Belianinwas disqualified from Main Event for sweeping the wrong pile ofchipsTheplayer was later arrested for trespassing at a Caesars property Pokercommunity comes to the defense of Belianin
GeorgiiBelianin, an established poker player with impeccable reputation, wasdisqualified for cheating during the 2019 WSOP Main Event. The pokercommunity has come to his defense.
Belianin “Cheats”at the 2019 WSOP Main Event
The 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event has been a crazy affair. With nearly 9,000 people from 89 countries taking part and a prize pool beating $80 million, the stakes are as high as they can ever be, and the stress is going to show.
Pokerplayers are prone to making mistakes when under a lot of pressure,but some mistakes have the potential to smear and break careers. Thisis the case with Georgii Belianin,a Russian professional poker player who swept a small pot of a lodivip djacentchips back to his end of the table during Day 1C, orat least he was appearing to.
Just saw Georgii Belianin removed from the main event for what apparently was some form of cheating.
— Andrew Barber ?? (@abarber1) July 5, 2019
Accordingto other players on the table, Belianin took not only the chips hehas won, but also nabbed a few of those around the pot that belongedto other players. Yet, the move wasintended as a joke, many observers argued.Commenting on the issue, Main Event tournament director JackEffel was adamant.
Effelexplained that upon consulting with players at the table, everyonehas testified against Belianin. Upon establishing a line of events,he was asked to turn in his chips and leave the table. In addition,the player was also banned from all Caesars properties,cutting a sort of a lifeline to the world of poker in the UnitedStates.
We can't judge intent. Video clearly shows a major rules violation. It is never okay to take another player's chips from their stack.
— WSOP (@WSOP) July 5, 2019
Thingsgot even more serious when he attempted to enter the RioAll-Suite Hotel & Casinowhich was immediately registered by the casino security detail andBelianin was arrested and sent to Las Vegas jail overnight.
Not All is Black andWhite
The news reverberated on socialmedia but unlike most occasions when a player is caught cheating,most voices were sympathetic. Tom Peterson,a fellow player who was present at the table that night, said thatBelianin was under the influence and the player had never exhibitedsuch behavior at a live game before. As one Reddit user put it,Belianin was happy to shout “whiskey and cola” whenever hisglass dried up.
Peterson’s testimony didn’tdissuae WSOP from expelling Belianin, but it did help bring in someclarity. Peterson wasn’t the only one who joined in the chorus ofdefence, and other professionals, including BrandonShack-Harris.
Sounds like a horrible ruling based on that article with no other info. I assume it was clearly a joke? He’s smiling while doing it and grabbing an entire 60k stack, sounds pretty obvious he’s not trying to actually take the chips
— Alex Livingston (@rumnchess) July 5, 2019
Recreational poker player and RunGood ambassador Grant Hinkle said that it appeared to him that Belianin was attempting to make a joke. Alex Linvingston, another poker player, commented on Twitter that the entire incident did seem like a joke gone wrong. This line of reasoning was also taken up by Reddit poker players.
Belianin did prepare a statement whichhe sent to PokerNews, a respected poker portal coveing the topdevelopments from around the world of the game. In the statement, heargued that it was “all his fault” and that he apologizedfor his behavior which had earned him bans from Caesars properties.
Given the receptive response he hashad from the community, it’s not very likely that Belianin would godown in history as a cheater. The solidarity of the poker world isbetter than that and good name and reputation do mean something.
