- The WSOP supports the decision and has imposed its own ban
- The PBKC has determined that Pelton will forfeit his prize money, circuit ring and National Championship points.
- Security practices of live tournament organizers are being highly scrutinized following an incident at the Borgata last month that saw a perpetrator introduce counterfeit chips into the Borgata Winter Open $2 Million Guarantee event.
The Palm Beach Kennel Club (PBKC) together with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and their parent Caesars have imposed severe sanctions on Chan Pelton, who admitted taking a tournament chip during heads up play at the final table of a WSOP circuit event.
The incident happened at the PBKC during WSOP Circuit Event #9 on February 16, this year. Video surveillance confirmed the incident.
The PBKC has determined that Pelton will forfeit his prize money, circuit ring and National Championship points. He will not be allowed to enter any future PBKC events, nor set foot on any PBKC owned property.
The WSOP supports the decision and has imposed its own ban—Pelton will not be allowed to enter any WSOP events and is not allowed to set foot on any property, or enter any casino owned by Caesars. In addition: “The WSOP will also make aware of this incident and ban to any non-Caesars owned property that conducts events with us, including Circuits and international events.”
“I’m literally shell-shocked,” Pelton told SouthFlorida.com. He added that he will be filing a lawsuit against the WSOP.
The remaining player in the event is now declared the winner,” according to a press release issued by PBKC. “The first place prize money, the WSOP Circuit ring and the first place points for WSOP National Championship tracking purposes” will be awarded to second place finisher Chris Bolek.
“The integrity of our games is of utmost importance and regardless of the intent in question from this incident, we cannot sit idle and risk the stolen chips being re-introduced in the future,” PBKC Card Room Director Noah Carbone declared.
However forum posters on 2+2 are questioning whether Bolek should also be disqualified after SouthFlorida.com reported that “Pelton agreed to pay about $5,600 to Chris Bolek [...] to drop out. Bolek then tanked the next three hands to end the tournament.”
The Global Poker Index (GPI) reacted swiftly to the statements from the two companies and added its own sanctions. As well as being suspended “indefinitely” from the GPI rankings, his PBKC result wil be removed from the GPI and Hendon Mob sites. Furthermore: “As part of the Global Poker Index’s “Player Trust Rating” program, this information will be shared with casinos and card rooms worldwide.”
Security practices of live tournament organizers are being highly scrutinized following an incident at the Borgata last month that saw a perpetrator introduce counterfeit chips into the Borgata Winter Open $2 Million Guarantee event. The tournament was cancelled with 27 players remaining and all unpaid prizes frozen prompting a lawsuit on behalf of players.
Earlier this week, Maryland officials arrested a couple for allegedly passing counterfeit chips at the Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover. $150,000 in fake chips were discovered as part of the investigation.
