Alleged cheating in WSOP $10K heads-up
Daniel Negreanu leads call to ban sunglasses at the table after Valeriu Coca is accused of marking cards in UV ink.
The big story coming out of Event #10 - the $10,000 buy-in heads-up No Limit Hold'em - at this year's World Series of Poker (WSOP) should have been Keith Lehr taking it down to win $334,430 and his second career bracelet.
But instead, everyone is talking about Moldovan player Valeriu Coca, who has been accused by multiple opponents of cheating his way to 5th place and a $54,545 pay day:
Bubbled the HU. Hands down strangest hour and a half of poker of my life. Felt super-used
— Connor Drinan (@connordrinan) June 03, 2015
Shortly after this Tweet, a frustrated Drinan then took to the forums of 2+2 to discuss in detail what he and others had seen from Coca at the table that was so suspicious, and that the same individual had in fact been banned in multiple Czech casinos for marking cards.
WSOP test "shows no markings"
Some are speculating that Coca had been bending all high cards he was dealt, others that he was marking cards in a coded language using UV ink only he could see with special sunglasses.
The most commonly used legal cheating device in poker? Sunglasses. Should have been banned years ago. Why make it easy for cheats?
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) June 04, 2015
As of yet though, the only news on the matter where taking action is concerned has been that "preliminary tests" conducted by the WSOP have shown "no markings or use of any foreign solution":
We are aware, monitoring very closely w/all resources @ our disposal. Those include surveillance/security,forensic examination of cards, etc
— Jack Effel (@WSOPTD) June 04, 2015
W@Kevmath 2/2 Preliminary testing of cards show no markings or use of any foreign solution. Further tests will be done to confirm initial.
— Seth Palansky (@SethPalansky) June 04, 2015
As for Coca, he was last seen during his Quarter Final match defeat at the hands of eventual winner Lehr, who had by that stage of the tournament been warned by colleagues to keep his cards covered at all times.
Would banning sunglasses really help if contact lenses and regular glasses could be used instead? Let us know your thoughts.
