Savage Rules! Massage therapist could have stopped recent WSOP controversy - Poker.org

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The most recent Poker Twitter ruckus erupted 48 hours ago after DJ MacKinnon posted a poll on X to elicit feedback on a hand from the final table at the recent WSOP Circuit Main Event in Baltimore. That’s when this situation was first brought to my attention.

The event was down to three players, and the hand was between eventual winner Maurice Hawkins and the third-place finisher after the hand in question played out, Divyam Satyarthi.

Both players were all-in preflop. Maurice’s

rivered the wheel for a straight, and Divyam’s

rivered a flush. The dealer quickly mucked Divyam’s winning hand incorrectly and pushed the pot to Hawkins.

No one noticed at the time, and it wasn't until the mistake was spotted on an Instagram video three hours later that it came to light.

"Nobody noticed the flush in the moment," PokerOrg reporter Jeff McMillan said on X. "It was a confusing moment where the third-place finisher thought his pair held at first until the wheel was deemed the winner and Hawkins (was) given the pot."

Players speak out​

DJ MacKinnon posted his poll with a hypothetical as follows: "A poker media member is observing a hand being played in an event. The media member sees the dealer misread the winning hand, and the pot is pushed incorrectly, with no other participants at the table noticing the mistake. Should the media member inform the table of the mistake?"

The poll received 3,967 votes over 24 hours and sparked a debate still raging on multiple threads on X.

Many well-known players, fans, and media members spoke out, including Shaun Deeb, Norman Chad, Len Ashby, Rachel Kay Winter, Barny Boatman, Sean McCormack, Patrick Leonard, PokerOrg’s Brad Willis, and many more, including myself, in numerous posts.


Barny Boatman had a change of heart after thinking more about the hand in question. He believes people should speak out in the future.

Jules Pochy

My first reaction to the hand and the poll​

So who should speak up if they see something? I believe that not only should the media on the scene speak up, but anybody should speak up. I mean, whether you're just watching on the rail or another player at the table. And, of course, the player getting pushed the pot incorrectly.

Now, I'm not saying that in this case, the player who got pushed the pot incorrectly knew that he didn't have the best hand, but he could have.

Not correcting the error immediately sets up a situation for the dealer to look bad. It sets it up for the player who won the pot but didn't get pushed the pot to look foolish. Also, the player who got pushed the pot might look like he was angling or even cheating, which may not have been the case in this situation.

Poker media don't want to get involved but I would be happy to help tournament reporters understand why the integrity of the game is more important than the story.

I'm telling you that in the future, when you see a similar situation, a reporter or an observer should make that correction because it's for the integrity of the game.

I ran a poll. 95% to 98% of the respondents said that the media, somebody watching from the rail, or another player should say something in that spot. And especially the other player that's getting pushed the pot incorrectly. That’s if they do see it, of course.


Matt Savage believes strongly that anyone and everyone should speak out if a pot is being pushed the wrong way.

Alicia Skillman

Pay attention to the cards face-up​

It's every player and dealer’s responsibility. And if there's a floor there as well, it's theirs also. It’s also the responsibility of the other players at the table.

Let’s be clear. I'm saying it's anybody's responsibility to speak up if they see the hand. We want the pot to get pushed to the right person in a pot that's called on the river. If it gets the pot pushed to the correct person, I don't care who says anything.

It could be a massage therapist, a housekeeper, or somebody just walking by the table. I don't care. I want the pot pushed to the right person when they pay to win that pot.

This situation usually only happens when somebody misses a flush or a straight because they also had a pair. It's a rare situation.

But I do challenge anybody. And I challenge any floor person that happens to see the pot getting pushed to the wrong person.

That includes you media people out there to say something, speak up, and ensure the pot goes to the right person.

Most tournament directors think the same way​

I've asked a few of the best tournament directors in the world. They all agree that anybody who saw the hand should speak up if they believed the pot was pushed to the wrong player. I will bring this up at next year’s TDA Summit.

What do you think? Please let me know in the comments below. I also ask that you can directly submit interesting situations and videos to me on my X account. Your question could be the next Savage Rules!

Matt Savage is the WPT Executive Tour Director, founder of the Tournament Directors Association, and a respected member of the poker community. Matt is a five-time GPI award winner and a nine-time Poker Hall of Fame nominee.

You can follow Matt on X. For more info, visit PokerTDA.com and WPT.com.