The most recent controversy that sparked some discussion within the poker community had none other than Doug Polk, a Lodge Card Club co-owner, at the center.
Over the last few days, there was a big Mayhem tournament series happening at the Lodge, and Polk managed to final table the $1,000,000 Main Event, starting the day as the chip leader.
While a large part of the poker world didn’t bat an eye, as Doug regularly plays in Lodge tournaments and in streamed cash games featuring the highest of stakes, a player final-tabling a tournament that takes place in a poker clubs that he owns created some turmoil.
As luck (or the lack of it, depending on what side you look at it from) would have it, Polk’s final table run ended quickly, as he busted in sixth place for $40,000, but there were some interesting concerns brought up in the build-up.
Is It a Bad Look?
Doug Polk has never been the one to shy away from the public, so after bagging the chip lead for the final table, he posted a poll on his X (Twitter), asking followers if a card room owner winning a tournament in his own room would be a bad look.
Somewhat surprisingly, about 30% of total votes (almost 4,000 people) said they thought it would, indeed, be a bad look.
When it comes to pro players and industry insiders, opinions seemed to differ. Matt Savage, who is widely regarded as the authority on all things relating to tournament poker, stated that he didn’t see an issue with it, as long as this wasn’t done to artificially bump the number of entries if the event was falling short of its guarantee.
A majority of commenters seemed to agree that Doug’s reputation has certainly earned him the right to play, and the opportunity to play the poker legend was one of the reasons many fans would join the action.
At the same time, though, some pointed out that even the slightest controversy surrounding Polk’s participation in the event could throw a shade on the entire operation, so perhaps it wasn’t worth the risk.
Of course, there are also those who are of the hard and fast opinion that a room owner has no business playing in his own tournament and taking his clients’ money.
So, who’s in the right here, and is there even a correct answer?
You Can’t Make Everyone Happy
The fact of the matter is that it’s pretty crazy to think that Doug Polk would try to somehow cheat in his own tournament. After all, huge cash games that take place regularly at the Lodge are much more at risk in that regard, and there have never been any complaints or hints of cheating.
But it is also the fact that not everyone in a tournament field understands all this, and it’s not beyond poker players to create drama over the most innocuous of situations.
A slightly questionable tournament director’s call that goes Doug’s way could start an avalanche of bad publicity, especially if, after that, he goes on to win the tournament. Conspiracy theories arise, and putting them to bed can be an uphill battle.
So, for Doug, Brad Owen, and others who own the Lodge but are also players that those visiting the card room want to play against, it’s a tough choice. No matter what you do, some of your customers won’t be happy. So, they can only do what they feel is right and is better for the business.
For the players, it is really simple. If you believe that a card owner shouldn’t play in a tournament, you can simply not play in that tournament yourself. That way, if there is something shady going on, you won’t be affected.
If the number of actual players (rather than Twitter warriors) is big enough to boycott a tournament if Doug plays in it, it will send a clear message, and he’ll gracefully bow out. But I suspect that’s not the case, and most people frequenting the Lodge are happy to see Polk in the crowd and have a chance to play a few hands against him.
