It was only a matter of time, wasn't it? Poker can be a deadly serious business, but jokes and references are part of the fabric of any table. At the Bar Poker Open, though, one well-worn meme cost a player a one-round penalty — proof that even a harmless gag can carry a price at the felt.
So consider this a public-service announcement: even if you do pick up 6♥7♥, it might be wise to keep the references to a minimum.
The Hand That Sparked It
The incident unfolded on Day 2 of the Bar Poker Open, with Joshua Bergman all in from under the gun. The action folded all the way around to Ian Auvil in the big blind.
“Everybody knows what I got,” Auvil announced to the table, flipping up the 7♥ for everyone to see. “Should I play 6x7x one more time?”
That was the dealer's cue to step in. “You cannot be showing your cards,” they said. “Are you calling?” But the damage was done — because Auvil had opened his hand, even if only one card, the floor was summoned.
Auvil then placed the 7♥8♦ face up on the table and explained to the floor that he was simply checking whether he had 6x7x, which he said is his daughter's favorite hand. He insisted it was just a running joke between him and Bergman.
♠️ The verdict
Joke or not, with action still pending, exposing a hand early is a clear breach — and the floor handed Auvil a one-round penalty.
Poker's Most Notable Penalties
Auvil is in good company. Poker history is littered with players who have run afoul of the floor — some for far more than a card flash.
- Will Kassouf is the first name that springs to mind, having collected numerous penalties over his career — an orbit penalty in 2016 after his now-infamous hand with Stacy Matuson, and a 10-seconds-to-act penalty for perceived slow play in last year's Main Event.
- At last year's WSOP, one player drew a one-round penalty for swearing at a floor manager after refusing to color up, while another was penalized for arguing with floor staff over a possible angle shoot.
- More recently, a player was outright disqualified from the WSOP Europe €5,300 PLO European Championship for being belligerent toward staff and opponents.
- At the same venue three years earlier, Michele Nizzardelli was disqualified from EPT Prague after headbutting an opponent.
And for sheer length, there is an all-timer: one player was reportedly handed a 12-month suspended penalty in Macau some 15 years ago — a sanction that makes a single round on the rail look like a bargain.
