ShareThe European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague Main Event has been marred by an unexpected violent fracas, leading to the disqualification of a player for headbutting his opponent.
The incident occurred on Day 1b of the €5,300 buy-in event which attracted over 1,200 entries.
The tension began to build at Table 12, where Michele Nizzardelli had just upset all of his tablemates after apparently checking on the river but then making an overbet .
In the very next hand, Nizzardelli three-bet with an AsKc, while Ghattas Kortas, who was at risk with a short stack covered by his Italian rival, called all-in with pocket tens.
The flop came down king high, giving Nizzardelli top pair and leaving Kortas on the brink of elimination.
No help came on the turn and river and the Swede was heading to the rail.
As Kortas left the table visibly angry, he snatched Nizzardelli's hat off his head who turned around and shoved him.
The situation escalated further when Kortas confronted Nizzardelli, who responded by raising his fists before the pair argued with their faces only inches from each other.
Nizzardelli then headbutted Kortas, leaving him on the floor with a visible injury on the bridge of his nose.
Security personnel quickly intervened, escorting Nizzardelli out of the tournament room. He was promptly disqualified from the tournament, and his chips were removed from play.
The stunned Kortas, more shocked than hurt, was more concerned about the state of his face than how he felt.
It remains unclear whether Nizzardelli will face any further action from the police, or sanctions from the casino, or the tournament organisers, PokerStars.
Despite the unfortunate incident, the EPT Prague Main Event continued, with several former EPT champions, including Lucien Cohen, Robin Ylitalo, and Dimitar Danchev, progressing to Day 2.
Not the Only Player Booted this Week
This disqualification isn’t the only instance this week. In a strange turn of coincidence, the winner of the 2022 EPT Prague Main Event, Jordan Saccucci, was hoisted out of the Atlantis Paradise Island Casino while playing the WSOP Paradise Main Event.
The Canadian was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of being involved in a string of 30 burglaries across the country. He was also charged with similar offences in 2021 but the case was thrown out of court.
No reason was given by the Atlantis Paradise Island Casino for his ejection from the property but we can safely assume it was the coverage of this recent case across the poker media.
