WSOP Supervisor's Controversial Ruling Sparks Outrage Among Players

Some controversy hit the World Series of Poker this week after a player was able to call a hand despite a floor person initially ruling that his hand was dead. Patrick Leonard was heads-up against an opponent who still remains anonymous and shoved all in on the river. The shove sent his opponent into the tank for six minutes. Another player called the clock and a floorman came over and began a 30-second countdown. If the player didn’t decide on an action within the allotted timeframe, his hand would be dead.

The floor counted down the time and announced that the hand was dead. That should’ve been the end of it. But it wasn’t. The opponent called after the hand had been ruled dead. Leonard can even be seen laughing after the call came after the dead ruling.

David Baker wondered what the floorman was actually thinking. John Monnette was especially critical of floor management overall. Scott Seiver, a recent nominee for the Poker Hall of Fame, had a similar reaction and said he would have continued to appeal for a correct ruling. Leonard added that the dealer and other players at the table told him the ruling was wrong and the call came after the hand was ruled dead.