Kevin Mathers received support for a seat at the World Series of Poker Main Event, a concept conceived by Daniel Alaei. This backing, which covered the $10,000 entry fee, was provided by several successful poker players who staked Mathers in his pursuit of a Main Event bracelet. Unfortunately, Mathers did not succeed.
Earl Burton expressed concern about Mathers receiving support for the Main Event. He believes that Mathers’ role at Bluff Magazine could influence his coverage of events involving those who financially backed him. However, Bluff Magazine was unbothered by this situation and gave Mathers the green light to accept the financing arrangement, which Mathers himself did not seek.
The matter of media bias is significant, but it is not relevant in this situation.
Kevin Mathers’ Position at Bluff
According to Bluff’s website and a Linkedin profile, Mathers holds the position of Manager of Poker Information at Bluff. A thorough exploration of Bluff.com shows that Mathers is not recognized as an author. His role involves gathering data for the live events results database. He liaises with poker rooms to obtain results, ensuring the database’s up-to-date status. Additionally, Mathers monitors the schedules for future events.
His latest tasks include a section known as Stump the Kevmath, a YouTube series featuring poker trivia where Mathers’ knowledge is put to the test. Bluff reports that he has not served as a floor reporter for the WSOP since 2011.
To put it differently, his job duties at Bluff cannot accurately be described as journalism.
A Staple in the Poker Twitterverse and 2+2
Mathers’ service to the poker community extends beyond the entertainment and information he offers to Bluff. His personal Twitter account @Kevmath is a treasure trove of information, which 22,300 followers agree with. As far as I can tell, this is the highest number of followers for any individual poker media account.
Since joining Twitter in May 2008, the @Kevmath account has posted a whopping 55,600 tweets, averaging about 25 tweets daily. Despite this high volume, Mathers ensures his feed is not cluttered with irrelevant posts. His tweets typically fall into two main categories: vital information about live poker tournaments and responses to queries from players. Unlike many accounts with a similar tweet frequency, he maintains the quality of his content.
Players frequently contact the @Kevmath account for assistance with live tournaments. Inquiries cover topics such as start times, seating arrangements, and eliminations. Mathers typically possesses this information before players need to ask and shares it via links to the poker room’s website. Players rely on him for the latest information and he consistently delivers. Queries from players usually get responses within minutes.
Many of these players likely don’t know where he works, as his tweets rarely link to Bluff.com. Despite this, he doesn’t hesitate to post links to other websites or share relevant information, even if it’s from a site that competes with Bluff.
Observing Mather’s Twitter feed, it’s evident that he possesses a wealth of knowledge about poker. It could be challenging to find someone more knowledgeable about the live poker aspect of the industry than Mathers.
He doesn’t only assist on Twitter. He became a member of Two Plus Two in 2002 and has been moderating the News, Views, and Gossip section. This is the most challenging forum to moderate, something I can personally vouch for. I used to be a moderator at Two Plus Two myself and experienced firsthand the complexity of managing such a bustling forum.
Mathers’ service to the industry is the reason why players were keen to back him. His presence in the industry is vital as it not only keeps players involved, but also demonstrates the existence of good individuals in the poker world. Additionally, it offers players a portal to receive insider access and viewpoint at significant events.
No Conflict of Interest Concerns with Mathers’ Stake
Burton’s concern was that this gift could potentially sway decision making. Given Mathers’ role at Bluff, this seems highly unlikely. I can see why there would be worry if a journalist or columnist were to accept such a stake, but what exactly is the issue here? Is the fear that he might falsely declare one of his backers as a victor in an event? Or that he might fabricate chip counts? The suggestion is preposterous.
Every piece of work I’ve observed from Mathers at Bluff is founded on facts. Any false information he creates would be swiftly exposed.
Receiving a sign of gratitude from successful players will not impact his job performance due to his dedication to the industry. He is renowned for his impartiality and positivity in the poker media industry, seemingly never displaying bias or negativity towards anyone.
One must also take into account that this was an investment, not a monetary gift. The individuals who funded the buy-in anticipated remuneration if Mathers won. This arrangement is similar to those made by thousands of others at the World Series of Poker.
The supporters were rooting for him, yet it’s difficult to believe they were banking on securing a victory. Even if Mathers had a positive outlook in that area, it came with significant unpredictability. I suspect that Mathers was more devastated about failing to make a profit than any of his supporters.
Player Reactions
The column under discussion was arguably one of the most contentious editorials written recently. The argument suggesting that accepting a Main Event stake may induce bias was addressed directly when he tweeted a link to an article that essentially ripped him apart, accusing him of unethical behavior.
I will share this story from @EarlBurton75 on Twitter without any comment – http://t.co/QvyPSBi7TB
Kevin Mathers tweeted this on July 8, 2014 (@Kevmath).
Dozens of responses were received, the majority of which expressed support for Mathers. Those that didn’t, generally adopted a neutral stance. Below is a brief sample:
Even the White House Press Corp has the Correspondence Dinner with the current President, as noted by D. Mark Newman. He shared this on Twitter, mentioning users Kevmath and EarlBurton75 on July 8, 2014.
Kevmath and EarlBurton75 could not be more in disagreement. Kevmath’s ethics should remain unquestioned as players made a conscious decision to invest in him.
Tweet by Gavin Smith (@olegsmith) from July 9, 2014.
The article made me laugh and overall, it seems pretty ridiculous – christopher blik (@chris_blik) July 9, 2014. @olegsmith @Kevmath @EarlBurton75
@Kevmath @EarlBurton75 @FlaPokerGroup I concur on a theoretical level. However, practically speaking, every dime a poker journalist makes is somewhat sponsored.
This was tweeted by Amy Calistri (@amy_calistri) on July 9, 2014.
The final point is quite compelling. The majority of revenue for poker news sites is derived from advertising contracts with poker rooms. If there were going to be any bias, which is not uncommon in the poker industry, the source of one’s income would likely have a greater impact on the editorial approach than participating in a poker tournament with sponsors.
Final Thoughts
I am delighted that Kevin Mathers had the opportunity to participate in the World Series of Poker Main Event, a dream for most players. His employment within the industry should not hinder him from accepting a stake that is accessible to almost all other players.
This was supposed to be an uplifting tale, a beacon of positivity in an industry rife with controversies. A team of players aided someone who devoted his life to the improvement of poker in achieving his dream. Regrettably, a writer felt compelled to tarnish this joyful moment in someone’s life.
