Poker is filled with characters. And when you gamble for a living, it's kind of what you would expect. The entertainment value at the table rises significantly and gets more interesting with more talkative players. But a player like Salomon Ponte may cross the line when it comes to table talk.
The Self Proclaimed Hashtag King.
Ponte has taken on the self described nickname of the "Hashtag King." He's clearly trying to engage with social media in a way that allows him to be a bit of a ridiculous character. And it worked for a little while. He's gained plenty of attention from the poker community for his antics.
In fact, he received enough attention for appearances on the shows "Live at the Bike" and "Poker Night in America."
Show Appearances.
On "Live at the Bike," the Hashtag King lived up to his reputation. He mixed things up, criticized players at the table, and made some truly wild plays. He was willing to risk all his chips with a 8 5 offsuit and did some other things that no professional player would ever do. Still, the Hashtag King proved popular with the fans of "Live at the Bike," and on the last episode, fans of Ponte in chat were asking him to come back.
On "Poker Night in America," things went much worse for Ponte. He lost money, made fun of players at the table, and challenged Doug Polk to a million dollar heads up match that he can't afford.
On the show, Ponte even sought to sell his watch just to get back into the game. That's some serious degenerate gambler behavior.
Shaun Deeb.
But the worst part of Ponte's "Poker Night in America" debut was his relentless attack on professional Shaun Deeb. The Hashtag King called him "fat, ugly, and a fucking retard." But he didn't stop there, stating that he would rather be dead than be married to Deeb's wife.
That's clearly way over the line for anybody, but it seemed to be par for the course for Ponte.
Platforms?
The Hashtag King was given a platform to broadcast his brand, and he certainly gained plenty of attention for it. Now everyone in the poker community is aware of both his name and his brand. The shows on which he appeared gained plenty of attention, as controversy sparked interest in the man who couldn't afford to buy back into the show.
But Salomon Ponte won't be given a platform in the future, because both shows have banned him from live appearances. Given his treatment of Shaun Deeb, it's only fair that Ponte is banned. His original Twitter account is suspended, and any sponsorship that Ponte had previously is gone. It's time for Ponte to grow up. The act is cute, but insulting and berating people repeatedly will have to stop.
