World Series of Poker Circuit Ends with Unusual Final Table Antics

Sometimes the winner of a tournament is overshadowed by someone else who had a great run, was a sentimental favorite or was just a good story. Like Orel Hershiser’s run at the NBC Heads Up Championship last week ended up the talk of the tournament even though Chris Ferguson was the overall winner.

The World Series of Poker Circuit series at Caesars Atlantic City would end up being one of those tournaments but this time for the wrong reasons. The $300 no limit Texas holdem tournament was attended by 1,056 poker players and eventually won by a 76 year old from New Jersey named Frank Panetta. Frank won $76,104 for besting the entire field and putting up with one unruly player.

According to the tournament report from the WSOP media director, Nolan Dalla, Lesley S. Thornburg, from Richmond, Va. had already received two warnings for “a ceaseless display of loud comments and baiting tactics lasting several hours.” When later at the final table and holding on to a slim chip lead, Thornburg was disqualified in fifth place for what officially was called “unsportsmanlike behavior.”

Twice at the final table Thornburg was all in with the worst of it and twice he pulled through and the second time knocking out Edward Sullivan. If that wasn’t strange enough, Dalla said in the report, that it was here things started getting weird.

“Then, all hell broke loose. Literally. 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. Lesley Thornburg, a general contractor from Richmond, Va., earned $19,026 in prize money.”

As per tournament rules Lesley’s chip were removed from the table and as more normal play continued, the tournament ended with the following results:

1. Frank Panetta – $76,104
2. Andy Santiago – $42,824
3. Todd Rebello – $25,368
4. Lee Ervin – $22,197
5. Lesley S. Thornburg (disqualification) – $19,026
6. Edward Sullivan – $15,855
7. Donald Mercer – $12,684
8. Mike Santoro – $9,513
9. Francis Snyder – $6,342

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