Chip leader at final table of WSOP circuit event is DQ’d
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The results at a World Series of Poker circuit event held in Atlantic City were pretty much overshadowed by the disqualification of the chip leader at the final table of the tournament.
Lesley Thornburg of Richmond, Va., was leading Event #1, the $300 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em championship at Caesars Atlantic City, when, according to a WSOP press release “all hell broke loose” and he was “forcefully removed from the tournament room.”
Here’s how it went down, after the seventh-place competitor was eliminated, according to the press release:
One of the biggest hands of the tournament unfolded when the eccentric and boisterous Virginian, Lesley Thornburg got tremendously lucky and survived his first all-in of the day. Thornburg, who had been given two warnings for unsportsmanlike behavior on the previous day, pushed everyone’s patience to the limit with a ceaseless display of loud comments and baiting tactics lasting several hours. Nearing disqualification, opponents breathed a temporary sigh of relief when he called an all-in raise by Andy Santiago – holding a totally dominated hand (Thornburg’s A-7 a huge dog versus A-Q). Kaboom! A seven flopped and the Virginian had seized the chip lead with a cavalier display of luck. The magic (or misfortune, depending on one’s perspective) would continue.
6th Place – Just two hands later, Thornburg the new chip leader caught lightening in a bottle once again. He called an all-in bet by Edward “Yank” Sullivan, who had raised all-in pre-flop with 7-7. Thornburg tabled 4-4 and needed help. Wham! A four flopped, and the huge crowd turned a mental backflip. Thornburg ended up making a full house and all poor Yank could do was walk away with a bad beat story. Edward “Yank” Sullivan, a carpenter and boilermaker from Durham, NC collected $15,855 for sixth place. Sullivan also finished 122nd in the WSOP main event last year.
5th Place – 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 taken out of play after his disqualification. Wickedchopspoker.com, which reported on the story as well, speculates this may be the first time a player has been forcibly removed from a final table at a major poker tournament.
Lost in the excitement? Seventy-six year-old Frank Panetta won the event, outlasting a field of more than 1,000 players for the first prize of $76, 104.
Story at wickedchopspoker.com here.
