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Poker's main event closes probe on 2.4M chip error
NULL , Friday, May 11, 2007LAS VEGAS ¡ª All the chips were on the table in last year's World Series of Poker ¡ª and then some. The final count was 2.41 million more than was supposed to be in play.
A Nevada state gaming investigator says it looks like an unintentional mistake in a fast-paced tournament with thousands of players and tens of millions of chips.
Harrah's Entertainment, which operates the tournament, said it has investigated. So has the Nevada Gaming Commission. Neither is specifying what it found, though the commission says there will be no prosecution. When this year's main event begins July 6, there will be efforts to prevent a repeat.
"There were extra chips that had been introduced into the tournament, inadvertently apparently," Jerry Markling, chief of enforcement for the gaming commission, said Wednesday. "We looked at several angles to determine whether or not there was any criminal involvement, and we could not substantiate that there was any.
"We made some recommendations to Harrah's concerning ways to avoid that occurring in the future, and we closed the investigation."
FIND MORE STORIES IN: World Series | LAS VEGAS | Nevada | Harrah's Entertainment | Poker | Markling
In a statement, Harrah's said only that it had "conducted an investigation" and turned it over to the state.
According to the tournament's official website, there were 90.14 million chips held by nine players at the final table. The 8,773 players in the tournament each had a $10,000 buy-in. That comes to 87.73 million chips. The difference: 2.41 million.
Markling said some extra chips are introduced naturally during a process called "coloring up." Players turn in chips of lesser worth as the stakes rise. Some rounding up occurs. "It's not unusual. Nor would it benefit any one person," he said
He acknowledged that wouldn't account for 2.41 million, but he said the discrepancy did not "significantly impact" the tournament.
Main event champion Jamie Gold, in town Wednesday for a TV game, said it's a non-issue.
"They didn't give me any more chips," he said. "They just miscounted. It can happen. They're doing it so fast. ¡ They did an amazing job."
By Gary Mihoces
A Nevada state gaming investigator says it looks like an unintentional mistake in a fast-paced tournament with thousands of players and tens of millions of chips.
Harrah's Entertainment, which operates the tournament, said it has investigated. So has the Nevada Gaming Commission. Neither is specifying what it found, though the commission says there will be no prosecution. When this year's main event begins July 6, there will be efforts to prevent a repeat.
"There were extra chips that had been introduced into the tournament, inadvertently apparently," Jerry Markling, chief of enforcement for the gaming commission, said Wednesday. "We looked at several angles to determine whether or not there was any criminal involvement, and we could not substantiate that there was any.
"We made some recommendations to Harrah's concerning ways to avoid that occurring in the future, and we closed the investigation."
FIND MORE STORIES IN: World Series | LAS VEGAS | Nevada | Harrah's Entertainment | Poker | Markling
In a statement, Harrah's said only that it had "conducted an investigation" and turned it over to the state.
According to the tournament's official website, there were 90.14 million chips held by nine players at the final table. The 8,773 players in the tournament each had a $10,000 buy-in. That comes to 87.73 million chips. The difference: 2.41 million.
Markling said some extra chips are introduced naturally during a process called "coloring up." Players turn in chips of lesser worth as the stakes rise. Some rounding up occurs. "It's not unusual. Nor would it benefit any one person," he said
He acknowledged that wouldn't account for 2.41 million, but he said the discrepancy did not "significantly impact" the tournament.
Main event champion Jamie Gold, in town Wednesday for a TV game, said it's a non-issue.
"They didn't give me any more chips," he said. "They just miscounted. It can happen. They're doing it so fast. ¡ They did an amazing job."
By Gary Mihoces
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