Maurice Hawkins gets called a dirty Nig*er at the table of wsop main, Not happy with penalty

[Tellafriend]

[Shizzmoney]

Casual racism is frequent in Italian life, especially evident in soccer

So it could be this guy is a huge racist, or just a goofy, dumb bigot who repeated shit he heard in a rap song

[BeerAndPoker]

The guy deserves whatever is coming to him for the slur but the WSOP should make clarification for rules like this prior so it can never be questioned down the road.

They need to specifically put "No racial/nationality type slurs allowed" in the rules and not assume everyone knows this.

To play the stupid card or argue for him because English isn't his first language is silly. People who don't speak English the first things they learn besides (hello/goodbye) are money terminology and cuss words/insults.

[duped_samaritan]

Fully expect MH to be baiting anyone he can think of into calling him a Ni*g*r for the rest of his life so he can show the TD what Jack did at the WSOP back in 2018.

[ErickAA]

The guy deserves whatever is coming to him for the slur but the WSOP should make clarification for rules like this prior so it can never be questioned down the road.

They need to specifically put "No racial/nationality type slurs allowed" in the rules and not assume everyone knows this.

To play the stupid card or argue for him because English isn't his first language is silly. People who don't speak English the first things they learn besides (hello/goodbye) are money terminology and cuss words/insults.

Learning the cuss words/insults and understanding the social norms of when it is and is not ok to use them are 2 very different things. In my observation often non native speakers overdo cuss words/insults and at innapeoriate times. You actually see this a lot at live poker tables.

[sah_24]

If Jeff Lissandro can do this, pretty sure gaming would side with the player on this one ... guarantee he can get his 10k back

[duped_samaritan]

The guy deserves whatever is coming to him for the slur but the WSOP should make clarification for rules like this prior so it can never be questioned down the road.

They need to specifically put "No racial/nationality type slurs allowed" in the rules and not assume everyone knows this.

To play the stupid card or argue for him because English isn't his first language is silly. People who don't speak English the first things they learn besides (hello/goodbye) are money terminology and cuss words/insults.

Learning the cuss words/insults and understanding the social norms of when it is and is not ok to use them are 2 very different things. In my observation often non native speakers overdo cuss words/insults and at innapeoriate times. You actually see this a lot at live poker tables.

This is a really great point.

[BeerAndPoker]

The guy deserves whatever is coming to him for the slur but the WSOP should make clarification for rules like this prior so it can never be questioned down the road.

They need to specifically put "No racial/nationality type slurs allowed" in the rules and not assume everyone knows this.

To play the stupid card or argue for him because English isn't his first language is silly. People who don't speak English the first things they learn besides (hello/goodbye) are money terminology and cuss words/insults.

Learning the cuss words/insults and understanding the social norms of when it is and is not ok to use them are 2 very different things. In my observation often non native speakers overdo cuss words/insults and at innapeoriate times. You actually see this a lot at live poker tables.

Point taken but on average I think they understand way more then you think.

[Zap_the_Fractions_Giraffe]

I'm glad this happened because it's hilarious

[gimmick]

Most of Europe considers n-word a slur. I think most of them even have their own variants that are very similar. For Italy that would be Negro(a). Their word for black is Nero. For Spain and Portugal it's a bit different since their word for black is Negro.

Guessing it depends mostly if it used to refer to negroid race or just the color black. The Germanic base for color black is something close to Schwarz so there anything sounding like Neger is usually considered offensive. For Scandis it's Svart and Neger. Finns Musta and Neekeri.

[gimmick]

Oh and sometimes their common slur for blacks is like a variation of your blackie. Like svarting for swedes. Finns variation Mustalainen on the other hand refers to Gypsies, since they were the blackest people Finns were in regular contact before the 90s.

[Belly Buster]

The guy deserves whatever is coming to him for the slur but the WSOP should make clarification for rules like this prior so it can never be questioned down the road.

They need to specifically put "No racial/nationality type slurs allowed" in the rules and not assume everyone knows this.

To play the stupid card or argue for him because English isn't his first language is silly. People who don't speak English the first things they learn besides (hello/goodbye) are money terminology and cuss words/insults.

Learning the cuss words/insults and understanding the social norms of when it is and is not ok to use them are 2 very different things. In my observation often non native speakers overdo cuss words/insults and at innapeoriate times. You actually see this a lot at live poker tables.

