A Severe Penalty - This hardly seems a fair outcome.

[CincyLady]

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It's difficult enough maintaining the integrity of the game without allowing ignorance, no matter how innocent, to outweigh what is best for the game. I can't imagine anyone who is that wet behind the ears entering a WSOP game without having had some play in tournaments.



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umm ... can we say Chris Moneymaker?

Chris if you remember, the year he won the WSOP, had never ever played in a live table situation, be it a cash table or a tournament. Remember the famous 'Moneymaker moment' where everyone was waiting on him to act, and he's just staring off into space? That IMO was a direct result of his inexperience at playing at a live table, since online, the computer would tell you it was your turn to act.

So, it does happen, where someone who's only played online, and where the computer takes care of your chips at all times, might be unaware of a rule like that.

Even still, I also know they remind people from time to time during tournaments to NOT take your chips out of the room, or to put them in your pockets.