William Kassouf: Easy to identify despite the camouflage

It has come to the time on this tournament when the ESPN cameras are sweeping along media row, catching nothing such a lot as a blur of illuminated apples on laptop lids with crooked spectres hunched the opposite side. "Content" need to be thin at the ground. This isn't just any old media, however the "poker media". A sorry bunch indeed.

But, yes, cameras are actually swarming throughout the World Series of Poker Main Event tournament room. The content hunt is on. At the three feature tables, which can be now separated from the rest of the tournament room by a rail of advertisements and a channel of spectators, it means a silence has descended. But out within the field, the presence of a camera can bring dormant species to life.

William Kassouf is out in that field, sitting with around 4.2 million in chips, and if these camera crews are fascinated about getting themselves some content, they need to deploy a whole roving team to follow Kassouf's every move.

It's difficult to believe Kassouf needs introduction anymore, but there are still some people in the market who haven't stood within 50 yards of him. Anyone ever within that radius will know this Brit: He's the man who managed to get Vanessa Selbst to tilt off her chips to him at EPT London, and who has become a minor YouTube sensation way to his speech play at poker tournaments.

"You've got to enjoy it," Kassouf says during a break in play. "Speech play is a large a part of my game. I DO NOT do exactly it for the cameras, I'm doing it at the outer tables, any table, any player. I do it to get information from my opponents. I FEEL there is a lot to realize from speech play."

Despite having had only three hours sleep last night, and no breakfast, Kassouf says he's "buzzing" today, and is in very familiar voice. In between taking pauses to test his Facebook and Twitter page, where messages of support are pouring in, he's engaging every player at his table in conversation--if they're willing. Tony Gregg is essentially stoic and silent, but Louise Francoeur and Jason Les are chatting along.

"It's not everyone's cup of tea," Kassouf says. "People don't love to provide away tells. However the way I GLANCE at it, if I AM NOT asking the questions of my opponents, if I AM NOT chatting with them, then I AM NOT going to get the additional information that I WOULD LIKE for myself."

He adds: "THE WAY YOU play poker will depend on your personality. I'm a sociable, outgoing guy, always having a fair laugh. Some people may not approve of my speech play but there is no malice involved. I DO NOT come to berate any players, insult anyone, so if anyone thinks of it that way, they have it totally wrong."

The televised hands against Selbst have brought Kassouf some notoriety around the UK or even to the U.S.. "ONCE I come to Vegas, people say, 'Hey, you are the guy who tilted Vanessa Selbst. Good job, man, good job.' A LARGE NUMBER OF Americans relate to the Vanessa hand because they've seen it on YouTube. It has got 1 million views on YouTube, so numerous Americans relate to it."

The world can result seeing much more of Kassouf if his tournament continues because it has during the last few days. Despite the chatter, Kassouf says he's fixed on creating a deep run and atoning for previous disappointment.

"It's going great here," he said. "I thought, 'This is the one.' I've come here to win. Vegas. The most important poker arena on this planet. World Series of Poker Main Event. It doesn't get bigger than this. I thought, that is my year. I WISHED to make up for many years ago once I actually made Day 4 but didn't cash...I lost to a one-outer half an hour before the money, but I'm certainly making up for it now."

There are strange times within the Uk on the moment, with an uncertain political landscape and a currency reacting in shock to a couple recent upheavals. It means it's expensive in Las Vegas for a tourist from Britain--but provided that you notice the us as a spot to lose money. Kassouf does not.

"I've believed in myself from the beginning once I thought I'd buy in for 10000 dollars like a boss, regardless of the pound/dollar rate being really bad," he says. "It's costing me nearly an additional thousand pounds to shop for on this year compared with last year. However the way I GLANCE at it's that I came here to win. So if I win, I take dollars home and my dollars are worth much more in pounds. I've come this far."

On his rail stands his friend Alex from the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London, where Kassouf plies his trade at home. "If he wins, it'd be great for poker," Alex said. "HE'S primary. Nobody does it like him."

Kassouf politely asked to not be bokked--"It's just day five. We are not day 7 yet"--but allowed himself to ponder how a deep run can be greeted back home.

"Hopefully I'LL do it for the Brits," he said. "Everyone's rooting for me back home within the UK. They are going crazy. It'd be sick. It might be sick. I'd love it."

