EN
SK
CZ
HU
DE
When a dealer's nerves snap - the story of how a dealer fought Sammy Farha
Farha was basically the perfect counterbalance to Chris Moneymaker at the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event. Chris Moneymaker, who was an amateur poker player, took on Sammy Farha in heads-up action in the 2004 WSOP Main Event. Farha was the complete opposite of Moneymaker - a professional poker player who looked like something out of a poker movie - slicked back hair and an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth were his iconic poses. Moneymaker eventually defeated Farha in a title fight, and the poker world was never the same again.
After his second-place finish in the WSOP Main Event, Farha went on to win two bracelets in 2004. One in 2006 ($5,000 Omaha Hi/Lo) and one in 2010 (Omaha Hi/Lo 8 Championship). He also appeared on TV from time to time, was a participant in High Stakes Poker a couple of times and also got involved in the infamous game against Jamie Gold. Since 2014, however, Farha hasn't picked up any tour cashes.
Since those days, Farha has largely avoided Las Vegas, preferring to spend his time at casinos in the Houston area. Many people have reported seeing Farha sitting in games in the Houston area in recent years, but many may not even realize it. In fact, the ravages of time have shown on this player who has already lost his iconic hairstyle.
The alleged Houston brawl
PokerNews reached out to a dealer from the poker room who has witnessed "regular" brawls at this branch. The former Legends dealer, who goes by the name "AJ ", is said to have had a long-running feud with Farha. According to him, the dispute originated in Johnny Chan's poker room, where AJ had previously dealt. Farha allegedly had AJ thrown out of the club and bad-mouthed AJ everywhere he went. "It's true that AJ was thrown out of 88 Social for bad-mouthing Sammy, even though Sammy always acted like an asshole," the dealer claims.
But one day in December 2021, AJ's nerves snapped and, according to a source, he allegedly slapped the 2004 WSOP finalist and then shoved him into a wall screaming: "I'm from Detroit you f***er, don't mess with me!" The two combatants then lunged at each other and landed a few blows before other players got between them. Both were then asked to leave the club.
A second source told PokerNews, " I was told that Farha and the dealer had a verbal altercation with each other a few weeks ago that put the dealer out of a job. AJ came to play that day and when Farha saw him, he stated that his presence bothered him. The dealer overheard what Farha said and confronted him. They exchanged a few words, and AJ slapped him, whereupon Farha ran after the floorman, shouting something else along the way. AJ tried to hit him again, and I heard all the dealers standing and clapping when it happened."
Sympathy for the dealer?
Although Farha seemed to come off worse in the exchange, many in the Facebook group believe he got what he deserved and sided with AJ. "He 's despised everywhere," one dealer told PokerNews, " dealers don't like him anywhere." A fundraiser was even set up on a GoFundMe page to raise $20,000 to help AJ with any legal fees that may result from the incident.
The description of the fundraiser states, "The person in question lost his job due to harassment by a so-called "poker legend." He was then provoked and eventually decided to do it for every single poker dealer in Houston. The blow, which was heard by the entire poker world, took a different direction in the legal matter. If you've ever come in contact with him, you know the inconvenience Sammy put every single dealer through. We all know that more than once we have wanted to take matters into our own hands and finally someone did. Now let's show our support for him and also raise awareness that he's not just a poker player... it's about the integrity of the game! No poker player is or should be considered bigger than the game!"
The day after the incident, Farha arrived at the Legends poker room and was spotted outside talking to a police officer who was to file a report on the previous day's incident. It is unclear at this time if AJ has also been released from that card room and what further action will be taken by Legends. If AJ does end up in jail, it appears that there are several willing and able local poker players who would help him post bail.
Whose side would you side with in this dispute? In your opinion, did Farha deserve such a beating, or did the dealer overstep all bounds and can never afford such a thing? Let us know in the comments on our social media!
Sources - YouTube, reddit, pokernews, poker-king, twitter