Jimmy Butler poker controversy, explained: Why Heat star is banned from popular Hustler Casino Live show

Stephen Noh

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Jimmy Butler poker controversy, explained: Why Heat star is banned from popular Hustler Casino Live show image

Jimmy Butler was welcomed with open arms to the Hustler Casino Live's poker stream on June 23. The game featured a mix of celebrities like Butler and soccer's Neymar competing alongside professional poker players for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of their own money.

Those other players are welcomed back, but Butler's lone appearance will be his last. That's according to the show's co-owner Nick Vertucci, who went off on Butler during a live stream three weeks later. Vertucci said Butler isn't welcome back and accused the Heat star of being rude to everyone. 

Here's what Butler did to earn the scorn of Vertucci and some of the other players in the game. 

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Jimmy Butler poker controversy, explained

Vertucci gave a long list of grievances against Butler a few weeks after the show aired. 

"First of all, he got here and waited an hour and a half for Neymar to get here," Vertucci explained. "He was pissed, he wouldn't play unless [Neymar] was here. So he was just sitting in the seat.

"We had to move his seat because he wanted to sit by Neymar," Vertucci continued. "That's OK too, a little prima donna stuff." 

Butler's behavior might be considered poor etiquette by some in the poker community. Taking up a seat and not playing prevented other new players from entering the game. But as Vertucci said, Butler hadn't crossed a line — yet. 

Vertucci then explained that some of the players wanted to put a straddle on the game, which is a common blind bet before action begins to incentivize bigger pots at the table. Butler, a poker novice, was said to be unaware of how that straddle worked and became upset. 

The players also wanted to play the "stand up" game, which is a rules amendment wherein the last player to win a pot is issued a financial penalty. According to Vertucci, Butler became confused about that additional rule and began arguing with influencer Dan Bilzerian, who was in the game. 

"[Butler] got up and said f— this," Vertucci said. "I get up there, and I hear him going, 'I'm the real one.'" 

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Vertucci said he tried to de-escalate the situation by touching Butler's arm and asking if there was anything he could do. Butler allegedly responded by saying, "The first thing you can do is get your hand off my f—ing arm." 

In response to a subsequent offer of help, Vertucci claims Butler said, "You want to help me, go get my money." 

Vertucci also alleged that Butler was rude to everyone in the building. 

"He was rude to the dealers, he was rude to other players, he was rude to the staff."

Vertucci said that Butler's friends staged a recording where Butler gave them $100 bills, receiving them back after the cameras were turned off. Vertucci said that he witnessed Butler being rude to a young fan as well.

"Did he [talk to him?] Yeah, but he did it begrudgingly, and he wasn't very kind to him." 

Vertucci's account certainly makes Butler seem like the bad guy in this situation, but Vertucci is a controversial figure in the poker world, and Butler may have felt like he was being taken advantage of with the rules given his lack of experience in poker games. 

Butler may have created some animosity by winning $174,000 pot off Neymar and leaving shortly afterward, not allowing the other players an opportunity to get some of that money for themselves. 

Bilzerian complained shortly about Butler refusing to gamble with the other players. 

"That basketball player wanted to leave so bad once he doubled [his money] up." 

It sounds like Butler and the other players won't be losing much sleep over not having the chance to play together in the future. 

Stephen Noh

Stephen Noh Photo

Stephen Noh started writing about the NBA as one of the first members of The Athletic in 2016. He covered the Chicago Bulls, both through big outlets and independent newsletters, for six years before joining The Sporting News in 2022. Stephen is also an avid poker player and wrote for PokerNews while covering the World Series of Poker from 2006-2008.