Erik Siedel is criticized during the WSOP HeadsUp Match

[Shells]

With the 128-player tournament down to the Round of 64 in the $10k WSOP Headsup Match — two rounds away from reaching the money — Seidel made the decision to blind down his no-show opponent.

A few people were critizing Erik for this move.(more details in the article)

Thoughts?
[FONT=Literata, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]Erik Seidel Criticized for Blinding Down No-Show Opponent in $10K WSOP Heads-Up Match

 

[Propane Goat]

I can see valid arguments on both sides. Maybe the solution would be to put in place a rule that if one player does not show within 10-15 minutes after the start of the game then they forfeit?

 

[Fivefor]

I don't think people should jump to criticizing Erik without first giving him a chance to explain why he did what he did.

But even with that said, I mean to me, why does he need to wait regardless of who his opponent is - if the guy can't show up on time to play his match then that's the price he pays.

You think in sports leagues they sit and wait forever for an opponent to show up when the time to start a game or match rolls around without some kind of penalty or repercussion?
People need to get over themselves looking to find any nit picking reason to criticize someone for every slight or perceived transgression where none really exists.

 

[TetraTap]

I don't see the problem. If he turned up and his opponent didn't at the allotted time - Why should he be forced to wait? I would have done the same.

 

[Sebarios59]

I do not understand why it is criticized, if the opponent is not online why should he not start playing?

 

[TeUnit]

Erik did the right thing not sure what people expect him to do.

 

[Hanosch]

So how long are you supposed to wait now? Just in case i ll ever face a pro in such a tournament. I would wait to show up until blinds are auto allins. I might have a chance to even ship this event that way...

 

[JimmyBrizzy]

People like to complain, but I bet most of them would have done the same thing in that situation.

There is also the problem of the blinds increasing. Is Erik supposed to stall as long as possible and wait for Villain to come back when stack sizes vs. the BB might be so high it's just a shove fest? That isn't fair either.

 

[antonis32123]

I have seen it innumerable times online , sb gets disconneced , the other one steals his blinds very fast , hoping he gets most or all of the chips before the disconnection problem gets solved . Maybe in high stakes poker there are other moral principles , I don't get it . Online it's a little frustrating to get disconnected , happens many times , cannot be avoided , it's one more negative variable in our games overally .

Eric said he would give his opponent his buyin , he was sorry , I don't think he should apologize for anything , he doesn't know this player , he's not one of his friends.

I would love the idea to wait for the other player to come back or take his seat (if he was absent-no show) and then fight him man to man (or woman) , but seeing what I have seen online until now , nope , noone respects this principle , I would do it only to friends or known people , then I would fold the SB or sit out unil he gets back , so as to have a fair good fight Everyone else , just blind them down ,lol

 

[Kenzie 96]

Kinda like all the fake fouls in socc er fooball, always the other guys fault. Try taking responsibility, grow a pair & show up on time. By the way I know nothing about Eric's opponent so this response is aimed at his critics

 

[manzanillo53]

As I said on tweeter, this not pre school. Do what you can to win. Should he fold AA because his opponent only has a few chips left, NO

 

[tagece]

I would the same. Your opponent know the schedule and must be in time and prepared to play. If not, it's not my problem. I only would do it with a home game or a friend.

 

[Ianmacca99]

I have both done it and had it done to me when I have disconnected. It's similar to playing a tourney when someone is sitting out do we not raise at any point and check the hand down to showdown of course not

 

[Poker_Mike]

With the 128-player tournament down to the Round of 64 in the $10k WSOP Headsup Match — two rounds away from reaching the money — Seidel made the decision to blind down his no-show opponent.

A few people were critizing Erik for this move.(more details in the article)

Thoughts?
[FONT=Literata, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]Erik Seidel Criticized for Blinding Down No-Show Opponent in $10K WSOP Heads-Up Match

The clock is ticking -- snap up those chips!

You don't know if your opponent will ever show up.

End that tournament by winning it!

 

[Waleswasp]

In live poker if the opponent doesn’t show up then they get blinded off. Being online shouldn’t affect the outcome in a different way, either way just turn up on time.

 

[GrannySmit77]

If I'm not mistaking it's the same for live poker. A player's chips are put in play if he's late or doesn't show up. The only difference is this tournament being heads up all his chips went to hip opponent. If this opponent was not Erik Seidel I don't think we would have heard about it as nobody would have complained. I think Erik did what all of us would do in the same situation.

 

[Whaevoz]

I'm pretty sure I would've done the exact same thing in his place.

In the immortal words of poker legend Jack Straus, "I'd bust my own grandmother if she played poker with me."

 

[Shakes]

Yea I really dont see the issue with this from Seidels side. The other player should have been there at some point to actually play the HU match. I would have done the same as Seidel as well. If something happened to the opponent then thats one thing and maybe Seidel and the opponent can come up with a solution later on down the road.

 

[frank174]

player knew the time of the game it"s his own fault,not the same as a disconnect,apples and oranges

 

[fundiver199]

Their might be some ethical argument for not rushing action and giving your opponent some time to show up without losing to much. But that being said people in the poker community are often so obsessed with, what they think, others should do, when its not really any of their business.

I also dont see, why it changes anything, that the opponent was a recreational player. Does a recreational player not know, he need to be there on time with a working internet connection, or what will happen to his stack, if he is not? So to me this is not the same as some situations in live poker, where professional players might want to give recreationals a bit more room, when they made an honest mistake.

 

[okeedokalee]

What is the problem here?

 

[ph_il]

please. nobody in siedel's shoes would've just sat and waited for their opponent.

 

[pcgnome]

This has happened to me lots of times when I was in the bathroom after the break was over. The game must go on. I mean if Eric had waited, wouldn't that have held up the next tournament?

 

[lcid86]

If your opponent sits out, you take his blinds. Real simple..

 

[fundiver199]

This has happened to me lots of times when I was in the bathroom after the break was over.

Taking a pee can easily be done in 5 minutes, and nothing else is so important, it can not wait until a final table or a heads-up match is over. If its early in an MTT, its typically no big deal to miss a few hands, and I also do that regularly.