You are the Tournament Director: It Would Never Happen?

The Situation:

The play is three handed during a WSOP final table. The event is not being televised. Player A has 48% of the chips in play, player B 49% and player C 1%.

Player C passes pre-flop and his two opponents go to war until all their chips are in the middle of the table. You are called to the table and before the cards go on their backs a spectator (who you know to be a family relation of player C) approaches the table, grabs player A’s two hole cards and mixes them with player Cs.

How do you rule?

Now consider the same scenario except that the final table is being televised and that both hands were shown to the lipstick cameras before the hand was grabbed. Comments?

Matt Savage Matt:
This is very tough and obviously you know in a tournament situation where hopefully you would be there but if I knew the player had a family relation to player C I would award player C third place money and give player B... unfortunately probably give them second place money or at least... oh this is tough, a very tough question...

Would I ever consider trying to find out what his hole cards were? I don’t think... I mean obviously if the cards were retrievable that’s one of ways you would do that... they are mixed in with the two discards but there are only two discards. I would have definitely eliminated player C. The only thing I would have had to go to the tape and obviously this could take some time, would be to potentially give player A a chance back in the tournament. But it would be tough, it would be tough to do that as well but I would say I would eliminate player C so that wasn’t an issue and then... Should Player C definitely be penalised? Definitely, you know if there’s a relation it shouldn’t reap a reward from it.

(b) If televised...

I would go to the tape. I would go to the tape and give him his hand back.

Thomas Kremser Thomas:
This is a very unusual situation and definitely no standard decision and I would make a decision in the best interest of the game! As only 4 cards have been mixed and all the money is in the pot already (no more action) and both players are not responsible for this action, I would propose the following:
Cards have not been exposed and because Player B and A have bet all their chips, I am sure that Player A can remember both hole cards and Player C can name his 2 cards. I would let them name their cards before they will be turned over and if the cards are correct, I will give Player A his cards and deal the board. If there is any doubt about the hole cards of Player C and A, I would call the pot a misdeal and deal a new hand.

Jack Jack:
First of all why would anyone jeopardise players C’s chance to finish second or first with 1% of chips ???

I would recreate the pot and give A & B back their chips and issue a 20 minute penalty or disqualify player C.

(b)...if televised

Now that we know the players hands, I would recreate the hands and play the hand out and disqualify Player C into third place.

Liam Flood Liam:
a) It wouldn’t happen. [Joe: Let’s say it did.] It wouldn’t happen. Well unfortunately the ruling is in my opinion that his hand is dead, but they would play out the flop, turn and river just in case it was a split pot. He should have protected his hand.

b) Yes it would, it’s such an important pot, you would have to play the tape back. I nearly felt I had to do so in a televised event on one occasion.

Mel Mel:
Bloody hell these questions are tough. Firstly get the spectator thrown out of the room by security and get Police involved. Then I would take both players B & C to one side and ask them what their cards was. If the cards do not match what they tell me then I would rule the hand dead. If the cards match then I would let play carry on

(b) If televised...
The camera is the key to the whole operation. Play can continue. Now get the idiot from the audience and somebody slap him

Marty Wilson Marty:
First of all I’d have this guy thrown out of the building. Rope around the final table and give player A and B their chips back and declare the hand dead. You can’t penalise the finalist as it wasn’t him who did wrong.

If cameras available – check them and give them their correct cards back, same as above otherwise.

The Mob Verdict

You have probably guessed that this was made up. Of course (as Liam so kindly pointed out) it would never happen – it would be very unlikely to anyway. But with YATTD we tried to find a few extreme situations to see how our directors would react.

So the intruder was a family relation of player C. Should that mean that player C is penalised. Matt would automatically award him 3rd place prize money and Jack would at the very least give him a time penalty. What about if the relative hated player C and that was what he wanted to happen? Unless there was a history to this we believe that action to be a bit severe.

Mel and Marty would have the spectator evicted from the building. We would go further and bar him from any poker events, as a player or spectator that we were able to.

To kill Player A’s hand seems a bit much. Yes it is a player’s responsibility to protect his own hand but in the interests of fair play each situation has to be looked at and reviewed in isolation for ‘the good of the game’. In this regard of all the answers we liked Thomas’s the best. It is the most logical and fairest and looks at all the various possibilities.

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