The Abbie Merk scandal continues

The scandal around Abby Merk on The Lodge stream has taken an unexpected turn, and the viral clip of the hand we covered earlier has already racked up more than 1.8 million views.

After the American's behavior drew criticism from the community, Abby came out with a detailed statement:

The internet is literally crucifying me. Yes, I made a mistake by letting my emotions take over, and it cost me money. But I genuinely thought we were playing friendly poker, where people chat, have fun and don't try to "kill" each other on every hand

Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade backed Merk and noted that while Abby did make a mistake at the table, the reaction on social media turned into toxic harassment of the kind women in the poker community face regularly.

Susan put out a post in response:

Yes, Abby and I get along well. But the integrity of the game matters far more. If I had mucked my cards just because we're friends, that would have been outright collusion. There was a third player in the pot whom Abby had already knocked out of the hand. I was obliged to make an honest decision before the other participants, the game itself and myself

Journalists drew a historical parallel with the cult hand from The Big Game, where Tony G brazenly lied to Phil Hellmuth that he'd gone all-in without looking at his cards (while holding pocket aces), and after winning just laughed: "It's poker, Phil!"

That said, the story ended on a positive note. Abby clarified that right after the cameras were turned off, she and Susan talked one-on-one, fully settled the conflict and agreed on that very famous line:

"After all, it's poker, Phil".

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