Poker player bluffs terminal cancer to get WSOP buy-in
A Vallejo, Calif., man admitted that he lied about having terminal colon cancer to raise a $10,000 buy-in for the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Poker player Rob Mercer, 37, made $12,500 through a GoFundMe page and reportedly received another $18,000 through private donations. In a Special Interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday, Mercer said he would not refund any of the money.
The Review-Journal contacted Mercer on Wednesday about initially publishing a "feel-good article" about his WSOP experience. But since the article was published in July, some people who donated to the cause have grown suspicious and turned against Mercer.
“I lied about having colon cancer. I don’t have colon cancer. I used it to report my case,” Mercer told the newspaper. “What I did was wrong. I shouldn't tell people I have colon cancer. When someone asks me what kind of cancer I have, that’s what comes naturally to me. "
'Last Wish
On his GoFundMe page, Mercer describes himself as a semi-pro player who never had the budget to buy a main event outright and wondered if he could achieve his dream.
"I've always wondered if I would do this [fundraiser] because my pride means so much to me and I've never been a fan of asking others for help," Mercer wrote on GoFundMe. “But my dream has always been to play in the World Series of Poker Main Event.”
He claimed he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in August 2022 and was given six to 18 months to live, and suddenly the need to make his dream come true became even more urgent.
"Revenge Villain"
Mercer told the Review-Journal that he lied about having breast cancer, even though he admitted it was not diagnosed. He claimed he had colon cancer because he considered it the least "embarrassing" of the two diseases.
Mercer added that there was no need to repay the money because it was given to him because he was ill, which he claimed.
Among the donors was Cody Daniels, a poker player who is actually terminally ill.
“They painted me as some kind of monster, like this vengeful villain who had planned this for months,” Mercer told the Review-Journal. "This is crazy." But I understand. I get it. "
Mercer was eliminated from the World Series main event within hours.
Read also:
- Games Industry Research: Carbon Emissions of Top Video Games
- U.S. cities with the most Swifties per capita
- Blackjack Casino Advantage: How to Beat the Odds
- Football 101: What is relegation in football?
Source: www.casino.org
