight to social media and put up a 10 second clip from a 6 hour stream and have people shit on them, instead of maybe reaching out to them privately and god forbid having a conversation. https://t.co/zAiTdEsGbn

— Anna (@BonaFideAnna) August 11, 2019

…and although Abramowitz himself took some convincing that he was out of line, the commentator himself eventually realized the gravity of the offense he had given.

“I was way out of touch with that particular subject matter, 100%”, he admitted, coming out with a heartfelt apology…

My apology and thoughts on tonight’s livestream.

cc: @Lost_Fr33quenCz@JoeSalOG@PokerNightTV Quinn Bruno @shaundeebpic.twitter.com/jxEEbGVDiS

— JesseCallsPoker (@JesseCallsPoker) August 10, 2019

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