Will Kassouf Confirms Return to World Series of Poker This Summer

By Mrinal Gujare

3 hours ago

Mrinal Gujare 3 hours ago

Share this article

Will Kassouf to return for the 2026 WSOP after prior penalties.
Cleared to compete globally despite past controversies.
Pacing disputes led to penalties but officials confirmed his eligibility.

Image Credit: Austin Currington/Pokernews

Will Kassouf has confirmed his return to the World Series of Poker this summer. Despite his highly penalized 2025 exit, Kassouf stated that tournament officials cleared him to compete in all global WSOP events during the upcoming Las Vegas tournament.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) will see the return of one of its most polarizing figures this summer. Will Kassouf has confirmed his upcoming participation in the tournament series in Las Vegas, clarifying that he faces no restrictions on his play despite a controversial exit from the tournament property during the previous year's series.

Speaking to PokerNews, Kassouf stated that he will be attending the tournament series from the end of June through to mid-July, aligning his schedule with the final three weeks of the WSOP.

His arrival will coincide with the 2026 WSOP Main Event, which is scheduled to begin on July 2 at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.

Addressing speculation surrounding his status after being escorted from the venue by security during the 2025 Main Event, Kassouf revealed that he has since communicated with tournament management.

According to Kassouf, officials informed him that he is permitted to play in all WSOP events worldwide. His return ensures his vocal presence will join other prominent personalities, such as Martin Kabrhel, in the tournament pavilions.

A Review of the 2025 Main Event Pacing Controversies

Kassouf earned significant attention during the 2025 WSOP Main Event, where he ultimately finished in 33rd place on Day 7. However, his run was defined by multiple pacing incidents that drew the attention of opponents and tournament staff alike.

The disruptions began as early as Day 2, when Kassouf halted action for more than ten minutes while holding a king-high flush, which was the second nuts. The lengthy delay prompted his opponent, Sacha Cohen, to call the clock, after which Kassouf risked his tournament life by making the call against the Frenchman.

By Day 6, Kassouf briefly held the top spot in the chip counts after winning an aces-versus-kings cooler against Stephen Kehoe. His momentum did not last, and his stack eventually dwindled. Over the course of that single session, opponents called the clock on Kassouf 23 times.

In response to the chronic delays, tournament officials implemented a penalty that restricted him to just ten seconds per decision.

Though staff lifted the restriction during the final level of the day, Kassouf ended the night ranked 54th out of the 57 remaining players, bagging a stack of 2,850,000 chips.

Escalation on Day 7 and Management Intervention

The pacing issues and penalties multiplied during Day 7, culminating in a heated exchange between Kassouf and Jack Effel, the WSOP Senior Vice President of Poker Operations.

After tournament staff placed Kassouf on a ten-second shot clock for repeated tanking, the player defended his actions by arguing that "Americans can't take it" and claiming that he was being unfairly targeted by management.

Effel, who had prior experience managing Kassouf during his speech-play-heavy run to 17th place in the 2016 WSOP Main Event, which included a famous verbal dispute with Griffin Benger, intervened during a tournament break.

Effel offered to remove the strict pacing restriction on the condition that Kassouf alter his behavior at the table. When Kassouf subsequently moved to the feature table, staff increased his allotment to a 30-second shot clock, while explicitly reserving the right to reduce the decision time again if necessary.

News Bracelet Wins