A player was disqualified from a World Series of Poker event on Friday for smoking during play and putting tournament chips in his pocket.
The unidentified player lit up a cigarette during the first day of the $3,000 buy-in 6-handed No-limit Hold’em event at Paris Las Vegas.
The WSOP posted a video of the incident on its X account and noted “The use of smoking devices in the poker room is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification from the tournament.”
Player REMOVED From $3,000 Tournament
The use of smoking devices in the poker room is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification from the tournament.
Here’s what happens when that line gets crossed. pic.twitter.com/Ha7CfOpuWi— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 20, 2026
Smoking in Las Vegas poker rooms was first banned at The Mirage and Bellagio in 2001, and many local casinos followed suit in the ensuing years.
The WSOP’s video shows the player arguing with a tournament supervisor with a lit cigarette in his hand before security was brought to the table. The player eventually extinguished the cigarette in a bottle of water.
Moments later, the video showed the player standing away from the table and reaching into his right pocket with the caption “Chips in pocket.”
Rule 38 of the WSOP tournament rules states: “Non-value WSOP chips are used for all Events and are the exclusive property of the Host Property and may not be removed from the Event area. Participants found to be transferring chips from one Event to another or from one Participant to another, or removing chips from play for any other reason, including but not limited to, taking chips as souvenirs, will be subject to penalty in strict accordance with Rules 40, 113, and 114.”
The 6-handed No-limit Hold’em event continued late Friday and drew more than 1,000 entrants.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.
