In a Bar Poker Open event, a player was penalized one round by the referee for showing a 7♥ before the action was over and jokingly calling it "6x7x". This article reviews several well-known penalty cases in poker history.
It's only a matter of time, right?
Poker can be serious, but jokes and memes are common during the game. However, in a Bar Poker Open event, an internet meme resulted in a player being penalized for the entire round.
So please remember, even if you actually get a 6♥7♥, maybe it's best to keep that joke to yourself...
Players show their cards too early
This hand occurred on the second day of the Bar Poker Open, with Joshua Bergman going all-in from the under-the-gun position. The action folded all the way to Ian Auvil in the big blind.
"Everyone knows what I got," he announced to the table, revealing his 7♥ to everyone. "Should I play 6x7x again?"
At this point, the dealer intervened.
"You can't show your cards like that," the dealer said. "Are you going to call?"
However, because he had already revealed his hand—albeit only one card—the referee was called over. Meanwhile, Auvil placed 7♥8♦ face up on the table and told the referee he was just checking if he had 6x7x, as it was his daughter's favorite hand.
Although Auvil claimed it was just a joke between him and Bergman, the referee pointed out that showing his card prematurely would result in a penalty since the action was not yet over. He was subsequently penalized one round.
Famous poker penalty cases
When it comes to poker and penalties, Will Kassouf immediately comes to mind. He has been penalized multiple times throughout his career, including a one-round penalty in 2016 after a now-famous hand between him and Stacy Matuson, and a penalty of "act within 10 seconds" in last year's Main Event for allegedly delaying the game.
At last year's WSOP, one player was penalized for refusing to cash in small chips and swearing at the venue manager; another player was penalized for arguing with venue staff after suspected angle-based behavior.
More recently, a player was disqualified from the WSOP Europe €5,300 PLO European Championship for his rude behavior towards staff and opponents. Three years ago at the same venue, Michele Nizzardelli was also disqualified from the EPT Prague event for headbutting an opponent.
As for the longest penalty, there is a classic case: 15 years ago in Macau, a player was sentenced to a suspension of 12 months.
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