'Dreamers' Poker Doc Comes Out Friday, William Kassouf at Center of Another Controversy

Written by :

Ace King

Published on :

12 April, 2023

"Dreamers: A New-Age Poker Documentary" comes out this Friday April 14 and its Director, Tom Wheaton, sat down with PokerNews.com to discuss the project.

"When you play in a poker tournament, 85% of the time you're going home broke," the trailer for the documentary begins.

"These people are your friends, and you're trying to kill them. As soon as the game is over, you're all friends again."

Chris Moneymaker, an Americas Cardroom ambassador and friend of the Gambling911.com website, is featured in the documentary.

Others participating in the doc (in alphabetical order): • Matt Berkey • Jaman Burton • Darren Elias • Jamie Kerstetter • Maria Konnikova • Jeff Platt • Landon Tice • Tom Wheaton • Ethan “Rampage” Yau.

“Dreamers” is a new-age poker documentary that takes viewers on a journey through the modern world of professional poker. The film follows the industry's best and brightest poker players and influencers as they compete in the first-ever WPT World Championship poker festival.

Through interviews with the players themselves, “Dreamers” peels back the curtain of the often mis-understood poker community, revealing the highs and lows of the game and the people who play it. From the intense pressure of high-stakes tournaments to the camaraderie and friendship that develops among players, the film captures the essence of what it means to be part of the passionate poker community and the Above the Felt team.

"I’m still not entirely sure what we want to ultimately accomplish with the documentary," Wheaton confessed. "I will say that ever since starting the Above the Felt marketing and talent agency in 2021, one of the primary goals has been to promote today’s best and brightest poker players, influencers, and personalities across and outside of our industry."

William Kassouf at Center of Another Controversy

In 2018, William Kassouf was caught palming chips at the roulette table. He'd go onto claim he was drunk at the time. He's known to be a bit annoying at the poker tables.

This past week, Kassouf's behaviour at the tables raised eyebrows on two occasions.

From PokerNewsDaily:

Incident No. 1:

Kassouf sat down at the table, but instead of putting chips in front of him, he simply said he was in for €300. Somehow, he was dealt into a hand and called a bet and raise for €30, again without actually using chips. It was like a “trust me” situation. After “calling,” he finally put three €100 chips on the table. He then called a flop bet, but still never put in that pre-flop €30 until Boatman spoke up.

Incident No. 2:

Kassouf bought in short to a Pot-Limit Omaha game, about €300 when everyone was buying-in for at least €1,000, and lost it all on an all-in. He rebought for the same and soon found himself on the losing end of an all-in again. As there was a side pot and a main pot, it took the dealer a little while to sort things out. While that was happening, Kassouf allegedly picked up his chips and “runs out of the card room.”

David Lappin discusses the matter over Twitter.