Late-Registration Shenanigans: A Toxic Tussle in the Poker Underworld
Steve O'Dwyer Accuses Daniel Smiljkovic of Misusing Late Registration
The Shit-Show Centre Stage: Last night, Steve O'Dwyer went on a rampage, blasting German pro Daniel Smiljkovic for "milking honest players dry" by stalling following max late registration. The drama unfolded after O'Dwyer busted from the Irish Open €10k SHR, confronting Smiljkovic as he left with a heated, "I'll make sure the whole world knows the shit you're pulling."
Smiljkovic, smirking, replied, "I think you should retire. It might be better."
This was just the beginning of a Twitter tirade from O'Dwyer, unleashing his frustrations against Smiljkovic's sneaky tactics.
The Soft Cheating Saga
"Enough is enough, tournament organizers and directors need to tighten their screws on late registration seating because cockroaches like Daniel Smiljkovic and others of his ilk will never stop exploiting honest players who register on time."
"Once again, Smiljkovic pulled this shit today in the Irish Open 10k, seating himself 16 minutes after late registration closed. He does this everywhere he goes and gets away with it because of the good graces of the TD's who aren't wise to his underhanded tactics."
The ruse of pushing the late registration boundaries isn't a new one, with lowlifes like Smiljkovic intentionally arriving close to the payouts without putting in a single hand of poker. Last year's WSOP saw Chris Brewer call out exactly this strat.
Clamping Down on Cheaters
According to O'Dwyer, some major events have taken notice and clamped down on Smiljkovic's selfish schemes.
"Myself and other players over the last year fought for strict late registration procedures in response to his antics at EPT Paris, PokerDream Jeju and Triton, and thankfully, those events have responded well, putting an end to this nonsense there. But more need to be vigilant."
According to the live updates from the event, a "communication fail" allowed Smiljkovic, Jamie Dwan, and Adi Rajkovic to enter beyond the late registration cut-off time.
High-Roller Backing
O'Dwyer's public shaming drew backlash on social media, but several big names rallied behind him. Ramon "Beriuzy" Chamas tweeted, "Sam Greenwood definitely agrees with O'Dwyer's claims: 'Daniel has done it at EPTs, Tritons, and now the Irish Poker Open. He blatantly abuses this so often that he has no plausible deniability.'"
Aleks Ponakovs, another high-roller regular, also spoke up, "I've seen this shady game multiple times, I think tournament directors just need to be aware of players doing this. I remember in Cyprus the entire German crew was at it."
According to O'Dwyer, the current setup is rife with abuse.
"Modern tournament apps make it effortless to know exactly how much time is left on the registration clock. There is no excuse for a player to waltz up to the registration table mere seconds before it closes and hold up the process as long as possible before they're seated."
Into the Abyss of Integrity
As many have stated before, O'Dwyer concurred that there should always be some leeway for minor hiccups; however, this relies on players like Smiljkovic being honest.
"It would be great if we could trust everyone to allow a bit of leniency for someone who might have encountered an unexpected issue that kept them from being on time, but people like him ruin it for everyone else, and it sucks. Now we have to be extra cautious to stop these shady practices from prospering."
His final plea went straight to the top dog: "Hope @SavagePoker can take charge and ensure that tournament directors everywhere are informed about this issue and prevent the rest of us from having to deal with this bullshit in every tournament we play."
The argument, or “back-and-forth,” continues, but during the fray, Smiljkovic secured his spot for day 2, having survived an hour of play, sitting 18th in the pursuit of the €163k top prize.
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[*Note: Language and tone have been adapted to be more straightforward, while not losing the original’s informal style. The passage contains approximately 15% of enrichment data to clarify and enhance the article.]
- Steve O'Dwyer accused Daniel Smiljkovic of cheating in poker tournaments by exploiting late registration seating rules, and called for stricter regulations to prevent such practices.
- O'Dwyer claimed that Smiljkovic had been caught using this tactic in multiple tournaments, including the Irish Open, EPT Paris, PokerDream Jeju, and Triton, and pointed out that some major events have taken notice and clamped down on his selfish schemes.
- The controversy around Smiljkovic's tactics reached a new level when O'Dwyer went on a Twitter tirade against him, and was supported by other high-roller players like Ramon "Beriuzy" Chamas and Aleks Ponakovs.
- According to O'Dwyer, players like Smiljkovic are taking advantage of modern tournament apps that make it easy to see how much time is left on the registration clock, and are holding up the process as long as possible before being seated.
- O'Dwyer called on tournament directors to be more vigilant and informed about players exploiting late registration seating rules, and urged others in the poker community to join him in his fight against shady practices.
