Yep. This was the article that I had read. Kiss my ass > Dumbass.Originally Posted by duped_samaritan
He did an interview with Italian site: https://www.assopoker.com/live/wsop-...o-wsop_203180/
Here's translation:
Maurice Hawkins claims that you, after a hand, told him "shut up n-word". Did it happen that way?
Meanwhile, thank you for this opportunity to say my version of the facts. All the others have buried me but the reality is not exactly what Hawkins has told . Several things have happened before that episode that led to my ban.
At the poker level we were in the tournament bubble, 203 in the prize and 240 left, I was in 15th place. I had thrown Hawkins for three hands in a row as it opened at random, with hands like 7-4 offsuited. I played in position on him, 3-bet and he did not like it. At one point opens with KK on my bb, I defend with K-10 to hearts . The flop is A-3-3 with two hearts . I check, he c-betta 3/4 of the plate and I pusho direct .
I played for 60,000 in that hand, on bui 200/400. He thinks about it and passes by turning KK , when he finds out that I have K-10 going haywire . He was left with 10 big blinds.
In what sense "goes haywire"?
He started to say certain things to provoke me. I did not answer and put the chips in the stack. The WSOP blogger arrived to score the hand and asked for the name. So far everything okay. Then an Italian blogger arrived and we started talking in Italian. At that point Hawkins asked the blogger: "How do you say" kiss my ass "in Italian?"
At that point, after he had been provoking me for some time, I no longer held up and told him: " What's up n-word? ".
For me it was nothing but a way to ask him: " Hey, what's going on? Does it bother you to have lost the pot? "It's not true that I told him" Shut up, n-word ". In any case, at that point, the world has happened.
Do you realize the seriousness of what you said?
Now I realize it but in my "ignorance" I did not really believe it could be a racist insult . I thought it was just a dirty word, but I swear I did not want to be a racist. Since he wanted to say "kiss my ass" in Italian, I wanted to answer him with a term that I knew is very used in America . Really, I am not a racist and I did not want to offend him certainly for the color of his skin. Unfortunately I did not realize the seriousness of what I was saying, for me it was a dirty word like another.
After you've said that phrase, what happened?
At that point Hawkins made a scene worthy of the worst Neymar when he simulates . After he had provoked me all the time he screamed to get attention. This behavior of his immediately put the table against me . The floorman arrived, he listened to Hawkins's complaints and the player on the button saying that I should be immediately disqualified.
Yet they did not disqualify you at first, right?
Exact. The floorman made me get up and called the boss. He arrived, they talked and then I was told that they would punish me with two levels of penalty . In practice I would have been out of the tournament for two hours, until the end of Day 1. At that point I had realized the seriousness of the word I had pronounced and I accepted the penalty . I was wrong and it was right for me to pay.
Then the next day you showed up on Day 2 but you could not play.
Exact. Hawkins had continued with his scripts on Twitter and this must have changed his mind on those of the WSOP , because when I returned to Day 2 to play there were no other players. The dealer asked for my card and when I showed it, security guards arrived and took me to the WSOP boss office, Jack Effel.
There were 5 or 6 bodyguards behind me and in front of me Effel. He tells me in a very fast American, that I can not understand well, that he and I alone can not say anything . He does not want to hear my opinion, he just wants to let me know that I was disqualified from the tournament and banned for life from the casino .
I try to explain that I'm sorry for the incident and I've been naive but they do not want to know. When Effel is done, bodyguards escort me right out of the casino . I am disqualified for life for the WSOP america tournaments. That's all.
What happened after the episode became public?
I was very disappointed because so many people immediately issued their sentence on me without knowing me and without knowing what was really happening at the table. Daniel Negreanu , who is also a native of mine, allowed himself to say that they did well without even listening to my version.
With a cold mind, what do you think of this whole affair? Did you regret what you said?
So, I say it again: I was wrong and I apologize to Maurice Hawkins . But it was a mistake of ingenuity, I'm not a racist and I did not want to offend him by the color of his skin! That term for me was a dirty word like another, like saying "asshole".
In any case, I know that I was wrong and it is right for me to be punished . But on Day 1 they gave me two levels of penalty and that was a fair punishment, in fact I accepted it right away. But banning me from the WSOP and disqualifying me from the tournament? It's not right this way. Not after all that had happened at the table between me and Hawkins: I repeat, if he allowed himself to joke with me, I just wanted to joke with him.
For me it was like a joke, I was wrong and I apologize . But it is not possible that one face 10,000 km to play a tournament, go to Day 2 and is thrown out like a dog by one that caused all those present at the table.
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