David Sands and Erika Moutinho: A Conflict Of Interest at the Table?

With just 41 players in the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event, David Sands sits next to his girlfriend of six years, Erika Moutinho at the featured ESPN table.

This situation raises a few questions, especially considering the fact that Sands has a good chunk of Moutinho’s action moving forward. What happens if Sands gets the chance to knock Moutinho out and will he pull the trigger if the right scenario arises?

Obviously, collusion, especially soft playing opponents at the table, is against tournament rules, but could anyone blame Sands if he decided to fold a strong hand to his girlfriend’s all-in shove? Doesn’t he stand to gain financially from her survival?

Sands insisted that while he doesn’t want to bust his girlfriend, or have her bust him, he won’t hold back if the perfect opportunity comes up to score some more chips.

“There is definitely a conflict of interest,” Sands said on a break. “I love her and I have equity in her, but I won’t hesitate to bust her if I’m dealt aces or something like that. Luckily I have position on her, so I won’t have to put too much pressure on her unless I absolutely have to. Hopefully there won’t be a cooler situation between us.”

Tough spots aside, Sands is happy that he can share this deep run with his girlfriend. “It’s been an absolute blast, almost like a complete freeroll for the both of us,” he explained. “We are having so much fun and that kind of takes the pressure off of us.”

Sands wouldn’t go into details, but did explain that he doesn’t have the majority of Erika’s action. “She has the most to gain by going deep,” he said. “We’re both here to win.”

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