LAS VEGAS—Scandal now looms over the World Apples to Apples Tour after the league’s governing body voted Monday to bring charges of collusion against finalists at this year’s $3.5 million main event. According to CasinoPulse.com, tour veterans Jeff Munson and Earl Stupak now face allegations of marking green apple cards during one another’s “red apple” rounds to try and take home the top purse.
“For me, when [Munson] ‘decided’ that ‘bankruptcy’ was ‘juicy’, that was the last straw,” said Kevin Bryce, 36, a first-time finalist. “Like earlier when he picked ‘chewy’ for ‘Claude Monet’, I thought, alright, I can see it maybe—but after the bankruptcy one there was just no way.”
Bryce himself is no stranger to aggressive play, having earned his tour entry by placing first in an online 6-max event when he matched “boring” to “sloppy joes” in the last round.
“You have to take chances to finish in the money, naturally, but there’s a limit,” he commented. “Stupak chose ‘unforgettable’ for ‘Mount Rushmore’ early on and that’s when we all started watching more closely.”
In the end it was Lyle Jones, 42, who took home the $3.5 million after a $10,000 rebuy when he was eliminated the first day. “I took a loss early when I tried to match ‘cheesy’ to ‘cheesecake’, but the judge that round picked ‘sexy’. Thankfully I came up big in the clutch.”
The pivotal moment came at the final table when Jones matched “cold” to “John Philip Sousa”, allowing him to edge past Stupak by one green apple card for the win.
“Lyle silenced the critics this year,” Bryce said of the newly crowned champion. “A lot of people doubted he could perform on a big stage with the whole world watching.”
Now, for Munson and Stupak, if the allegations against them are found to be true, they face up to a five-year ban from the tour and a loss of sponsorships.
“I’m just happy they didn’t squirrel the title away from Lyle Jones,” said one online commenter. “That would have tarnished the pro circuit for years to come.”
“Lucky for me that John Philip Sousa is dead,” noted Jones.