RIP All American Dave (at the WSOP, that is)

[Dan Druff]

All American Dave, not to be confused with scammy sportsbetting tout Vegas Dave or former poker pro Hollywood Dave, has been a staple at the Rio WSOP.

He provided good, healthy, albeit expensive food, from a stand he set up in the back area of the Rio. Dave hired a bunch of pretty girls to deliver the food to the tables, but you could also pick it up from the stand yourself.



It was well-liked, and many swore by it. Brandon had a bit of a problem with one of those delivery girls some years back, and talked about it on radio. Dave jumped to action and was very gracious/apologetic about it, comping Brandon a meal. He didn't know we had PFA Radio, so it wasn't about that. Just seems like a good guy who appreciates his customers.

Anyway, since the WSOP is moving to Bally's/Paris this year, they just informed Dave that he's a gonner.

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https://twitter.com/AllAmericanDave/status/1499123137014685696



Dave deserved better. They likely didn't want the competition with their own in-house food outlets, but Dave had such a long (and good) history with the WSOP, they should have made an exception. I hope they reconsider.

[Jayjami]

Fucking bs. I got me an AAD hoodie. Good nutritious food easily accessible during breaks. The food court at the WSOP has always been barely edible.

[Dan Druff]

Hellmuth getting involved, so maybe they will find a way for All American Dave to at least be delivered there.

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https://twitter.com/phil_hellmuth/status/1499167974850121729

[Dan Druff]

Bad ending for all. And I've lost a lot of sympathy for Dave.

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https://twitter.com/AllAmericanDave/status/1514398821224046592

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https://twitter.com/ToddWitteles/status/1514427179295117314

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https://twitter.com/AllAmericanDave/status/1514434205052071940

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https://twitter.com/mEVpoker/status/1514414811815157762

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https://twitter.com/mEVpoker/status/1514415950107344896


Poker community is mixed so far, though this announcement just dropped tonight, so I'm sure more reaction is forthcoming.

Some blame WSOP for this, and claim that player balances are just a casualty of the business that got ruined by WSOP's decision, which was apparently forced by the culinary union. Therefore, they say that the business is dead, and Dave should not be responsible to pay anyone back.

I feel differently. Players have patronized Dave over the years in part due to a strong personal connection to him and his brand's strong characfer and ethics. This wasn't just a situation of a large business going under, and customers losing credit they held for future purchases. Dave WAS the business, and players trusted him. Nobody had any clue that, when leaving money on deposit for a year or more, that the money was at risk.

Also, Dave seems to have been living an expensive lifestyle, including this month. He posted a picture of a trip in Fiji just two days ago, and has other pictures on social media of a high-flying lifestyle. Even if he somehow has no assets now, he can at least pledge to pay people back once he gets on his feet. He isn't. He seems to just want to wash his hands of this.

[PositiveVariance]

Unfortunate situation.
As far as Covid putting him in a bad spot financially, I don’t know of a single business that got turned down for a PPP loan that applied. Maybe he runs under the table and doesn’t report anything. No reason he shouldn’t have received PPP in both 2020 and 2021.

I see one guy commented on Twitter that he had $1,000 balance. Makes you wonder why these people purchased such high dollar plans to begin with.

[Dan Druff]

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https://twitter.com/AllAmericanDave/status/1514453699606679556

[AhoosierA]

Another case of not segregating funds in the poker world!

Time to move this to the "Scams, Scandals, & Shadiness" section, no?