The first day of WSOP 2025 took place on Tuesday (26) and featured two tournaments in action: the Event #1 US$ 550 Mini Mystery Bounty and the Event #2 US$ 5,000 NLH 8-Handed. However, even before the big results appeared, a very unusual situation stole the show in Las Vegas.
During one of the hands played, an instruction card appeared in the middle of the flop. That’s right. Between a Jack of clubs and a King of hearts, the traditional card found in some decks appeared, used to explain rules, show promotional jokers, or identify the manufacturer.
Thus, the error quickly caught everyone’s attention at the table. One of the players recorded the exact moment when the “floor” was called to resolve the situation. The person responsible for sharing the video on social media was Mike Holtz, a professional owner of two WSOP bracelets. To watch the video, click here.
In addition to this, the atmosphere at the table was relaxed. The “floor” removed the card from the deck and even joked with the players present. “We have a good flop, friends. An instruction card teaching us how to play”, he said while the participants burst out laughing.
How WSOP resolved the situation
According to the official tournament rules, any card foreign to the deck invalidates the action related to the moment of distribution. Thus, the correct procedure is to immediately remove the card and reconstruct the hand under the supervision of the “floor”.
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However, the exact decision depends on the point at which the error was noticed and the number of actions already taken by the players. Therefore, the person responsible for the table had to act quickly to avoid bigger problems during the contest.
WSOP dealers continue to receive criticism
The situation also reignited old criticisms about the work of some WSOP dealers. This is because many professionals are hired only for the series period and do not have much specific experience in poker.
Most of them normally work in casinos but dealing cards in different games. As a result, errors end up happening during the busiest tournaments of the season.
Finally, it is worth highlighting that WSOP implemented a novelty in this edition. Now, players can rate the dealers with scores from 1 to 5. According to the organization, the goal is to recognize the best professionals and create bonus and reward programs for those who receive the best evaluations.
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