Allen Kessler vs Playground Poker Club

Know the expression of having a bone to pick? Well, Allen Kessler clearly has one with Canada's Playground Poker Club. Some may say that "Chainsaw" is overreacting, but Kessler made a very valid point two nights ago about rake being too high in the establishment’s WPT Main Event.

Anyone considering playing PlaygroundPoker@wpt main The std fee is $3200+300. Playground is charging $3395+455 and pockets the extra $155
— Allen Kessler (@AllenKessler) November 18, 2014

Although I am not sure what the standard answer in the casino customer support handbook is to these sorts of legitimate concerns, I highly doubt that it is along the lines of the response Kessler received.

@AllenKessler@WPT Our fees are 10% from $100 up to $4K, plus the std 3% for tips. If you don’t like that, please don’t play here.
— Playground Poker (@PlaygroundPoker) November 18, 2014

As expected, a whole avalanche of criticism directed towards the Playground Poker Club followed that tweet. Customer concerns should, at the very least, be taken seriously, despite differences of opinion.

@PlaygroundPoker@AllenKessler@WPT someone needs a social media manager #YouJustDontTweetStuffLikeThis
— Chris Day (@Chris_Day03) November 18, 2014

Who is in charge of @PlaygroundPoker's twitter feed? Better question, who will be in charge tomorrow? #showers@AllenKessler
— Dan O'Brien (@DanOBrienPoker) November 18, 2014

Seeing the firestorm that its take it or leave it tweet created, Playground Poker tried to quickly salvage the situation with the following tweets:

.@Schultzie25 the last comment was directed solely at @AllenKessler due to a long standing history. Customer service is our top priority!
— Playground Poker (@PlaygroundPoker) November 18, 2014

Our last comment was in bad taste. No matter how much animosity is between 2 people, negative comments should be kept out of a public forum.
— Playground Poker (@PlaygroundPoker) November 19, 2014

After yesterday’s statement that came from the Playground, it seems that O’Brien’s prediction of #showers just might turn out to be true. A new representative has apparently taken control over the Playground Poker Twitter feed and posted a long apology, basically throwing the employee previously in charge of monitoring Twitter activity under the bus.

An apology to @AllenKessler and the poker community as a whole. pic.twitter.com/eBReDLuW2p
— Playground Poker (@PlaygroundPoker) November 19, 2014

Their explanation stated that the harsh responses were the tweets of one employee acting on his own and do not represent the official stance of the Playground Poker Club. Also stated in the open letter of apology is that management is always open to hearing player opinions and suggestions, as this can only help improve the experience for everyone involved. The employee in question will be held accountable for his actions.

One thing that was not really addressed (surprise, surprise) is the initial query about why the rake is much higher than the standard. Kessler’s comments may be an eye-opener for many who were planning to play in the event, as these things often go unnoticed until somebody really makes an effort to bring them to light. It remains to be seen if the entire situation will bring about any changes.