The unedited Kassouf

I talked to William Kassouf for four minutes on the first break in play today. Actually, that isn't true. I asked him one question -- whether he now gets recognised in poker rooms -- and he talked to me. Here is what he said:

They do, everywhere in the UK. They've known me for many years they usually know me more now, once I go around the circuits to EPTs, etc. Once I come to Vegas, people say, "Hey, you are the guy who tilted Vanessa Selbst. Good job, man, good job." A LARGE NUMBER OF Americans relate to the Vanessa hand because they've seen it on YouTube. It has got 1 million views on YouTube, so a large number of Americans relate to it. It has got a large number of exposure online. It was an even situation at EPT London, twice, in back-to-back years against Vanessa. I HAVE nothing against her myself. I BELIEVE she's an unbelievable player, superb player, but I FEEL she let the speech play and banter get under her skin in a six-day tournament and busted. That is what made for good TV. As it was her. It was me being the local guy who qualified for £500 rather than £5,000.

I've got a number of videos on YouTube, Facebook, having banter and i. just enjoy playing poker. It's going great here. I thought, 'This is the one.' I've come here to win. Vegas. The largest poker arena on the earth. World Series of Poker Main Event. It doesn't get bigger than this. I thought, that is my year. I NEEDED to make up for many years ago once I actually made Day 4 but didn't cash. That was back within the day when it was $19,500 for a min-cash, in preference to what it's now, paying out 15 percent of the field, for $15K. That was pretty brutal. I lost to a one-outer half an hour before the money, but I'm certainly making up for it now.

You've got to enjoy it. Speech play is a large a part of my game. I DO NOT do just it for the cameras, I'm doing it at the outer tables, any table, any player. I do it to get information from my opponents. I FEEL there is a lot to achieve from speech play. It isn't everyone's cup of tea, people do not like to offer away tells. However the way I GLANCE at it, if I AM NOT asking the questions of my opponents, if I AM NOT chatting with them, then I AM NOT going to get the additional information that I want, myself. For me personally, with the speech play, I appear to get additional information from my opponents whether they're strong, whether they're confident, what sort of holding they have, whether or not they want me to name or raise, why they're betting so much, why they're checking, are they seeking to bluff me here, are they looking to trap. By conducting conversation, I FEEL I AM GETTING more reads and more tells from my opponents. And it's more the psychological aspect of the sport. That is what I enjoy, not the gamble, all in and contact and winning coin flips, because I appear to run really bad in coin flips. But yeah, playing the entire psychological aspect of the game, post-flop, entering my opponent's mind and reading them for what they have got and seeking to psyche them out, effectively, give them the speech effectively after I want them to call, and vice-versa. Represent the nuts when I HAVE nothing, and when I HAVE nothing, represent the nuts.

There's some distance to go, but it has been a fair begin to the day and hopefully I WILL do it for the Brits. Everyone's rooting for me back home within the UK. They are going crazy. It might be sick. It'd be sick. I'd adore it. But I've believed in myself from the beginning after I thought I'd buy in for 10000 dollars like a boss, inspite of the pound/dollar rate being really bad. It's costing me nearly an additional thousand pounds to shop for on this year compared with last year. However the way I GLANCE at it's that I came here to win. So if I win, I take dollars home and my dollars are worth much more in pounds. I've come this far.

How you play poker relies on your personality. I'm a sociable, outgoing guy, always having an excellent laugh. Some people may not approve of my speech play but there is no malice involved. I DO NOT come to berate any players, insult anyone, so if anyone thinks of it that way, they have it totally wrong. Some people don't appreciate it, they do not like it, it gets under their skin, they tilt they usually donk their chips off to me. That's their prerogative. But so far as I'm concerned, I'm doing nothing wrong, playing throughout the rules, keeping poker fun, enjoying the sport. I'm getting the additional advantage of having reads from my opponents from doing it, so it isn't only for show. I HAVE BEEN successful through the years with numerous speech play. It's good for me, it's good for the game, and hopefully I'll spin it up and it will be great for the sport if I do reach the overall table.

I've only had three hours sleep. I'm buzzing. I DO NOT eat breakfast, I DO NOT do breakfast. I'm used to going to sleep 6 or 7 within the morning and waking up 1 within the afternoon, as poker players do. I HAVE BEEN going to sleep here FIVE OR SIX within the morning, I went to bed at quarter past six this morning, and that i was up a couple of hours later. Three hours sleep, no breakfast. I'm buzzing."

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