Leslie Thornburg chip leader at final table kicked out of WSOP circuit tournament

A possibly historic incident occurred at this year’s first World Series of Poker circuit event held in Atlantic City. A contractor from Virginia, Leslie Thornburg was forcibly removed from the final table for his behavior.

“Thornburg, who had been given two warnings for unsportsmanlike behavior on the previous day, pushed everyone’s patience to the limit with a ceaseless display of loud comments and baiting tactics lasting several hours.”

“Holding onto a perilous chip lead, Thornburg lost self-control and began jamming chips into the pot with reckless abandon. Warned by tournament officials (repeatedly) to stack his chips properly and obey the rules, Thornburg crossed the final demarcation of everyone’s patience when he shoved half of his stack into the pot and then later announced, “all in.” Fed up with the annoying and confusing antics, officials announced Thornburg’s immediate disqualification.”

The remaining players and spectators could only watch as Thornburg was ejected from the texas holdem poker tournament. He was automatically eliminated in 5th place, earning $19,026. His chips were removed from play and the final table played out like normal. Frank Panetta would go on to win first place, with a prize of $76, 104.

The full story can be found here: http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/news/article.asp?newsid=1966