A Brazilian poker star has cheated in a tournament by claiming an additional starting stack of 100,000 chips. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Latin American Poker Tour organizers in São Paulo, Brazil have disqualified local poker star Rafael Caiaffa after he tried to claim extra poker chips in a tournament event. Not only that, but the player can also no longer participate in any other tournament in the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP), which runs until November 29.

Caiaffa failed to notify anyone when a dealer handed him an additional 100,000

The player received the duplicate stack in error at the beginning of the BSOP R$5,000 (US$1,022) Mystery Knockout competition. After receiving 100,000 in chips from a floorperson, Caiaffa failed to notify anyone when a dealer handed him an additional 100,000 as he sat down at the table.

Instead of notifying anyone to the error, Caiaffa added the additional 100,000 to his chip stack once his original total had dwindled to just 10,000 – giving him another shot at the top prize. This didn’t go unnoticed, however. His fellow player Eduardo Silva notified tournament organizers when he noticed Caiaffa’s stack size grow drastically. They then confirmed the incident via camera footage.

Caiaffa – who once won a World Series of Poker bracelet in a 2022 online international tournament – wasn’t the only entrant to receive additional chips by accident, although he was the sole player to try to get away with it. According to MundoPoker, several other players received duplicate starting stacks and all notified members of staff.