Cheater or naive dumbass steals 25k chip from WSOPc event after winning it

[Dan Druff]

Meet Chad Earl Pelton.



He won a $1,125 WSOP Circuit "ring" event at the Kennel Beach Club in Florida, and then proceeded to steal a single 25k chip before leaving.

There is no doubt this happened. He was caught and admitted it, but claimed he was just taking it for a "souvenir".

This is his 3rd WSOPc ring, so he has plenty of tournament play under his belt.

There is currently an investigation into this, and I believe his prize has been frozen. He also hasn't earned any points yet for the "Casino Championship Race". Here is an announcement about that:

Yesterday, after Event 9, the $1,125 No Limit Hold’em event concluded, tournament staff discovered a player had removed chips from the chip set being used in the event. The Palm Beach Kennel Club and local gaming authorities are currently conducting an investigation into the event and the player's eligibility.

Until this investigation is wrapped, we will be unable to finalize Casino Champion standings for the Palm Beach Kennel Club stop, as this event has bearing on the final points standings in the race. We will announce the Casino Champion winner once we have a resolution, but it will likely be determined after the action wraps here in Palm Beach on Monday.

http://blog.wsop.com/2014/02/event-9...n-race-update/


Mr. Pelton has also had other problems with the law, falling asleep in a car with a pound of marijuana he intended to sell.

Nearly One Pound of Marijuana, Cash Found in Bryan Man's Car

"29 year old Chan Earl Pelton was asleep in his car Friday morning, while it was running, when Bryan officers found him in the parking lot of an apartment complex off Broadmoor.

After waking him up and searching the vehicle, they nearly a pound of marijuana, three and a half Xanax pills and $1,760 in cash in the car's console.

According to the probable cause statement, the marijuana found in Pelton's car was packaged in way that suggested re-sale.

Pelton told cops he was going to sell marijuana for money."

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/154069445.html


At this point it's not clear whether he stole the chip for future use, or if he was truly just a dumbass who thought he was taking an unauthorized souvenir. Remember, this is the same guy who was dumb enough to fall asleep in a car full of pot, and then admitted to the police that he intended to sell it.

It is important to note that 25k chips don't appear in play until later in a tournament, so they're less valuable than something like a 5k chip, which you can use to give yourself a big edge right off the bat. 25k chips aren't introduced until they aren't all that valuable compared to the average stack, though you have to think that having one of those would be a big edge to prevent yourself from a bubble finish.

Now some people are also wondering if he won his 3 rings legitimately.

Amazing how idiotic some people are.

[garrett]

Since it is not a cranberry, slap him on the wrist and send him on his way but...


Surely he was not the first and wonder if this was one of the smaller denominations at the final table, or one of the bigger ones. WSOP should implement some kind of penalty and/or ban system. Would serve a couple purposes but mainly would keep people in check more, and also could ban particular players from events for some period if not for good.

One more check in place.

[BeerAndPoker]

If this guy won the circuit event without cheating at all which I'm sure they are still looking into then why is he getting greedy taking the chip? It just puzzles me whenever I see stuff like this but the answer is they are looking for that extra edge just like the multi-accounter whose able to maximize profits or maximize risk despite the fact they are a winner. It's just unnecessary greed that disgusts me.

I don't buy the souvenir story and if it really was for that then you would think the guy would ask someone at the casino if he could have a chip? The casinos will definitely say no to break up a current set but I've heard of fake chips with a hole drilled through where you could use it for a key chain souvenir that have been handed out before for free .

If this was the miracle runner runner to make quads type of spot where he never would use it in the future then this guys stupidity cost him a whole lot of money (for the moment) but of course he intended to put it in play in a future tournament.

This guy is not some rookie that never played in a tournament before with his other rings so the souvenir comment is LOL.

He would have been better off telling them he was stoned on marijuana at the time which a background check would make that more then believable.

[lvpkr1009]

My guess would be that since this is a WSOP circuit stop that they are not just standard chips but have the WSOP logo and probably say the name of the casino on them too. It's not like he's going to be able to use that 25k chip at the next circuit stop and he appears to be a circuit grinder

IMO duff you're looking for something where there is nothing.

[BeerAndPoker]

My guess would be that since this is a WSOP circuit stop that they are not just standard chips but have the WSOP logo and probably say the name of the casino on them too. It's not like he's going to be able to use that 25k chip at the next circuit stop and he appears to be a circuit grinder

Even so he could play them in another circuit event at this casino.

[lvpkr1009]

My guess would be that since this is a WSOP circuit stop that they are not just standard chips but have the WSOP logo and probably say the name of the casino on them too. It's not like he's going to be able to use that 25k chip at the next circuit stop and he appears to be a circuit grinder

Even so he could play them in another circuit event at this casino.

