WSOP Scandal: James Caputo’s Controversial Fold in the Main Event

A scandal broke out at the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event due to a controversial fold by player James Caputo, which affected the course of the largest tournament.

A major scandal erupted at the recent stage of the World Series of Poker Paradise in the Bahamas, with James Caputo at its center. For the second day in a row, this player—who has virtually no official live tournament cashes—was involved in a controversial situation that affected the course of one of the largest events in poker history: the Super Main Event with a $25,000 buy-in. Context: What is the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event? WSOP Paradise is a new series of the World Series of Poker, held in the Bahamas and attracting the attention of the world’s top players. The main event of the series, the Super Main Event, stood out not only for its hefty $25,000 buy-in but also for a record number of entries: by the time registration closed, there were 2,891 entries, allowing the guaranteed prize pool of $60,000,000 to be exceeded by more than $12,000,000. At the time of publication, the official prize pool had not yet been announced, but it was already clear that the event had made poker history in terms of scale. Among the chip leaders after registration closed were well-known professionals such as Alex Livingston, Faraz Jaka, and Santosh Suvarna. Background: Caputo’s First Controversial Episode Despite lacking significant live tournament results, James Caputo had already drawn attention the day before. On Sunday, during the first day of play, he made a mistake during a preflop raise, which allowed David Benyamine to double up at another player’s expense. However, this episode turned out to be just a prelude to a much bigger conflict that erupted the next day. Key Hand: Dispute Between Caputo, Depaulo, and Moreira During level 15 (blinds 25,000/50,000) at table 124, a conflict broke out that caught the attention of PokerNews reporter Connor Richards. Three players were involved in the hand: James Caputo, popular video blogger Ryan Depaulo, and Andre Moreira. The hand played out as follows: Andre Moreira opened with a raise to 100,000. Ryan Depaulo called. James Caputo, sitting behind them, reraised to 200,000. Moreira called Caputo’s bet. Depaulo went all-in for 1,175,000. Caputo called Depaulo’s all-in. Moreira moved all-in for more than 3,000,000. This is when the confusion began. According to eyewitnesses and video footage, Caputo stated that he was “all-in against Depaulo, but not against Moreira,” then showed his cards— A♦5♦ . The dealer interpreted this as a verbal fold and mucked Caputo’s cards, leaving Moreira and Depaulo to play for the pot. Moreira showed J♠J♣ , and Depaulo had K♣K♠ . Caputo immediately began to argue, insisting that he did not intend to fold his hand and wanted to continue in the hand. Depaulo maintained that Caputo had folded, while Martin Zamani, another player at the table, sided with Caputo, stating that he had not said “fold” or “I’m not calling.” Players’ Reactions and the Floor’s Decision The discussion at the table quickly escalated into a heated argument with profanity. Depaulo appealed to the tournament staff, asking them not to rely solely on Zamani’s opinion: “Ask someone else at the table, because he’s biased.” Zamani retorted, “Why am I biased? Want to bet?” Depaulo claimed that Caputo said, “I’m not calling this,” but Zamani insisted that no such words were spoken. As a result, after consulting with the tournament director, a decision was made: Caputo was required to put in 1,175,000 chips (the size of Depaulo’s all-in), but he would not participate further in the pot and would not even see the flop. This decision sparked an outburst from Caputo, who shouted, “F*** YOU GUYS!” and slammed a stack of cash worth about $50,000 on the table. When the board was revealed, it turned out that three diamonds hit the table, which would have given Caputo a flush if his hand had remained in play. In the end, Depaulo won a huge pot with a set of kings, though he would have lost to Caputo had Caputo’s hand stood. Opinions at the Table and Community Reaction Depaulo, who was on his second entry in the tournament (his buy-in was partially paid by Alan Keating and Daniel Negreanu), increased his stack to about 70 big blinds after this hand. Moreira, who lost with pocket jacks, was left with 20 big blinds. Caputo, despite the loss, still had about 60 big blinds. Video blogger Depaulo later shared his perspective on social media, posting a video of the hand. According to him, Caputo, as an inexperienced player, clearly indicated that he was folding. In a separate post, Depaulo claimed that before the dealer mucked the cards, Caputo confirmed his intention to fold by answering “yes” to the relevant question. Martin Zamani, on the other hand, believes that Caputo did not say anything that clearly indicated a fold, and that his hand should have remained live. There were arguments at the table and even suggestions to bet on what exactly Caputo said. Overall, the situation caused a stir in the poker community, as huge sums of money and the fate of one of the year’s biggest tournaments were at stake. Final Stack Situation and Tournament Standings Ryan Depaulo — about 70 big blinds after the hand Andre Moreira — about 20 big blinds James Caputo — about 60 big blinds Exact payouts and prize places had not yet been announced at the time of publication, as the prize pool was being finalized after registration. It is known that the tournament exceeded the guaranteed pool by more than $12,000,000, and among the chip leaders are Alex Livingston, Faraz Jaka, and Santosh Suvarna. Poker Terms and Explanations for Readers All-in — betting all of a player’s remaining chips. After going all-in, a player cannot make further bets, and their hand is revealed only after betting is complete. Three-bet — the third bet in a betting round (a raise after a raise). Fold (pass) — discarding your cards, declining to continue in the hand. Blinds — mandatory bets made by the two players to the left of the dealer before cards are dealt, to create a starting pot. Stack — the number of chips a player has at a given moment. Set — three of a kind made with one pocket pair and one matching board card (for example, three kings if a player holds pocket kings and one king comes on the board). Flush — a combination of five cards of the same suit. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players This situation at WSOP Paradise clearly demonstrates how important it is to express your intentions clearly and unambiguously at the poker table, especially in complex hands with multiple players and large pots. Even a small misunderstanding or ambiguous statement can lead to serious consequences: loss of chips, a dead hand, or even conflict with other players and staff. For PPPoker club members, this is a great reminder of the need to maintain discipline and proper behavior at the table. Always try to use standard terms (“call,” “fold,” “raise”) and avoid gestures or phrases that could be misinterpreted by the dealer or other players. In online play, this is especially important—your actions are recorded automatically, but it’s still crucial to be careful when clicking buttons and not to rush in key moments. Moreover, the situation shows that even inexperienced players can find themselves at the center of major events and influence the outcome of hands with huge prize money. Therefore, everyone should be prepared for stressful situations and think through their behavior strategy in advance—both technically and ethically. This will help you avoid unnecessary losses and increase your chances of success in tournaments of any level, whether in PPPoker online clubs or the world’s largest live series.