Dan Bilzerian Fired by GGPoker on International Women’s Day

Poker’s playboy interloper and serial misogynist, Dan Bilzerian, has apparently been dumped by GGPoker on International Women’s Day, hopefully bringing to an end one of the most offensive signings in the history of the game...

Dan Bilzerian has been removed as GGPoker Ambassador and his Emote's have since been removed!

I guess that's a victory for #InternationalWomensDayhttps://t.co/6fEW93u4AN

— Rake the Rake ♥♠♦♣ (@raketherake) March 8, 2022

Bilzerian’s signing back in December 2020 came as a surprise to many, but his very first act as the site’s ambassador probably didn’t – an ill-advised reply to Vanessa Kade, who was upset by the signing...

Quiet hoe, nobody knows who you are

— Dan Bilzerian (@DanBilzerian) December 4, 2020

The backlash that followed left Bilzerian seemingly unperturbed, perhaps not surprisingly for a man who has criticised the #MeToo movement and faced charges of kicking a woman in the face at a nightclub.

Throwing a model off a roof and consistently sharing demeaning photos of the much-younger women he somehow persuades to share his Playboy lifestyle with, have made him a reviled figure to those concerned with the image of poker.

His GGPoker ambassadorship seemed to be almost in name only, Bilzerian doing little of any note to promote the site, although that was supposed to change with his Birthday Bash Freeroll to celebrate his signing.

The winner was “guaranteed” a heads-up match with the self-proclaimed poker genius, but when that winner turned out to be a woman English amateur Alex O’Brien – only the sound of tumbleweed emerged from Bilzerian’s miserable mansion...

Happy Birthday? https://t.co/00hSVqwbVa

— Alex O'Brien (@obrientweet) December 7, 2021

Never one to miss a golden opportunity, America’s CardRoom boss Phil Nagy stepped into the breach and offered O’Brien a $10k match against the ACR pro of her choice.

There could be only one, and O’Brien naturally chose Vanessa Kade – herself bumped as an affiliate by GGPoker after she spoke out against Bilzerian’s signing. Incredibly, Kade’s account was cancelled on International Women’s Day last year!

GGPoker eventually released a statement on the situation, though it was far from accepted by many in the community, including the poker media who were basically asked to take sides...

Back to the here and now, and Bilzerian’s image is gone from the GGPoker website, his bio also gone, and all mention of the millionaire, muppet-like character erased.

GGPoker has yet to comment on Bilzerian’s “disappearance”, though the timing is almost certainly a deliberate nod to their previous screw-ups relating to Kade and O’Brien.

Continued attempts to redress the balance were welcomed, but with bully Bilzerian in the background, such initiatives as partnering with Fantastic Ladies In Poker (FLIP), “the poker world’s foremost female-focused player community”, rang a little hollow.

However, it is likely that Bilzerian’s contract with GGPoker meant he couldn’t be dumped immediately, and recent attempts by GGPoker to promote the game to women stand in their favour.

A clear announcement about Bilzerian would go a long way to supporting women in the game. Until or unless they do so, Vanessa Kade and other high-profile players will likely continue to call them out...

The longer I think about how it’s wrong to do this on IWD if his conduct isn’t the motivation the more I realize how manipulative & slimy it is.

Really need a long statement from @GGPoker about mistakes & what they’re committing to do differently if they want this to be a win. https://t.co/spPYo6sjsp

— Vanessa Kade (@VanessaKade) March 8, 2022