Dealer Error or Coincidence? WSOP Colossus Champion Sparks Controversy
In the 2026 WSOP $500 Colossus event, champion Justin Smith won heads-up with a flush on the river, but poker expert David Lappin pointed out that the dealer may have mixed up the order of the hole cards, leading to a swap. If dealt correctly, the result could have been different.
2026 WSOP $500 Colossus event concluded on Tuesday, drawing significant attention due to its low buy-in ($500) and high reward potential. Justin Smith emerged victorious from a field of over 16,000 entrants, winning $550,000 — nine times his previous career tournament earnings.
However, poker pro, author, and podcaster David Lappin pointed out on social media Wednesday that a possible dealing error occurred on the final hand, raising questions about the legitimacy of the champion. Lappin shared a video of the final hand, stating that "an unfortunate dealer mistake changed poker history," and invited viewers to identify the issue.
Unlike the earlier incident this month where Ricky Landais missed out on a gold bracelet due to a dealing error, this mistake was less obvious but appeared to involve the hole cards being dealt in the wrong order.
Mystery of the Hole Card Assignment
In the first hand of heads-up play, Myles German was the small blind (also the button), and Justin Smith was the big blind. German shoved with 8s-8d, and Smith called with As-Kh. The community cards came 4c-Jh-2h-Th-4h, giving Smith a flush on the river to win the gold bracelet.
According to TDA rules: "In heads-up play, the small blind is the button, receives the last card, and acts first preflop, then acts last on all subsequent betting rounds." However, the video shows that German, as the small blind/button, was dealt first, receiving the first and third hole cards; Smith received the second and fourth. Apart from this, all other procedures were normal, and German acted first preflop.
Another Possibility
If the cards had been dealt correctly, German would have held A-K and Smith 8-8. The exact action is uncertain, but it's likely German would have shoved with A-K, Smith would have called with the pair, and German would have doubled up. However, no one can say for sure if the outcome would have changed — Smith could still have won the tournament. But if German had gotten A-K, he might have earned over $200,000 more in prize money.
Poker pro Patrick Leonard commented that while the dealer indeed made a mistake, under TDA rules, the floor should have caught and corrected the error before any "substantial action" occurred.
Image source: PokerGO.com
FAQ
- In the first hand of heads-up play in the WSOP Colossus, the small blind/button Myles German was supposed to receive the last card, but he was actually dealt first, causing a swap of hole cards with big blind Justin Smith — German had 8-8, Smith had A-K, which should have been reversed.