A cigarette got João Siqueira noticed at the 2026 World Series of Poker. What got him removed from the tournament was his chips.
The Brazilian player was on Day 1 of Event #56, the $3,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, when he lit up at the table and refused to put it out — a non-starter in any U.S. poker room, where smoking has been banned at the felt since 2003. The WSOP’s own social account posted video of the standoff, with Siqueira arguing with a floor supervisor while another player audibly called for a one-round penalty “at least.”
The cigarette was only the warm-up
Security arrived, but the cigarette wasn’t ultimately what ended his day. A WSOP source told PokerNews that Siqueira was ejected for drinking excessively and, more seriously, for putting his chips in his pocket. He left the tournament area without further incident.
The scene drew an audience. Hall-of-famer Nick Schulman, watching it unfold, dryly dubbed the Brazilian a “legend” on social media — the kind of label that says as much about the spectacle as the player.
Why pocketing chips is the line
Lighting a cigarette is a rules nuisance. Pocketing tournament chips is something else entirely. Removing chips from play undercuts the integrity of the whole event — it can be used to ferret value off the table or muddy a chip count — which is why it sits among the offences floor staff treat most seriously, penalty or disqualification on the table almost immediately. Pair it with a refusal to follow repeated instructions and an ejection becomes the path of least resistance.
Event #56 had 342 players registered when the dust settled, with late registration still open and names like Jean-Robert Bellande, Bruce Buffer and Jeremy Becker in the mix. Siqueira’s punishment, notably, was not a sweeping one: he wasn’t banned from Caesars properties and was expected back at the Series the very next day. A bad afternoon, then — not the end of his summer.