WPT Regional event at Seminole Coconut Creek in Florida disqualifies player under questionable circumstances

[Dan Druff]

Most of the scams and scandals posted here are about clear-cut, terrible injustices where it is very clear that the victim has been wronged.

This one isn't quite so clear. The victim is the opposite of likable, and it does seem that he was being disruptive in a live tournament.

However, I still think he was treated unfairly. Here is the story:

The victim posted the following to 2+2:

This is the true definition of a bad beat. This happened to me about a month ago and I have not really had much interest in playing much poker since this happened to me. Here is my account:

The Most Insane Poker Story Ever- Only Way To Put It
(A True Definition of a BAD BEAT)

$440 Buy in- WPT Regional- Main Event- Seminole Coconut Creek, Florida
• 40 min levels Day 1, 60 min Day 2, Day 3
• 944 People to Start
• Day 2: 191 people
• 90 People Paid
• $90,000 first place

Day 2: about 3 a.m. (16 people left) had been playing since 1 pm day before.

My chips: 650k, Avg., 850k

I am chatting a lot (talking loud and looking wasted) and getting into players heads to make them frustrated from taking poker way too seriously. I’m on a freeroll of a lifetime, guaranteed $2,000 with the opportunity to make $90,000, I’m gonna have some fun with this. With 16 people left sitting with 660k and an average of 850k, I say “oh ****” when someone raises my big blind for about all my chips from the under the gun position. While thinking about whether to call or not with a decent 8 8, the tournament director walks up to the table and tells me that I will have a 2 round penalty after this hand for dropping the f bomb. (2 rounds at 90k every time around)
Sitting with 615k After this hand if I fold, Would take 30% of my stack and put me in serious harm of being eliminated by a hand that would not usually call me if I push with about average chips.) I am asking the tournament director to change the ruling by justifying that this is not a fair ruling and I should not be suspended for 2 rounds as my first penalty. He tells me to finish the hand, so I am thinking about calling my entire stack with 8 8, rather than wait and push with a premium hand/better spot and see if I get called or take the blinds. I play to take down the blinds, not to call and gamble my shot with 8 8 (small ball poker, been doing it all day, why change?). I am either against a higher pocket pair or a coin flip, which I’d rather not put my self in a guaranteed coin-flip because I can wait and steal blinds which is 90k every time around. I tank for 10 minutes and am trying to talk to the tournament director to change his ruling while thinking about whether to play my hand or not. He keeps telling me to finish my hand. At this point, I am very upset as I am being forced to put my stack in or take a 2 round penalty to come back to a short stack that will be considered pocket change by that time of the tournament. (2 times around, the blinds are guaranteed to go up because everyone is playing slow because of big $$$$$ 1st) I fold 8 8 face up and the tournament director is telling me to get up and talk to him. He explains his ruling and I keep telling him that I am not directing my cursing at anybody or instigating anyone, therefore I should not be suspended for 2 rounds especially at this point of the tournament. I’ve had 5 beers over an 8-hour period. I am a little buzzed but talking a lot to everybody so I look as if I am incoherently wasted and have no idea what I am doing (part of my act to get everyone’s chips to manipulate peoples decision’s). As play continues, I still try to negotiate for my right to get back into the game in a timely manner. I tell him that the ruling is not justified or fair and that this would never happen at any other casino in the entire world. The Tournament Director was not having any of it and decided to declare me incoherent and DISQUALIFY me from the tournament with 16 people left out of 944, 90k first place and first 5 places over 20k. After disqualifying me, I called the guy an asshole which made me look bad. Within a minute of the director disqualifying me, security was there to take me out and the Seminole police were called even though I was not doing anything but trying to get the tournament director to change his unfair ruling. I did not threaten anyone or do anything to harm anyone, but the tournament director continued to treat me unfairly throughout the situation. They took my 615k off the table and paid me out 16th place. I didn’t even receive my $$$$ that night and had to take a cab 45 miles for $70. I had to wait until the next day to drive an hour to go pick up my $$$$ for a tournament that I was disqualified for.



