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Sammy Farha was banned for life from Houston Social Cardroom after allegedly punching dealer Doug Caillier during an early-morning Pot-Limit Omaha cash game on Oct. 21. Caillier suffered minor injuries, received treatment at a Houston emergency room and was released; a police report was filed after the incident.

The confrontation began at about 3:30 a.m. after two players went all in on the flop and agreed to run the turn and river twice, according to PokerNews, which cited multiple people who were present. Both players showed their hole cards and Caillier awarded the entire pot to the winning player.

Farha was not involved in the hand, but questioned Caillier over the losing player’s cards being removed to the muck. The losing player was reportedly irritated that his cards had been exposed. After Caillier disputed Farha’s account, Farha allegedly became aggressive, and the dealer told him his behavior was unacceptable.

Security came to the table, but Farha allegedly moved around a guard to approach Caillier. He allegedly punched the dealer in the chest and then tried to slap him in the face, although it was unclear whether the second blow connected. Caillier did not fight back and walked away.

Farha, 67, was a regular in Houston Social’s $1/$3/$6 PLO game with a $15 button straddle. Johnny Chan is a minority owner of the room. Caillier’s dealing career includes the World Series of Poker during the Binion’s era in the 1990s and card rooms around the United States, including Aria in Las Vegas.

The incident is not Farha’s first reported confrontation at a Houston-area room. PokerNews documented a separate 2021 altercation at Legends Poker Room involving Farha and a former dealer known as AJ, MJ or Amjad. In that case, one source said the other man slapped Farha and shoved him into a wall after a verbal dispute, and both men were asked to leave.

Farha is a three-time WSOP bracelet winner who finished runner-up to Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 WSOP Main Event. He became a familiar figure on televised cash-game shows including High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark, has about $3 million in live tournament cashes, and most recently made a deep run in the 2025 WSOP Super Seniors event.