Hustler Casino Apologizes for Cancelled $250K GTD

The Hustler Casino in Gardena, California, was slated to host the $350 Main Event of Larry Flynt's Grand Slam of Poker Memorial Tournament series between July 31 and August 8. They planned a total of 12 Day1 flights to fulfill the demanding guarantee.

However, there was a significant issue. There were just 123 players left on the field after the first four Days 1. That means there was a $200K overlay because there was just a meager $43,050 in the prize pool.

The event was postponed by the casino management in a contentious decision. Evidently, that was not well received by the online poker community. If a tournament guarantee is not guaranteed to be paid out, what good is it?

Doug Polk, a poker player on YouTube and proprietor of a Texas poker club, concurred with the incensed followers. He emphasized that he and other Lodge Poker Club owners were prepared to bear $625K in losses for overlays this May.

Shaun Yaple, the general manager of Hustler Casino, initially made an attempt to place the responsibility on the neighboring Bicycle Casino. The rival venue made the choice to hold their renowned Legends of Poker series concurrently with Hustlers' Larry Flynt tribute festival.

Shaun Yaple gave the justification that a larger event was taking place on the same day as Hustler's and they didn't think it would be an issue to cancel. The poker community regarded this take as absurd and found it almost incomprehensible that anyone would do it in 2022.

The Hustler crew promptly offered an apology and a solution, as was to be anticipated. Simply put, the outrage was too great to ignore.

The buy-in fees for all participants were returned, and Day 2 qualifiers took part in a freeroll for whatever prize pool had accrued, but the guarantee was not reintroduced. A special event will be held the following month, featuring prominent participants from the live stream and a prize pool that has been increased by $50,000.

Hopefully, this response will put the situation to rest amicably. Due to their high stakes and high production live streamed cash games, Hustlers has recently gained a sizable following among poker fans. In May of this year, they even sponsored a sizable stream with online celebrities and well-known poker professionals. After this disaster, perhaps they can restore their reputation and continue to produce excellent poker material.

Author:  Charles F Jr is a poker and crypto enthusiast who writes about online poker since 2020, also a translator for Portuguese & Spanish.