Tournament officials disqualify the chip leader on the final table for ‘unsportsmanlike behaviour’
Monday 10th March 2008
Caesars Atlantic City is currently hosting the World Series of Poker Circuit event, and the first event courted some controversy when the chip leader on the final table was disqualified in fifth place for “unsportsmanlike behaviour”.
The event was a $300 buy-in event, which had attracted a field of over a thousand players. The tournament was eventually won by Frank Panetta, who took home $76,104.
Panetta’s win was tempered by the disqualification of Lesley S. Thornburg, who received two warnings for unsportsmanlike behaviour during the first day of the event for being overly loud and making baiting comments towards other players.
When down to the last seven players, Thornburg got his chips in with A-7 against A-Q, and when the suckout landed on the flop, the players were subjected to more of Thornburg’s antics. When Thornsburg then hit a two outer with pocket fours against pocket sevens to eliminate Edward Sullivan in sixth, he became even more erratic. Here are the words of Nolan Dalla, who was writing the tournament report:
“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 off the table, and the rest of the tournament played out to its conclusion.
