Controversial Czech poker participant Martin Kabrhel is hated by a lot of his friends, however most of the viewers on the 2025 World Sequence of Poker are beginning to root for him. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Kabrhel Catches Eyes
Martin Kabrhel isn’t any stranger to controversy on the poker desk, having earned the ire of many a high-roller by his incessant trash discuss, slow-rolling, and alleged soiled ways.
the worst of the new-school professionals, somebody who slows the sport all the way down to a crawl
Nevertheless, in one other action-packed sequence of occasions on the 2025 World Sequence of Poker (WSOP), Kabrhel would possibly simply be starting to show the opinions of many viewers. Having initially been seen because the worst of the new-school professionals, somebody who slows the sport all the way down to a crawl, his escapades on the desk are actually beginning to earn him the popularity as one thing of a throwback to the golden age of poker.
Czech-ered previous
Ultimately yr’s WSOP, Kabrhel was investigated by event organizers after being accused of marking playing cards by Andrew Robl. The allegations had adopted Kabrhel for a number of years, with Dan Smith saying he hopes “he will get barred” to the Czech professional’s face after being eradicated from the 2023 $250,000 Tremendous Excessive Curler occasion.
Kabrhel was by no means discovered responsible, however there are different antics he’s proudly displayed, together with a full two-minute slowroll on the bubble of the 2022 EPT Prague Most important Occasion, consistently utilizing uncommon betting denominations, taking prolonged quantities of time for each determination, and trash-talking his opponents.
This yr was no completely different, and whereas seated subsequent to Smith in a single occasion, he discovered a brand new favourite sufferer in Alex Foxen, placing in an enormous guess for the American professional to face on the river. Kabrhel then launched into some prolonged speech play, culminating in: “If you would like my recommendation, when anyone talks on the river? It’s NEVER a bluff!” earlier than turning the efficient nuts when Foxen made the decision.
Kabrhel the hero
The opinion of the poker world is a fickle one, although, and it looks as if it could be turning for Kabrhel. In a scene the place gamers are more and more lambasted for being impassive, silent automatons, the speech play and antics of the Czech are beginning to seem to be a breath of recent air.
Even Daniel Negreanu, who was yelling at Kabrhel to close up from throughout the room the day earlier than, wound up seeing the humorous facet, admittedly when he had managed to knock him out of the event by rivering an Ace in an all-in scenario.
It’s not fairly a face flip, however maybe at the least a change from straight-up villain into the pantomime model. Many viewers are actually beginning to look out for Kabrhel to see what stunts he’ll pull subsequent on the desk. And even amongst professionals, his trash-talk is even coming throughout as endearing.
