Rafael Caiaffa, а professional poker player from Brazil, has been disqualified from a tournament and suspended from all Brazilian Series of Poker because of a cheating attempt. For reference, the incident occurred on the second day of the LAPT Mystery KO tournament.
The BRL 5,000 event saw Caiaffa provided with 100,000 chips when upon registering. However, during a table change, Caiaffa was dealt an extra starting stack in addition to the one he had. Instead of admitting the mistake and notifying officials, Caiaffa put one of the stacks in his backpack.
Then, during another table change, Caiaffa proceeded to take his extra chips out of the bag and play. Unfortunately for him, the move did not top646 go unnoticed. Eduardo Silva, another poker professional, saw Caiaffa depart with a stack of 10,000 from a table only to appear with a stack of 110,000 immediately after.
Players, who saw what Caiaffa did, proceeded to contact tournament officials, notifying them of his attempt to cheat.
Officials were quick to react, handing the player an indefinite suspension because of his attempt to cheat.
The Player Admitted That He Shouldn’t Have Cheated
In a subsequent interview, Caiaffa discussed the situation from his point of view. He noted that he noticed that he was handed an extra stack of chips immediately. The poker professional claims to have told a friend at the time and had promised to return it shortly after.
However, Caiaffa eventually decided that the extra stack of chips was the dealer’s mistake. Believing himself to be in the right, the professional took the chips and attempted to give himself and advantage.
Caiaffa later admitted that he shouldn’t have done that and that he was responsible for his own ban.
The future of the player continues to be discussed by BSOP officials. In the worst-case scenario, Caiaffa’s suspension may lead to a lifetime ban from competing in the BSOP. This would put an end to his promising career as a poker professional.
Last year, Caiaffa won a major online bracelet. He also appeared at the 2023 World Series of Poker earlier this year.
