Annoying, loud, obnoxious, or just flat-out offensive, here’s our top 5 countdown of the most toxic poker players that nobody wants at their table.
#5 Luke Vrabel
Perhaps better-known to some as “SlayAbides” on poker Twitter, Luke Vrabel finally had his Twitter/X account locked after launching multiple vitriolic and misogynistic attacks.
Vrabel, who was also given a 5-year WSOP ban back in 2017 after offensive behaviour in that year’s Colossus event, also attacked others after a row erupted surrounding Jami Lafay’s cancer GoFundMe.
“In the last hour he’s called me an ‘asshole’, a ‘fucking joke,’ an ‘utter bullshit artist,’ and told me to ‘fuck right off,” tweeted @thegroupie”.
On and off the table, Vrabel is one of poker’s nut-low players, Ike Haxton telling him: “I think you should stop insulting everyone and pissing off even the people who like you.”
#4 Justin Bonomo
You don’t have to be a William Kassouf-type loudmouth to get yourself a bad name, as our next two entrants to the Toxic Hall of Fame show.
Politically, Bonomo is a modern left-leaning player in a predominantly right-leaning arena and his outspoken nature is never going to endear him to the masses.
The Israel-Palestine conflict was the scene of his latest controversial outpouring, Doug Polk picking him up for seemingly dismissing rape and murder…
Right or wrong (and Bonomo replied calling Polk an “ignorant, slandering piece of shit,” the pink-haired crusher certainly has a habit of rubbing people up the wrong way.
#3 Dan Smith
Another player who doesn’t look like they will do much damage, card-playing skills aside, but “Cowboy Dan” has been involved in a couple of high-profile incidents this past year.
Jason Koon pulled him up about his behaviour after Smith asked for some quiet at the table, even going so far as to call Smith “obnoxious”.
Dan smith ask table to “get a moment”(for the table to stop talking)while thinking pre in a single raise pot. Jason calls him out for doing this all the time. Things are heating up at the 100k main! pic.twitter.com/HdN7arX8Z9
— Pokerguru740 (@RobKuhn_) May 22, 2023
An unexpected clash for sure and we’ll meet Dan Smith again soon when we reach our “Most Toxic Player of the year” winner!
#2 William Kassouf
You can’t really have a “most toxic” list without English motormouth William Kassouf on it and this year it was perhaps his reputation rather than his behaviour that earns him a spot.
Notorious for his “nine high like a boss” tag and the infamous “check your privilege” WSOP battle with Griffin Benger, this time Kassouf was accused of running off with his chips when losing a cash-game pot at the Irish Open.
Just wow! https://t.co/Ng2iN4xFoc pic.twitter.com/FN76VKenrW
— David Lappin (@dklappin) April 11, 2023
Kassouf refuted this version of events, stating: “Contrary to the vicious rumours and allegations against me, neither did I take any chips from the table nor did I run out of the poker room… I did absolutely nothing wrong, and the allegations are completely false.”
Whatever the truth of the matter, it’s probably the first time anyone has complained about Kassouf leaving their table.
#1 Martin Kabrhel
There can be only one and this year’s winner of “Most Toxic Player” just has to go to highstakes Czech pro, Martin Kabrhel.
The setting was the $250k buy-in Super High Roller Bowl at the WSOP in Vegas and Kabrhel not only managed to piss everyone off with his behaviour, but also found himself on the wrong end of multiple cheating accusations…
Dan Smith (@DanSmithHolla) had some choice words for Martin Kabrhel (@martinkabrhell) after his elimination from the $250,000 Super High Roller Bowl.
– Watch live here: https://t.co/InAL0tkRzV pic.twitter.com/qoNU9e8qnm
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) June 19, 2023
Claiming that Kabrhel “should be banned”, Smith stated: “Martin’s antics at the table are worse than anyone that I’ve played with… playing with him is unbelievably unpleasant. He’s rude, he takes the full thirty seconds every time…”
Toxic for sure, but Kabrhel was incensed at the cheating accusations, launching legal action against Smith, as well as his other main detractors: Andrew Robl, Chance Kornuth, and Justin Bonomo, as well as PokerGO.
So, there you have it, the most toxic players of 2023! What do you think of our top 5? Wrong order? Anyone we missed? Let us know on our social media!
- Get the best rakeback deals
- See the best poker promotions
- View the latest poker news
- Get the best No Deposit Poker Bonuses
- Benefit from the biggest poker bonus
- Watch more poker videos
- Calculate your rakeback with the rakeback calculator
- Watch the best Twitch Poker streamers
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Please gamble responsibly! Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, visit www.begambleaware.org
