#199 - WSOP #48 - David Singer is Livid … and with Good Reason

THE QUESTION IS: WHAT WILL HARRAH’S DO ABOUT IT?

At 9:54 PM, it appears the floorman for Table 8 during Day 1-B of the World Series of Poker made a serious error. It cost David Singer his continued participation in the Main Event. Singer, who made the final table of the $50,000 HORSE for the second straight year, is talking about hiring a lawyer, possibly to clear the way to ‘re’-play on Monday.

Here’s how it happened. David had a little more than 9,000 in chips left when the other player in the hand led out and bet 3,000. Singer moved all-in. While the other player thought about it, that player’s cell phone rang. He took the phone out of his pocket, looked at it, pushed a button, and returned it to his pocket.

At this point, according to WSOP rules, the hand of the player using the cell phone should have been declared dead. David Singer, in addition to being a talented and experienced tournament poker player, is an attorney and nobody’s fool. He immediately motioned to the dealer to declare the hand dead, which would have awarded him the pot.

In so doing, the other player’s use of a cell phone during the hand accomplished the very evil underlying the rule: the cell phone use became a means of obtaining information. The other player now had information that David did not want a call; he wanted the pot because the other player’s hand was dead. (That is WAS dead is beside the point.)

The dealer and then the floor did nothing. They allowed the other player his cell phone use without penalty; the player called and Singer was eliminated on the hand.

It is now 90 minutes later and Harrah’s is still looking into it, and David Singer is still trying to get answers. He got on the phone with Jack Effel who, according to Singer, is looking at the phone of the other player to determine if he could have gotten information through the call.

If that is the case - and I have no reason to disbelieve Singer but I just tried reaching Nolan Dalla, media director for the Series and, understandably, I was unable to reach him - Harrah’s is making a massive error.

It’s THEIR rule. It’s set up as a strict liability rule. Maybe the SPIRIT of the rule, the JUSTIFICATION of the rule, is to prevent collaboration between a player and a confederate on the rail. But the rule, at least as it is explained aloud before every single World Series event, is not for determination on a case-by-case basis. Using a cell phone = dead hand. I’ve even heard them say that you can’t text or look at text or hold it in any fashion once the first player is dealt the first card. The “fuck” rule was changed from strict liability to a case-by-case basis this year, so Harrah’s obviously knows the difference. (The word “fuck” used to be an automatic 10 minute penalty, even if a player said, “I accidentally swallowed my fucking chewing gum.” Now it’s a general “abusive behavior” will not be tolerated, which allows the floor to determine intent, harm, context, etc.)

But not this rule.

This is really going to test Jeffrey Pollack, Ty Stewart, Jack Effel, and the staff of the World Series of Poker. From the looks of things, they made a serious mistake. And there’s no easy fix. David is threatening to contact a lawyer to get his money back and an option to re-enter on Monday. I see the former a more likely response than the latter, but I know this: Harrah’s of 2005-2006 would sweep the thing under the table, maybe not even take his phone calls. That’s not the way they are generally handling things this year. They’re going to be pushed to prove their commitment to the players on this one. I hope for their sake and David’s that they are equal to the task.

I will report, in a separate entry, any change in the situation or redress.