[mulva]

regardless of being called a nagger. everybody that is somebody and everybody that isn't somebody knows that hawkins is a pos

amirite

[FPS_Russia]

Even tho almost no one's really truly offended I marvel at how effectively society is conditioned to react as if this is the most heinous, brutal offense a person can commit. This maurice guy could of beat that dude to an inch of his life and everyone would nod that it's justified. Whatever happened to sticks and stones?

When Tom Arnold was saying they have dirt on Trump one of the questions the interviewer asked is do you have him on tape saying the N word? During the election that was a concern as well, Trump could get away with anything except that, anything.

Hey kids clear your conditioning and remember sticks and stones and vow to never use racial slurs. I've never seen a situation where it was necessary, helpful, or sounded cool, except for Samual l Jackson in pulp fiction.

[snake_in_the_ass]

regardless of being called a nagger. everybody that is somebody and everybody that isn't somebody knows that hawkins is a pos

amirite

In other words, Hawkins is a n-word?

[donkdowndonedied]

lol, look at the state of this.


The gig is up, Druff.

What do you mean?

Do you doubt that such a thing could happen?

Picture a foreign dude who barely speaks English who watches rap videos occasionally, and sees black guys saying "What's up nigga?" to each other in a friendly fashion.

So Maurice wins a pot, and the Euro stupidly repeats what he heard on TV, thinking he was being funny or giving Maurice some form of congratulations.

If an American said it, 100% he knew what he was doing. A broken-English-speaking Euro, who knows?

Russians don't even have a word for blacks. There are no blacks. So they use a word that sounds like n-word. I think it is pronounced 'naiger'.

This is how I remember was it told to me by a Russian immigrant. He was like yea and our host said 'Never use this word for black people'.

[AhoosierA]

I had found an article (but have sensed lost it) that claimed it went down like this:

- Adrian was getting the better of Maurice in several pots. Including winning a hand with 74, and also beating Maurice's KK with Ax on a A33 board.

- A reporter came over and was talking to Adrian, and Maurice asked the reporter, "How do you say dumbass in Italian?"

- Adrian then chimed back, "What's up ni**er?"

Adrian claims that his English is bad, and knew that "dumbass" was an insult, and he knew that "ni**er" was an offense word in America but did not know to what extreme. He claimed that he only meant for it to be a "dirty" word back to Maurice for Maurice calling him a dumbass, but did not mean it in a racist way.

To me this totally makes sense and fits the narrative that he knows little English, and most likely heard it on TV or something.

[ftpjesus]

Some people call me Maurice.

[big dick]

I had found an article (but have sensed lost it) that claimed it went down like this:

- Adrian was getting the better of Maurice in several pots. Including winning a hand with 74, and also beating Maurice's KK with Ax on a A33 board.

- A reporter came over and was talking to Adrian, and Maurice asked the reporter, "How do you say dumbass in Italian?"

- Adrian then chimed back, "What's up ni**er?"

Adrian claims that his English is bad, and knew that "dumbass" was an insult, and he knew that "ni**er" was an offense word in America but did not know to what extreme. He claimed that he only meant for it to be a "dirty" word back to Maurice for Maurice calling him a dumbass, but did not mean it in a racist way.

To me this totally makes sense and fits the narrative that he knows little English, and most likely heard it on TV or something.

so he calls the dego a dumass and then goes and cries when he gets called a n-word? That's like the guy who talks shit and starts a fight and then finally catches a beating and runs to the cops afterwards

[duped_samaritan]

I had found an article (but have sensed lost it) that claimed it went down like this:

- Adrian was getting the better of Maurice in several pots. Including winning a hand with 74, and also beating Maurice's KK with Ax on a A33 board.

- A reporter came over and was talking to Adrian, and Maurice asked the reporter, "How do you say dumbass in Italian?"

- Adrian then chimed back, "What's up ni**er?"

Adrian claims that his English is bad, and knew that "dumbass" was an insult, and he knew that "ni**er" was an offense word in America but did not know to what extreme. He claimed that he only meant for it to be a "dirty" word back to Maurice for Maurice calling him a dumbass, but did not mean it in a racist way.

To me this totally makes sense and fits the narrative that he knows little English, and most likely heard it on TV or something.

so he calls the dego a dumass and then goes and cries when he gets called a n-word? That's like the guy who talks shit and starts a fight and then finally catches a beating and runs to the cops afterwards

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.