Daniel Negreanu is, in his own words, "a stickler for rules." And he called the floor on high-stakes crusher Christoph Vogelsang in the $50K NLH High Roller at the WSOP on Wednesday and then called him out in his daily vlog, telling him, “It’s time to grow up.”
Vogelsang fell foul of the rule that says you can’t cover your eyes, mouth, and neck at the same time when playing at the WSOP.
Vogelsang has a trademark hoodie that he uses when he’s in a hand to cover his neck and mouth. Add shades to that mix, and Vogelsang is technically breaking a rule. This might be the first time he’s actually been pulled up on it, and Negreanu wasn’t even at his table at the time.
Christoph Vogelsang covering up at the 2025 WSOP. Negreanu: 'It's time to grow up'
Negreanu followed up with some pointed comments on his vlog the next day, saying, “One thing at the World Series of Poker that you’re not allowed to do — I do not know if a lot of people know this — you cannot cover your eyes, your mouth, and your neck simultaneously. You can only do two of the three.”
Negreanu went on to say that he thinks the WSOP should stop players from covering any of them but admitted that sunglasses would be a tough one because of the TV lights.
Talking about the incident with Vogelsang, Negreanu said, “[He] is a very nice guy, I like him, but it’s time to grow up. It’s time to take the training wheels off and say, okay, I've got to play like a man because I’m a man now.
“He’s a great player — listen, if he wants to sell a piece, I’ll buy a piece of him, without any of that stuff. Good poker player, time to take the training wheels off.”
Later in the event, Vogelsang ended up at Negreanu’s table — this time with his full smile on display.
Should sunglasses be banned at the table?
Negreanu said there were 150 players in the $50K High Roller and that Vogelsang was the only player covering up. “Ask yourself this,” he said. “If everyone did what you’re doing, would that be good or detrimental to the game of poker?”
Negreanu went on to say that if players are really that afraid, they should stick to online poker.
“If you’re completely covered, that’s taking away from the spirit of what live poker is supposed to be," Negreanu said. "We’re at the place where you can cover two of three, and I think that’s one too many. Maybe we’ll get there at some point to where we all look like humans again.”
Poker pro Alex Duvall posted an image of a player who was covering up earlier in the series. His post went viral with close to 500,000 views and plenty of reactions that seem to suggest most players are on Negreanu's side on this issue.
Mike Matusow replied to Duvall's post, saying, “I hope next year @RealKidPoker makes the WSOP ban all face coverings and sunglasses! Yes, I wear them, but I’ll be happy not to! This is comical.”
What do you think? Should the WSOP ban all face coverings? Drop your take in the comments below.
