Controversy struck the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #38: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship when Phil Hellmuth went on break only to discover his chips had been swiped by defending champion Farzad Bonyadi, who wasn't at-fault in the incident.
On break, as the tournament dwindled down to 21 players, the staff broke the fourth table, leaving just three remaining tables. When the "Poker Brat" returned, he noticed his chips were gone and that they had somehow ended up in Bonyadi's possession.
Immediately after the situation arose, the WSOP staff approached the table to investigate. There was no doubt that Hellmuth had a stack in play before leaving the table, but it wasn't clear the exact size of his stack. The surveillance camera was reviewed to determine the size of Hellmuth's stack, which the 16-time bracelet winner estimated was more than 130,000.
Hellmuth Speaks
While the investigation occurred, PokerNews spoke with Hellmuth to hear his side of the story.
"We went on break and I'm kind of smart, I knew it was going to take them a while, so I went to the bathroom, but I left my chips in a rack and then Scott Seiver said leave Phil's chips in a rack. And then one of the other players took them and put them in his stack," Hellmuth said.
"Phil, it was an accident," Chino Rheem jumped in to say.
"Yeah, it was a complete accident," Hellmuth agreed with Rheem. "He's a class guy, he would never do it intentionally. Stuff happens."
Upon further review, about 20 minutes later, the WSOP staff confirmed that Hellmuth had 135,000 chips and removed them from Bonyadi's stack. It's unclear why Hellmuth didn't bring his rack of chips with him to his new table before going on break. Additionally, it's unknown as to how Bonyadi's stacks were accidentally merged with Hellmuth's.
All players remaining in the tournament, including Hellmuth and Bonyadi, appeared satisfied with the outcome. Shortly after, the final 21 players returned to their seats and the bracelet event returned to normalcy.
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In this Series
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- 4 WSOP Transportation Guide: Riding the Las Vegas Strip Monorail
- 5 Let the Games Begin: 2022 WSOP is Officially Underway
- 6 Phil Hellmuth Misses 2022 WSOP Opener After Bout of Traveler's Diarrhea
- 7 Kenney, Schindler & Imsirovic Arrive at 2022 WSOP Despite Recent Cheating Allegations
- 8 Phil Ivey is Back! Poker G.O.A.T. Cashes First 2022 WSOP Event
- 9 Baltimore Raven Calais Campbell at WSOP: "We Have Super Bowl Potential"
- 10 2022 WSOP Featured Females: Katie Kopp Becomes Bally's First-Ever Bracelet Winner
- 11 WSOP Player of the Year Race One Week In: Defending Champ Arieh Off and Running
- 12 ClubGG Offers Bubble Protection For Eight 2022 WSOP Events
- 13 Doyle Brunson Skipping 2022 WSOP Due to COVID-19 Concerns
- 14 Retired NBA Star Paul Pierce Allegedly Won't Pay His Poker Debts
- 15 Scott Seiver Pays $43k to Enter $1k WSOP Event, Fails to Cash
- 16 2022 WSOP Featured Females: Lara Eisenberg Talks Poker's Impact on Dementia
- 17 2022 WSOP Hands of the Week: Depaulo vs. Hellmuth, a Pure One Outer & a Royal Flush
- 18 Reigning World Champ Koray Aldemir Quietly Crushing it at 2022 WSOP
- 19 2022 WSOP Player of the Week 2: Jeremy Ausmus Wins Third Bracelet in 9 Months
- 20 Hellmuth Controversy at WSOP: Poker Brat's Chips Swiped on Break
- 21 Security Mistakenly Tries to Kick Out Neymar Jr. After He Cashes First WSOP Event
- 22 Breaking News: Phil Ivey Closing in on Elusive 11th WSOP Bracelet Tonight
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- 27 Cruising in the $250k, Is 2022 One of Phil Ivey's Best WSOP's Ever?
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- 33 Poker Players Who Have Defended Their WSOP Bracelet
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- 35 Poker Player Wins WSOP Main Event Satty in His Sleep...Literally
- 36 Josh Arieh Flushed Out of WSOP Main Event Early; Four Past Champs in Day 1a
- 37 2022 WSOP Hands of the Week: Yuvee Loses $50K to Pair of Deuces; Ivey Hits Ace from Space
- 38 BREAKING: Phil Hellmuth at 2022 WSOP $3,000 NLH Final Table, Chasing 17th Bracelet
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- 53 Former World Champ Tom McEvoy Shares his Poker Samadhi Wisdom
- 54 Did Alejandro Lococo Pull Off Best WSOP Main Event Bluff Since Moneymaker?
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