A few days ago, much-loved poker pro David Lappin tagged me on X after receiving a one-round penalty for what he described as acting “petulantly.” It’s the first one-orbit penalty of his career — and he’s not exactly known for causing trouble at the table.
You can hear David explain it himself in the video below, but here’s the TL;DR:
🎭 The Incident
On Day 2, the player seated immediately to David’s left was routinely pounding the table. As David put it:
“A bit of celebration is good, but punching the table incredibly close to my fingers… I didn’t really appreciate that and got a bit wound up.”
The same player had also been dramatically slamming bluffs toward opponents, which didn’t help David’s tilt level.
Then came the big moment:
David flopped an open-ended straight draw against the pounder, called a bet on the flop, checked the turn, and folded the river after missing. The opponent, predictably, slammed his bluff face-up right in front of David — across the line.
Frustrated, David picked up the cards and flicked them back toward the player. According to David:
“One of them went up his arm a bit and went off the table. The dealer immediately dobbed me in.”
The floor was called.
Ruling: David received a one-round penalty. His opponent? Nothing.
👊 Let’s Talk Table Pounding
Flashback to Costa Rica in the early 2000s: legendary casino owner Don Luis had zero tolerance for table pounding. Slam the felt? You got an automatic one-round penalty. No questions asked.
And honestly — that’s not such a bad policy.
Pounding the table is annoying, disruptive, and completely unnecessary. It breaks the flow of the game and can genuinely rattle other players. The correct move when dealing with this behavior is simple:
👉 Call the floor.
A good tournament director will check the ego at the door and get the offender to chill out.
🃏 The Flick Heard ‘Round the Room
Here’s where it gets tricky:
David’s reaction — flicking the cards — is what got him penalized.
It’s a classic case of “the second guy gets the flag.” Like in the NFL or NHL, the instigator often walks away clean while the retaliation draws the penalty.
🧑⚖️ My Savage Ruling
If I had been called to the table, here’s what I would have done:
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Step 1: Take David aside for a quick chat.
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Step 2: Assess intent and tone from all parties — including the dealer and other players.
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Step 3: Make a fair call based on the actual impact of the flick.
If David had thrown the cards with force? Definitely a one-round penalty — maybe more.
But if he merely flicked them, and one happened to touch the guy’s arm and float off the table? I’d probably just give him a warning or make him sit out one hand. Talk to him. Defuse the moment. Move on.
Also, I would’ve had words with the table pounder too. That behavior isn’t acceptable.
🤷♂️ What Do YOU Think?
Was David’s reaction out of line? Or was it just a human moment in a high-pressure game?
And most importantly — should he have been given a full one-round penalty?
Let’s hear from you:
📣 Players, fans, TDs — weigh in!
How would you have ruled?
