Poker Pro Nik Airball Apologizes for Remarks against Matt Berkey

Many people find it difficult when losing a game, regardless of whether they are engaging in friendly play or a tournament. That effect exacerbates even further whenever money is involved, and this is why poker is not for everyone.

While some can keep their “poker face,” emotional players may find it difficult to face a loss. One recent poker battle met professional poker players Nikhil “Nik Airball” Arcot and Matt Berkey at Resorts World in Las Vegas. The $200/$400 game No-Limit Hold’Em game started last month and ended last week. Sadly, one of the players faced not only a seven-figure loss but also engaged in a bit of trash talk. The game was intense and Nik Airball, who is also a Hustler Casino Live regular, made unpleasant remarks against his opponent Berkey.

Overall, it has taken about 10 play sessions and just shy of 60 hours for Berkey to win the heads-up poker match against his rival Nik Airball. The game had a $1 million loss cap which resulted in Airball losing $1,029,700. The seasoned poker pro admitted in a Twitter post that he engaged in negative comments and remarks against Berkey and even called him a “scammer.”

Owning up to the negative comments and trash talk, Airball apologized for his behavior toward his opponent. He admitted that he was emotional during the game and regretted calling Berkey a scammer and making negative comments about his business. Additionally, Airball acknowledged that his game with Berkey was fair. He said that his opponent “played well, and he played better than I expected he would.”

“I want to apologize for the comments I made about Matt being a scammer and the negative comments I made about his business. That was out of line and I regret making those comments. I got caught up emotionally in the heat of the moment and said some things I shouldn’t have said, and for that I apologize. Matt showed during this match that he is a true professional,“

reads a statement released via Twitter from Nik Airball

In his recent statement, Airball admitted that he still has a lot to learn as a poker player and acknowledged that he didn’t have a lot of experience in heads-up play. He said that he enjoys poker and likes to show his character which is social, loud and fun. Still, Airball noted: “But I can work on being better at not making comments that can be hurtful.” Finally, the poker pro thanked his fans and people that showed support for his game.