“I didn’t do nothing wrong” was Men the Master Nguyen’s battlecry at the WPT Gardens Poker Festival in Southern California yesterday, but accusations of blatant angle-shooting, drunken belligerence and outright cheating dogged the Vietnamese-born LA pro all day long – but somehow he still managed to make the final table!
The 51-year old, who has amassed more than $10million in tournament earnings, has been at the centre of many controversies throughout his career, several allegations of ‘chip irregularities’ going back at least a decade among them, and there were more questions being asked yesterday…
Worse was to come, Nguyen blatantly cheating by taking back a call when he saw his opponent’s flopped set…
…and although some big name pros are calling it an ‘angleshoot’, in most books it’s plain old cheating…
The WPT updates themselves, as seen partly in the above tweet, listed numerous problems with Nguyen, stating:
‘Several times today, Men “The Master” Nguyen has been pulled aside by tournament staff about a few situations that have taken place’.
- Misuse of time extension chips
- Refusing to stack his chips properly in denominations
- Raising illegal amounts during play
Eventually issued a one-round penalty, Nguyen pleaded:
“What did I do wrong? I never do nothing wrong!”
…but instead of just throwing Nguyen out of the tournament, the organisers actually helped him out…
...leaving everyone, especially those at his table, disgusted at his behaviour and the lack of real penalties handed out...