I went the next day to pick up my $$$$ and try to get an explanation for why this happened. I got no explanation why this arrived to this level and why I was ultimately disqualified. I profited $1700 after expenses (5 beers at $5 each $25, Food $40, Cab Ride $70.) I had the chance to win $90,000. I moved to Vegas this summer to put my self into this position and have a chance to earn some good $$$$$ to build capital to start my career. Played 10 tournaments and did not arrive into this situation once until this tournament. 16 people left with a slightly below average stack and getting disqualified for saying “oh fuck” and standing up for my right to still be aloud to play for something that happens all the time in poker tournaments all around the world. (WSOP, WPT, HPT, etc.) I have been very upset with this ruling and it has discouraged me from playing any WPT affiliated poker events. From what I understand, in poker tournament, you are allowed to say a curse word as long as it is not directed at somebody or not screamed in an obscene way. I was watching WSOP on television and people say curse words all the time without getting penalties and here I am getting kicked out of a tournament for cursing and standing up for my rights on an unfair ruling. I have not received any explanation for why the situation escalated to this point and how this ruling was fair and justified.

Is this right? Is this legal? How do you play for 8 hours day 1 and 12 hours day 2 and get disqualified with 16 people left out of 944? How is this possible? I have called WPT numerous times and am awaiting a call back form a supervisor.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/65...d-wtf-1239378/

This got a mixed reaction from the public.

However, someone found the following post about the situation in another thread, written another player in the tournament:

Still in with 14 left, some absurd clown got DQ'ed in 17th because he was on hour #5 of being completely out of line and retarded. He just lacked so much common sense and his desire to argue his point into the ground was the most insane thing I've ever seen. I really felt like he had a prop bet with someone about if he could get DQ'ed or not.

You guys did everything you could to not disqualify the guy at the end of day 2 but he was just a complete retard. Couldn't have handled it better and admittedly I was fairly impressed that Pablo stepped in and became as firm as he was. It was necessary at that point and at some point the guys blatant disrespect for the rules, dealers, and floor staff must be punished. For those that weren't there that are going to ask plenty of questions about this, basically all I can say is that this guy was the most obnoxious human being I've met and he was allegedly really drunk but I have my personal doubts about that. He was just a random mid/late 20s kid who just had a beak on him that never stopped flapping. After numerous warning from every dealer he finally got a 4 hand penalty (big freaking deal) and just would not let it go about how he was being cheated, how he's not doing anything wrong, how prejudice they're being to him, how he's never come back to this place again, and eventually after calling the poker room manager an asshole to his face (after Pablo was being 100% respectful of him at all times). Those of you that know me IRL know that it's impossible to tilt me and this guy succeeded just by existing.

Cliffs Notes:


- A player was very deep in a tournament with a $90k first price -- 16 left of 944 people, with a slightly below average stack.

- He admits he was being loud and obnoxious during the tournament, and was also drunk.

- When someone raised his blind, he yelled "Oh fuck!", which supposedly violated the tournament's no profanity rule.

- He had been warned about profanity earlier.

- He was given a 2 round penalty, which would have really eaten his stack (about 30%) because the blinds were very high.

- He vigorously argued the penalty and wouldn't give up, and was then disqualified for refusing to quietly accept the penalty.

- He then called the tournament director an asshole, and was kicked out of the whole casino.


I think that it is fairly certain that he wasn't just "having fun", and was probably very unpleasant to have at the table.

I also believe that he had ignored various warnings to tone it down, and that his "Oh fuck!" comment was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back.

For this reason, I think the 2 round penalty was fair. You can't keep ignoring direction to tone down your behavior and suffer no consequence.

However, my real problem is with his disqualification, which I think was overly harsh, and was just a matter of the tournament director hating him.

I have seen many people vigorously argue their penalties before, and I have never seen one get disqualified for doing so. This includes people whom I've seen argue loudly for 15 minutes straight.

There does not seem to be any report that he was threatened or warned with disqualification if he continued arguing. If he was given such a warning, and if he ignored it, then I agree with the disqualification.

However, it appears there was no warning, and instead the tournament director was just sick of the guy, and threw him out the same way an umpire throws an arguing manager out of a baseball game.

I feel that this action was out of line.

You have to put your personal biases aside when managing tournaments, especially given the large amount of money involved.

This guy should have been sternly warned, "The decision is final. If you continue arguing and creating a disruption, I will have to disqualify you."

That final warning is necessary because disqualification is such a major penalty, especially very late in the tournament.

I think the tournament director also felt justified in doing so, because the remaining players probably hated this guy, and were also probably happy to see one more person eliminated.

What do you guys think?

[Dan Druff]

By the way, the disqualified player contacted me here and alerted me to the story. Hopefully he will post here soon.