WSOP Event #53 – The Millionaire Maker, was always going to be one of the most interesting events of the summer, as it guaranteed to make at least one player a millionaire, despite the very affordable $1,500 entry fee.
The tournament ended up attracting 11,996 entrants and creating a massive prize pool of nearly $16 million, which meant both the winner and the runner up would win in excess of a million dollars for their efforts.
Once the players were down to the final table, news emerged that one of the remaining players, Jesse Yaginuma, was still in contention to win another million dollars, as a result of a ClubWPT Gold promotion.
The four-time WSOP champion won his seat in the event through a ClubWPT qualifier, and the rules of the promotion stated that if he can go on to win the event, he would receive a check for one million dollars.
This was the second time this summer that a player was in contention for the extra prize, as qualifier Michael Lavin won his million earlier in the summer for taking down Event #20 – $1,500 Shootout.
Jesse was able to work his way down to final two players, and this is where the controversy started.
Despite eventually winning the event, Jesse is yet to receive his gold bracelet, or the $1.3 million first-place prize, as World Series of Poker has put the event under investigation over cheating allegations.
Was There Cheating in the Millionaire Maker?
Jesse Yaginuma and James Caroll, the top two finishers in the Millionaire Maker event, have been accused of colluding during heads-up play in the event.
The pair started their heads up match with Caroll holding a massive chip lead and seemingly having the bracelet locked up.
Of course, we have seen plenty of big heads up upsets in the past, but not a single one of them ever occurred without a single showdown.
Caroll and Yaginuma came back from a protracted break they took before their heads up duel, and played one of the most bizarre heads up matches ever seen at the WSOP.
A series of unusual raises, folds, and calls went down, before Yaginuma eventually overtook the chip lead and grinded his opponent down, without ever winning a single big pot at showdown.
It was almost as if the two had agreed for Caroll to allow Yaginuma to win, and that’s most likely because they did!
With an extra million dollars up for grabs in Yaginuma won, both players had a massive incentive to “collude,” assuming they would chop up the profits, as both could make significantly more money that way.
After seeing the match on live stream, many in the poker community cried “cheating,” as it was fairly apparent Caroll had no intention of winning.
The incident brought up some interesting questions, and WSOP responded by putting the event under investigation, as they look into the cheating allegations against the two players.
Prominent Figures in Poker Speak Up
With millions of dollars, a gold bracelet, and the reputation of WSOP on the line, many key figures in the poker world stepped up and spoke their mind about the incident.
Last year’s WSOP Player of the Year Scott Seiver was among the first to do so, as he took the side of the players over a “multi billion dollar private equity firm” and announced anyone who disagrees should be ignored for eternity.
A similar sentiment was shadowed by Patrick Leonard, who said: “Please stop talking about the integrity. The tournament was over, deals happen all the time. Not a single participant was affected AT ALL.”
Even Mike “The Mouth” Matusow took to X and took the side of the players, reminding the poker world that poker players should be allowed to make any deals they want during heads up play.
For the most part, the poker community seems united in the idea that players should be paid their money, as no third side was affected by their decisions, and heads up deals are very common in tournament poker.
ClubWPT Gold, the only party that could potentially protest, immediately congratulated Jesse on winning the million dollar prize, and the operator’s ambassador Doug Polk announced in his most recent video that players would get pair by the company regardless of WSOP’s decision.
Who Is In the Right?
While a good chunk of the professional poker community openly spoke in favor of the players, the incident remains under scrutiny by the WSOP for the time being.
As no third party was affected by the players’ decisions in heads up play, it seems that the decision should be fairly straightforward, and that players should be paid their money.
The only possible alternative, which would be disqualifying both players from the event, would be outrageous, as the two made it down to heads up play without any collusion.
As such, the only question that remains is who should get the bracelet and the first-place prize, and who should be awarded second. If a deal was struck between the two, this seems like a fairly inconsequential decision, meaning WSOP should make a decision quickly and allow the players to enjoy the spoils of their victory.
