Some controversy hit the World Series of Poker this week after a player was able to call a hand despite a floor person initially ruling that his hand was dead.
The scenario played out near the bubble in the $2,500 no-limit hold’em event. Patrick Leonard was heads-up against an opponent who still remains anonymous and shoved all in on the river. According to Leonard, the shove sent his opponent into the tan for six minutes.
Another player called the clock and a floorman came over and began a 30-second countdown. If the player didn’t decide on an action within the allotted timeframe, his hand would be dead. The floor counted down the time and announced that the hand was dead.
That should’ve been the end of it. But it wasn’t.
“I’m relieved, and then he says ‘call’ and it counts,” Leonard wrote on X/Twitter. “Called another floor and he ruled in their favour. Other player at the table said it was 5 seconds after ‘dead,’ less [in my opinion], closer to 3.”
Video of the hand indeed shows the call coming at least a couple seconds after the hand had been ruled dead. Leonard can even be seen laughing after the call came after the dead ruling. However, the floor ruled against Leonard and the bracelet winner lost the pot.
Watch the hand below.
Here’s the video. People are even speculating what I have! I’m laughing he says call so long after.
What the fuck man https://t.co/ZyuAdAAmW8 pic.twitter.com/nEzgZlJD47
— Patrick Leonard 🫡 (@padspoker) June 24, 2026
Here’s rest of the video btw, floor says he said call just as he said dead then dealer corrects floor and said he heard him say dead first.
Dealer was great btw, told the floor they were wrong and came up to me 2x afterwards apologising saying it was wrong. Forgot to give him… pic.twitter.com/zB6hsf2HvP
— Patrick Leonard 🫡 (@padspoker) June 24, 2026
Players Criticize Floor Personnel
Reaction was quick and critical of the ruling. Four-time bracelet winner David Baker wondered what the floorman was actually thinking.
“This is ridiculous,” he said. “Were they even paying attention? I had an issue with a floor today as well. So many really good ones but the ones that have attitude and don’t listen are really bad.”
John Monnette was especially critical of floor management overall: “It’s been exceptionally bad this year. Every time I talk to one of the lead floors they just say ‘you can always call me over’ but that’s the exact problem there are only a handful of people in the whole place that get things right.”
The five-time bracelet winner added that his reaction wouldn’t have been pretty if he had been in a similar situation.
“Wtf, I would have caused a scene so big security would have to take me out,” he replied to Leonard’s post with video of the hand.
Scott Seiver, a recent nominee for the Poker Hall of Fame, had a similar reaction and said he would have continued to appeal for a correct ruling.
Truly with no offense to you, but there is no world where I don’t stop the tournament until the right ruling is made. Security would need to be called to remove me from my seat
— Scott Seiver (@scott_seiver) June 24, 2026
Leonard added that the dealer and other players at the table told him the ruling was wrong and the call came after the hand was ruled dead.
The players did do this btw, one player told the floor it was 5 seconds later (I actually said I thought he was wrong and it was less) the other was trying to give the floor the video, the dealer said the floor was wrong when he was there. They were very reasonable / nice
— Patrick Leonard 🫡 (@padspoker) June 24, 2026
Leonard Doesn’t Blame Opponent
Despite his frustration, Leonard took things in stride and doesn’t believe the other player was trying to angle shoot.
“I have no problem with the guy at all,” he said. “I never wanted to out him and he felt bad after the hand immediately when he had 5x+ my stack, he immediately offered to do a big swap because he realized. I’ve never seen somebody feel so bad about something at the table. He was genuinely sorry if something bad had happened and I’m not the best live poker player in the world but he seemed a good kid.
“I’m fully at peace with him and don’t blame him. Next time he’s going to act faster and this wasn’t premeditated at all.”
The entire ordeal followed another controversy in which a dealer accidentally gave the first card to the player on the button during the tournament’s first and only hand of heads-up play.
