The new coronavirus may be causing a boom for online poker operators, but one club in the UK has split opinion with its take on the crisis.
As shoppers in the UK and elsewhere fight for toilet paper, Eltham Terrance Club tried to make light of the situation.
Playing on the idea that a roll is worth more than money right now, it hosted an impromptu game with unique stakes.
Toilet Paper Parody Splits Opinion
The price of poker is going up!!! #HeadsUpForRolls pic.twitter.com/wo15zpOs8O
— Eltham Terrace Club (@ElthamTerrace) March 18, 2020
The video (see above) was designed to raise a smile during uncertain times and quickly got picked up by national media outlets. UK newspaper, The Daily Mail, reposted the short clip on its Facebook page, but not everyone saw the funny side.
The parody was filmed before UK casinos closed their doors. However, a number of commenters found the joke to be in poor taste given the current situation.
“It’s all a big joke to some people, but wait until people round about them start dropping dead, then we will see if it’s funny, so start getting a grip NOW,” Robert Harvey wrote on Facebook.
“They think it’s funny. Wait until one of them got the virus. That’s the time no toilet paper can help you,” Ita Nizam commented.
As is often the case with comedy, there are those who didn’t find the video funny. At the time of writing, the video has more than 4,600 views and almost as many positive responses as negative.
“We love this guys. Are we able to share this across our GMS social channels,” tweeted GiveMeSport.
“This has to go viral – excuse the pun,” @itsnudie replied.
We reached out to the poker club for their take on the video but didn’t receive a response. However, the club owner has since apologized for causing any offense.
In hindsight we was very naive, and for that i hold my hands up. But to rub salt in the wound, shows a clear lack of class.
— Eltham Terrace Club (@ElthamTerrace) March 23, 2020
Coronavirus Raising Stakes
We live in strange times and the need for online entertainment is greater than ever. With people around the world in lockdown, poker players are heading for their preferred sites.
Over the last week, Grosvenor Poker and PokerStars have both enjoyed a surge in MTT activity thanks, in part, to the coronavirus.
While the pandemic is causing devastation in numerous ways, humor is often an antidote in trying times. Eltham Terrance Club took a shot at entertaining the masses with its toilet paper poker game.
Whether it missed the mark or not, it’s provided a talking point. And, if nothing else, raised more awareness of coronavirus and our need to remain vigilant.
