Controversial Elimination Hand
When six players remained in the tournament, the blinds were 60,000/120,000.
Wakil, holding JโฆQโฆ, raised from the first position to 270,000.
Players folded one by one until Aleksandr Shevliakov, who was in the small blind. Holding AโฅKโฅ, he made an illegally small re-raise โ only to 360,000, although the rules required it to be at least 420,000.
The tournament director intervened, instructing Shevliakov to adjust the bet. He responded:
โI didn't notice there was action.โ
However, Wakil's facial expression revealed doubts about the sincerity of this response.
After the flop and remaining community cards โ 10โฃ 7โ 3โฃ 6โฃ Kโ โ Wakil was eliminated, and Shevliakov scooped a pot of over 8 million chips.
During the broadcast, commentator James Hartigan noted that Shevliakov had not once announced a raise aloud throughout the final table โ this was the first time.
Later, Shevliakov triumphed in the entire tournament and won a โฌ1,000,000 prize. Wakil received โฌ199,750 for sixth place.
Wakil's Position After the Tournament
After the performance, Wakil gave an interview during the live broadcast, expressing doubts about whether Shevliakov acted deliberately. However, after reviewing the situation's recording, he posted a detailed explanation on social network X, explaining why he believed it was a deliberate unfair action.
Wakil stated he aimed to protect the integrity of poker and draw attention to behavior that could harm the game's reputation. He pointed out three main arguments why Shevliakov's actions raised his suspicions:
โ He almost used the entire 15-second decision time before raising, and the dealer clearly indicated this, so Shevliakov had plenty of time to notice.
โ Until this episode, Shevliakov had not once announced a raise aloud at the final table.
โ Another finalist, Boris Angelov, immediately stated that it was a deliberate “fake misclick” and added that Shevliakov had already performed a similar action against his friend in the same tournament.
Finally, Wakil added a screenshot showing Shevliakov closely observing his actions โ which, in his opinion, further confirmed that the situation was understood and exploited deliberately.
Unethical but Technically Legal
Although disappointed, Wakil acknowledged that Shevliakov's actions were technically allowed in the game, but in his opinion, they went too far ethically.
He concluded his statement by congratulating Shevliakov on his victory, despite all the surrounding controversies. Various players from the poker community responded to his statement. One of them, Barny Boatman, stated that Wakil's comment was “clear, tactful, and entirely correct”.