I suppose he could hold on to the chip until next year but which do you think is more likely...that he took it as a souvenir or that he has some diabolical plan to hold on to the chip and use it next year to cheat. IMO druff is really stretching here with this thread dragging this guy through the mud dredging up the previous arrest that is completely unrelated to poker and quite frankly has nothing to do with this story. If not for the recent borgata incident this wouldn't have even have been a big deal.

[BeerAndPoker]

Even so he could play them in another circuit event at this casino.

I suppose he could hold on to the chip until next year but which do you think is more likely...that he took it as a souvenir or that he has some diabolical plan to hold on to the chip and use it next year to cheat. IMO druff is really stretching here with this thread dragging this guy through the mud dredging up the previous arrest that is completely unrelated to poker and quite frankly has nothing to do with this story. If not for the recent borgata incident this wouldn't have even have been a big deal.

He won Event #9. Their was #10, #11, and #12 in this series with Event #10 being the Main Event. I'd lean towards not a souvenir but their is always a chance.

http://www.wsop.com/tourney/tourneyd...p?groupID=1004

[lvpkr1009]

I suppose he could hold on to the chip until next year but which do you think is more likely...that he took it as a souvenir or that he has some diabolical plan to hold on to the chip and use it next year to cheat. IMO druff is really stretching here with this thread dragging this guy through the mud dredging up the previous arrest that is completely unrelated to poker and quite frankly has nothing to do with this story. If not for the recent borgata incident this wouldn't have even have been a big deal.

He won Event #9. Their was #10, #11, and #12 in this series with Event #10 being the Main Event. I'd lean towards not a souvenir but their is always a chance.

http://www.wsop.com/tourney/tourneyd...p?groupID=1004

That's my misunderstanding as I really thought this was the last event...I suppose it's POSSIBLE that he could try to introduce an extra 25k into the main event provided he made it that far. I suppose it's POSSIBLE that he could use it but how much advantage is he getting from it. I could see if he swiped 100k but it's a single chip which doesn't indicate nefarious activity to me. If he made it deep enough the main would most likely be the last event because he would have to play 10b wouldn't get to the 25k chips yet and event 11 is day 2 of the main event. Like I said one chip to me leans towards his version

[BeerAndPoker]

That's my misunderstanding as I really thought this was the last event...I suppose it's POSSIBLE that he could try to introduce an extra 25k into the main event provided he made it that far. I suppose it's POSSIBLE that he could use it but how much advantage is he getting from it. I could see if he swiped 100k but it's a single chip which doesn't indicate nefarious activity to me.

25k can make a huge difference if it's around the bubble stages for cashing if he's short on chips. A 100k chip he would have to get much further on without busting to bring it into the game so the 25k might work better as he has a better chance to get to the point the 25k chips are brought in. If he doubles up off the 25k plus whatever else he has then the guy buys more time to get deeper in the tournament and potentilly deeper in the money if they are at that stage.

The other option is if he busts prior to this point of the tournament and knows a friend who is still left that don't mind cheating he could sell the chip to him for a percentage of his cash or whatever terms they come to.

I just have a hard time believing a guy with three circuit rings and tournament experience would do something so stupid for a souvenir. He never got caught taking a chip before for other wins whether he tried to or not but why take one now?

[lvpkr1009]

That's my misunderstanding as I really thought this was the last event...I suppose it's POSSIBLE that he could try to introduce an extra 25k into the main event provided he made it that far. I suppose it's POSSIBLE that he could use it but how much advantage is he getting from it. I could see if he swiped 100k but it's a single chip which doesn't indicate nefarious activity to me.

25k can make a huge difference if it's around the bubble stages for cashing if he's short on chips. A 100k chip he would have to get much further on without busting to bring it into the game so the 25k might work better as he has a better chance to get to the point the 25k chips are brought in. If he doubles up off the 25k plus whatever else he has then the guy buys more time to get deeper in the tournament and potentilly deeper in the money if they are at that stage.

The other option is if he busts prior to this point of the tournament and knows a friend who is still left that don't mind cheating he could sell the chip to him for a percentage of his cash or whatever terms they come to.

I just have a hard time believing a guy with three circuit rings and tournament experience would do something so stupid for a souvenir. He never got caught taking a chip before for other wins whether he tried to or not but why take one now?

What I mean by 100k is stealing 4 25k chips. If he's going to steal in order to gain some advantage in the next event why would he steal one single 25k chip. That doesn't scream cheat to me....obviously you think it does so whatever

[BeerAndPoker]

What I mean by 100k is stealing 4 25k chips. If he's going to steal in order to gain some advantage in the next event why would he steal one single 25k chip. That doesn't scream cheat to me....obviously you think it does so whatever

It's very questionable no matter which way you look at it.

