Chip Leader Disqualified at WSOP Circuit Final TablePlayer Gets the Boot for Unsportsmanlike Behavior |
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The first event of the World Series of Poker Circuit series at Caesars Atlantic City attracted a whopping 1,056 players, and the final table was marked by a bit of weirdness when a player, who was the chip leader at the time, was disqualified in fifth place for “unsportsmanlike behavior.”
The $300 buy-in no-limit hold’em event, which attracted one of the largest fields in the Circuit’s history, was won by Frank Panetta, a 76-year-old former real estate developer from Brick, New Jersey. He won $76,104.
But Panetta’s victory was overshadowed by the antics of Lesley S. Thornburg, who, according to a tournament report written by Nolan Dalla, the WSOP media director, received two warnings for unsportsmanlike behavior during the event’s first day for “a ceaseless display of loud comments and baiting tactics lasting several hours.”
With seven players left, Thornburg ended up all-in against Andy Santiago, who had Thornburg dominated with A-Q versus A-7. But a 7 on the flop gave the unorthodox Thornburg the chip lead, to the dismay of the remaining players, who were forced to further endure Thornburg’s tactics.
Two hands later, Thornburg again caught lighting in a bottle when he called an all-in raise by Edward “Yank” Sullivan, who held pocket sevens. Thornburg held pocket fours, but a four flopped and knocked Sullivan out of the tournament. He earned $15,855.
This is when things turned weird. Here’s what Dalla wrote about the situation:
“Then, all hell broke loose. Literally. Holding onto a perilous chip lead, Thornburg lost self-control and began jamming chips into the pot with reckless abandon. Warned by tournament officials (repeatedly) to stack his chips properly and obey the rules, Thornburg crossed the final demarcation of everyone’s patience when he shoved half of his stack into the pot and then later announced, “all in.” Fed up with the annoying and confusing antics, officials announced Thornburg’s immediate disqualification. Lesley Thornburg, a general contractor from Richmond, Va., earned $19,026 in prize money.”
Thornburg’s chips were then removed from play, and the tournament continued fourhanded.
The top nine finishers and their payouts follow:
Click here for the complete schedule of the WSOP Circuit event at Caesars Atlantic City.
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