Pro poker player faces cheating allegations, subject of heated moment at tournament

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Professional poker player Dan Smith had a heated moment with Martin Kabrhel on Sunday after he was eliminated from the World Series of Poker $250,000 Super High Roller Bowl.

Smith and Kabrhel did battle in Smith’s final hand of the night. Kabrhel eliminated Smith with a pair of sixes and as Smith left the table, he took shots at Kabrhel.

"Good luck most of you. I hope you get barred," Smith said as he pointed at Kabrhel.

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A deck of cards arranged in a fan shape, with the jokers in the center. (SSPL/Getty Images)

Kabrhel asked what he meant by "barred." Smith replied, "banned."

"Your antics are the worst of anyone I’ve ever played with," Smith added as he took off his microphone. "Everyone else, it was great playing."

As the clip from PokerGo went viral, fellow poker player Hayley Hanna accused Kabrhel of cheating.

"Dan is 100% right. Martin should be banned. He has a history of repeatedly marking cards to try to cheat and everyone in the high roller community knows it," she wrote on Twitter. "Not only that but Martin makes the experience unpleasant by being rude, yelling in peoples ears nonstop, taking full time when he knows he’s folding, standing over people to ‘see their stack’ when he’s clearly trying to angle. I’ve never seen such an egregious and blatant attempt to angle and cheat in a tournament in my life.

"Whether you think Martin is entertaining or not is irrelevant. The guy is a known scum who is always going to try to cheat and angle, and he should not be allowed to play with the other players who are the best in the world who have the upmost integrity for the game. Keep the integrity of the game! Ban the cheaters!"

The WSOP Main Event Bracelet at Bally's Las Vegas on July 6, 2022. (Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment)

Andrew Robl also wondered how Kabrhel wasn’t banned from the World Series of Poker.

"He makes any tournament no fun for anyone and on top of it I’ve seen him mark cards in every tournament I’ve ever played with him," he tweeted.

Kabrhel defended himself on Monday.

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"On behalf of yesterday situation I feel necessary to speak up," he wrote on Twitter. "@Andrew_Robl yesterday posted on twitter an accusation that I'm marking cards and cheating in poker tournaments. I was shocked by how quickly people took it as true, pure statement with no evidence and started media blizzard in which I am portrayed as cheater.

"You can accuse me of controversial manners, bad jokes, uncomfortable play, or whatever stickers you put on my autistic behavior, you can call me pain in the a-- but calling me a cheater is something completely out of line.

Cards on a table during the World Series of Poker at RIO All-Suite Hotel & Casino on Oct. 6, 2021, in Las Vegas. (Diego Ribas/PxImages)

"I am not a cheater, this is not true!! This gossip is damaging me not only as poker player, but also my business activities and my family. That’s why I have decided to take legal action against Andrew Robl, because in such a professional tournament series as WSOP.

"It is very easy to prove such accusations are pure lies. I just can’t believe how easy it's for people to join such accusations just by their personal antipathy towards my person."

Kabrhel finished third in the event.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Kabrhel was facing an investigation over the allegations.

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"While we do not discuss specific security protocols used to monitor players and gaming equipment, the integrity of the game remains paramount and we can assure fellow patrons that we are taking these allegations very seriously," organizers said in a statement to the outlet. "As this is an ongoing investigation, there is no further comment on the matter at this time."