Stealing four $25k chips seems more logical for a cheat (why not go for more then one chip?) unless he feared he wouldn't get away with taking that many but thought he would be okay with grabbing just one.

Either way, we don't know what was going through this guys head. If he really was taking it for a souvenir or took the chip with intent to cheat but they can't prove he ever did then let this be a lesson to the guy for the future if he is cleared.

[RileyG]

For one to make counterfeit chips/items a master copy is needed. I'm not saying this is the case here, but is a possibility that those investigating would be looking at.

[Dan Druff]

For one to make counterfeit chips/items a master copy is needed. I'm not saying this is the case here, but is a possibility that those investigating would be looking at.

Didn't think about that, but good point.

But wouldn't it still be more valuable to steal 5k chips to counterfeit, instead? I mean, even that Lusardi clown correctly chose that denomination.

[DrPeters]

i personally know chan pelton and he has been a good friend of mine for many years. He did not cheat in this tournament or any other tournament. He honestly took the chip as a souvenir. He has been doing this for years and has lots of chips from many tournaments but he just keeps them as souvenirs. its just something he does. I guarantee they will find no evidence of him cheating in the tournament and he will get paid his winnings.

[BeerAndPoker]

i personally know chan pelton and he has been a good friend of mine for many years. He did not cheat in this tournament or any other tournament. He honestly took the chip as a souvenir. He has been doing this for years and has lots of chips from many tournaments but he just keeps them as souvenirs. its just something he does. I guarantee they will find no evidence of him cheating in the tournament and he will get paid his winnings.

I hope that is the case. Poker don't need any more scandals but I'm sure he will ask for a chip next time or just get over his fascination of wanting one from tournaments he wins.

[chinamaniac]

25k can make a huge difference if it's around the bubble stages for cashing if he's short on chips. A 100k chip he would have to get much further on without busting to bring it into the game so the 25k might work better as he has a better chance to get to the point the 25k chips are brought in. If he doubles up off the 25k plus whatever else he has then the guy buys more time to get deeper in the tournament and potentilly deeper in the money if they are at that stage.

The other option is if he busts prior to this point of the tournament and knows a friend who is still left that don't mind cheating he could sell the chip to him for a percentage of his cash or whatever terms they come to.

I just have a hard time believing a guy with three circuit rings and tournament experience would do something so stupid for a souvenir. He never got caught taking a chip before for other wins whether he tried to or not but why take one now?

What I mean by 100k is stealing 4 25k chips. If he's going to steal in order to gain some advantage in the next event why would he steal one single 25k chip. That doesn't scream cheat to me....obviously you think it does so whatever

Cause if he gets caught taking more than one then what is his excuse for taking multiples?

My personally opinion is he was going to prob use it. U toss a 25k chip on your stack and it is a free 25k and if u hit an all in you just got 50k! so it is potentially worth 50k

[lvpkr1009]

Fair is fair and I've got to admit I was wrong all along here...my opinion was based on the facts presented that he took the chip out of play AFTER the tournament was over but that doesn't seem to be the case according to the bluff article that he took it out DURING heads up play

Obv planning to use it in the next event he played and I'm glad he has had to forfeit his winnings and has been banned from future WSOP events


http://www.bluff.com/news/presumptiv...alified-52092/

[Hockey Guy]

Fair is fair and I've got to admit I was wrong all along here...my opinion was based on the facts presented that he took the chip out of play AFTER the tournament was over but that doesn't seem to be the case according to the bluff article that he took it out DURING heads up play

Obv planning to use it in the next event he played and I'm glad he has had to forfeit his winnings and has been banned from future WSOP events


http://www.bluff.com/news/presumptiv...alified-52092/

I'd like to see if he came up with the other 25K chips he supposedly took as a souvenir of his wins before I say he's definitely a cheater but he's definitely a moron.

He would have had to take the TD or security directly from the casino, after telling them this story, to his house, not stopping to talk to or phone anybody, & show them those other chips he kept as souvenirs before I'd even entertain the story he told especially with the main event starting the next day.

Add to it that he removed the chip before he even won adds to the probability that this was done for nefarious reasons.

This looks bad for him & this probably happens a lot more often than we think.

[chatterrack]

i personally know chan pelton and he has been a good friend of mine for many years. He did not cheat in this tournament or any other tournament. He honestly took the chip as a souvenir. He has been doing this for years and has lots of chips from many tournaments but he just keeps them as souvenirs. its just something he does. I guarantee they will find no evidence of him cheating in the tournament and he will get paid his winnings.

Well, I hope everything ends well for him if that is the case. I think he didn't cheat in the tournament, but why would he steal 25k of chips? Sorry but I don't believe it's just only for souvenir purposes.