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William “Will” Kassouf is a London-based professional poker player and former solicitor who became one of the most polarising and recognisable figures in modern poker through his signature “speech play” strategy — relentless table talk designed to destabilise opponents and extract information. His 17th-place finish at the 2016 WSOP Main Event for $338,288 made him an international household name and his EPT Prague High Roller win for €532,500 that same year confirmed he can back up the theatre with genuine results.
Career Earnings & Biggest Results
Total live earnings exceed $2,103,000 across recorded cashes, per The Hendon Mob. His largest single cash is €532,500 for winning the EPT Prague €10,300 High Roller in 2016.
💰 Live Earnings: $2,103,000+ | 🏆 EPT Prague High Roller 2016 | 🎯 WSOP Main Event: 17th (2016) | 🗣️ Trademark: “Speech play”
Notable Results (click to expand)
| Date | Event | Result | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2016 | EPT Prague €10,300 High Roller | 1st | €532,500 |
| Jul 2016 | WSOP $10,000 Main Event | 17th | $338,288 |
| 2020 | Irish Poker Masters Online Main Event | 1st | €215,000 |
His estimated poker net worth is over $1.5 million.
Biography & Poker Background
Born on 19 December 1981 in London, Kassouf trained and qualified as a solicitor before leaving the legal profession in 2013 to pursue poker professionally. He initially made his name grinding low-stakes tournaments and cash games at the Victoria Casino in London, with his first significant cash in 2009.
His breakthrough summer came in 2016 — one of the most impactful years in British poker. He made the money in the WSOP Main Event and became the dominant story of its early stages through a series of high-profile confrontations, most notably the hand where he talked Stacy Matuson into folding pocket queens to his nine-high before declaring “nine-high like a boss.” His eventual exit in 17th — pocket kings losing to pocket aces in a heated confrontation with Griffin Benger — produced another iconic moment. He received $338,288 for the finish.
Six months later, he won the EPT Prague €10,300 High Roller for €532,500 — an emphatic statement that his skill set extended far beyond the table talk. He also won the Irish Poker Masters Online Main Event in 2020 for €215,000.
His career has not been without controversy. A 2018 casino incident led to the termination of his Grosvenor sponsorship and a lifetime ban from their properties. He was also expelled from the 2025 WSOP Main Event after accumulating multiple penalties and receiving a ban from the remainder of that series.
Play Style & Strategy
Kassouf’s signature is “speech play” — sustained verbal engagement with opponents designed to disrupt decision-making, gather information, and create exploitable emotional states. He argues that talking to opponents yields more information than the standard silent professional approach, and his results — particularly in large-field, multi-day tournaments — suggest the strategy has genuine merit when combined with solid technical fundamentals.
His EPT Prague High Roller victory in a field of elite professionals demonstrated that he can operate at the highest stakes beyond the Main Event grinds where his personality style is most prominent.
Social Media & Online Presence
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