blonde poker forum

You've sold 50% to 15 investors and built up a stack in the WSOP main event (say day 3) when you hear some tragic news. You want to fly home to grieve and be with your family, attend the funeral etc.

What do you do?

Pay the investors what your stack is worth? What if you can't afford to do that? What if a backer has >50% + $50k makeup?

Horrible situation all round, is this just part of the variance of buying pieces? Do all investors just have to suck it up and understand and write it off?

Feels morbid discussing it but it came up last night and just had no clue what would happen.

Have the family delay funeral arrangements for 3-4 days while you finish up

Family matters more important than poker, and more important than money

Stakers have to view as exceptional situation and write it off

This is a horrible one. I think it's best to just do what you feel is best at the time. I mean, if it were 2 tables out of the main I'd carry on knowing that i would only be up to a day later back home to grieve. Would be a mighty tough day ahead of you though.

If it were day 1 of wsop I would just fly home. If I had a backer or had sold a lot of action it would come down to my own financial situation if I could offer some sort of compensation. However, I would worry about that later.

I can just imagine that conversation...

"Alex wants to delay funeral arrangement for 3-4 days"

"Why?"

"Oh, he's playing poker"

I think Dan's suggestion is surely the best option all round, but of course it would be an even tougher decision if you are 5/6/7 tables out too

It's sort of force majeure to my mind, all bets are off.

As a staker, I'd not expect a penny of recompence. I generally only stake good, close, friends, so I'd support their decision. Friends should not fall out over money, it is what it is.

It may be different, of course, if you are a "commercial" staker.

I've had very recent experience of a near death experience for a family member whilst my brother was away on a very nice holiday.  Whilst I was sat at the bedside somebody said if he knew it was this bad he'd want to come back.

I found it a bid weird, as my brother isn't a doctor and his contribution whilst appreciated by some was not going to change the experience of the family member one bit.  I am sure my brother felt horribly guilty despite all this.

I'd say it was clearer for me if the family member had died.  There really is absolutely nothing very useful you can do that wouldn't wait a week.  I'd also hate it if I thought my family members were ruining their big chances in life just so they could look good to the other relatives for a couple of days.  Seems to make the whole death experience worse.

This may all be a bit theoretical, because you may not be able to carry on even if you think it would be right to.  Death of a close relative is something it is very hard to just soldier through.   If you could get through that and still final table you would only have my admiration.  

I think it is very different if they died just before you started.

FWIW something like this did happen at a poker tournament I attended and the person affected took a break and finished the job.  I think it was very much the right thing in that situation.  I can't go into exact details as I don't think it is right, but that person went up in my estimation and not down because of what he did.

Do whatever you feel is appropriate.

If you have enough chips to limp into the money and you decide to go home, don't take your % - just split the entire prize between stakers.

It would be a hard hearted staker that would demand compensation if you didn't cash.

If they asked for a ICM payout, I think I would tell them to GFY.

Completely agree.

Is money really THAT important that people would even have to consider the question?

Depends which family member kicks the bucket ;)

You jest but it does depend really as it ends up being about the emotional support required from you. There could well be a situation that a few days doesn't really make much difference.

In some ways a serious accident would be worse. If something happened to one of my kids say i'd be running to get on the next plane.

Player goes home and owes nothing unless their stack cashes

If it was me that had died I wouldn't want the person to come back.  If I was a close family member I would tell the player not to come back.

There are plenty that turn up for a funeral and are utterly no help to the bereaved family thereafter and that's when they need support.

Do staking agreements have clauses to this degree? I can imagine there is rules about completing tournaments entered etc

Staker would need to be fairly douchey to kick up major stink. Can't imagine him getting much love for posting that in negative feedback on 2+2

If it was my family I would play on likely as I know that's how we roll. Solid gold tombstone come October.  Wife's family probs come back to assist.

Pretty much this.

If I played for a living and it was for a massive score, my parents/relatives would want me to finish the job and make the difference, as would I.

If it were my parents/brother etc, I suspect I wouldn't be able to do anything but leave, anyway.

If I ever needed backers, I would only ask people close to me, that would accept the circs regardless too. On the other hand, if I asked people I didn't know, tough. Unless of course, one was called Donn something!

That is the case for the vast majority on here, I would think, we are mostly "social stakers", staking our mates. So yes, we'd accept their decision without question.

Depends what state of mind this leaves the player with also.  Are they going to play optimal when thinking of whats going on back home.

I think the 'who' question is really important.  if it were me, and say a close family member passed, I don't think i could play. 

Totally down to player.

The question is a bit wide, in truth. If it were a third cousin, it's a lot different to losing a Parent, child, or partner.

I can't imagine anyone on earth would continue to play, or be expected to by a staker, if it were a parent, child, or wife/husband.

If you're staking someone for a tourney, you're at the mercy of your horse suffering a bad beat and not getting any money. This is one of those bad beats.

Would be different if you were staking Stephen Ireland and he told you that another of his grandmothers had died.

That Stephen Ireland thing was the weirdest story ever.

Did he ever explain himself?

Sure I've seen this on WSOP coverage before. Guys have definitely
Left huge stacks on the bubble too.

Wonder how many people have missed their child being born.

Probably less than those that missed it being conceived.

audience goes ooooooohhhhhhhh

His girlfriend had a miscarriage which kind of fits in nicely with this thread.  I am fairly sure it was a significant way through the pregnancy, so probably pretty painful for him and his girlfriend.  From what I remember his girlfriend didn't have family close by for support.  I think he didn't want to reveal what happened so made something up.  I guess he didn't think particularly straight at the time, but it is difficult to think straight at times like this.  So he did a bad thing, but you can see why he did it.

I'd say this.

I remember a guy lost his 3 or 4 year old nephew to a drowning accident a few years ago.

Had a huge stack blinded away and he pure bubbled.

Thought they could have taken 50k off the top or something to compensate him.

Understandable he withdrew, but somewhat strange he didn't tell his manager the reason.

Sure the FAI could have just said "personal reasons" to the press.

jam all hands until bust or CL then leave promptly

I had a look back after I posted, and his girlfriend had been trying to contact him. When asked why she said his grandma had died as she thought they'd release him quicker.  She told him the truth when he spoke to her, but he went along with what she said to the manager.  It then blew up and he compounded it by then saying it was other grandma.

Both young and stupid at the time.  But I think miscarriage is one of those things people just don't talk about.  

Apparently Ireland was under the impression that a miscarriage wouldn't be a good enough reason to pull out of the national squad, so made up the porky pie of it being his Grandmother. When the press found his Grandmother alive and well, he claimed it was his other Grandmother. I'm sure we've all been there where we tell a white lie (maybe not to that same degree though) with good intentions, but the thing just snowballs and we end up looking like a right plonker.

Actually think the media treated him pretty poorly in the aftermath. Instead of giving him support, he was widely mocked, hence his retirement from international football at the grand old age of 24 or whatever it was.

Pleased that he's still doing the business in the PL. Was very disappointed when Mancini came in and discarded him immediately. Hughes is the man to get the best out of him.

I digress! It was tongue in cheek earlier but I do think the family member in question is the key aspect.