With the 2026 World Series of Poker now in full swing, there is a lot going on. We’ve already seen some huge prize pools, a player turning $550 into a cool million, and, of course, some unavoidable drama that accompanies every summer festival.

Among many topics that have caught the attention of the poker public, there is one that stands out and it was brought up by Poker Flops on X. Poker Flops is a fresh poker content site that also has a YouTube channel, and their mission is to provide poker with a “home that feels like the table.”

The controversy came up after the official WSOP account blocked the Poker Flops account on X for posting short poker clips, which were cut out from the World Series of Poker live streams.

These are around two-minute clips showcasing some of the biggest, most interesting, or most controversial moments from the tournaments, and, apparently, these videos performed quite well, generating over a million impressions in about 72 hours.

After WSOP officials caught wind of what was happening, they started issuing copyright claims against the clips, which led to the content being removed from the account. Poker Flops responded with a harsh statement, calling out the WSOP for not keeping up with the times and limiting the game’s exposure with their “backward views.”

The “Good for Poker” Argument

It is true that issues of content distribution have been somewhat of a pain point in the poker world. There are certainly times when the action and the reaction don’t quite line up, and things are blown out of proportion for no apparent reason.

But, and this is primarily my personal take, I don’t think this is the case here.

It is no surprise that WSOP clips are getting a ton of views. It is high-quality content from poker’s biggest festival, so, yes, people enjoy it. But the fact of the matter is that the WSOP put in a lot of resources to make that content possible, and this year, it is available for free.

For someone else to take that content, extract bits and pieces, and then use it to build an audience for themselves doesn’t seem quite fair. The argument “it’s good for poker” is not enough here. There are many things that would be great for poker, but we don’t have them.

For example, I’m sure the game would grow tremendously if we had a weekly freeroll where the winner takes home $1,000,000. Everybody and their dog would be learning how to play poker. But somebody would have to provide the money for that to happen.

We could argue about whether the WSOP production team is doing all they could to get their (great) content in front of as many eyeballs as possible. There are definitely some other things they could be doing, and more short-form content would probably work well in this day and age.

However, it’s up to the content owners and creators to decide how they want to distribute that content, and others are free to pitch in with ideas and even offer to help out. And, if they like your idea, they might take you up on it.

Is Poker Taking Itself Too Seriously?

Another argument brought forward by Poker Flops is that poker takes itself too seriously and that it needs a different approach to capture the attention of new generations. How the game is presented certainly plays a big role in that.

This one, I actually agree with to a great extent, and I’ve often said that we could do with a lighter, funnier approach.

That being said, the World Series of Poker is arguably the biggest brand in the industry. If we want to start changing the narrative, perhaps we should start with something smaller and build from there. In fact, that’s exactly what some vloggers (think Rampage) have been doing for a while.

The WSOP has a reputation to protect, and it is no surprise that they are very cautious with how their content is distributed.

I don’t think there is anyone working in or around this industry who doesn’t want to see the game grow. We all want to celebrate poker and show it in its best light. But if someone doesn’t want you to use their content, no matter how you feel about it, that should be respected.

And that, I think, is pretty universal across all fields and industries, so the outrage seems a bit misplaced here. After all, almost anyone could get a media pass and create their own content if they’re so passionate about it.