Sammy Farha Allegedly Assaults Dealer at Houston Social Cardroom Leading to Lifetime Ban
Sammy Farha allegedly punched dealer Doug Caillier at Houston Social Cardroom after a muck dispute in a PLO game. Caillier suffered minor injuries, filed a police report, and Farha received a lifetime ban. This follows a prior 2022 physical altercation at another Houston venue.
SCCG Take — Houston cardrooms continue to manage repeat high-profile misconduct through lifetime bans. Operators in similar unregulated settings must maintain rapid security response to protect staff.
Sammy Farha allegedly physically attacked a dealer at the Houston Social Cardroom. The incident took place at approximately 3:30 a.m. on October 21 and has resulted in a lifetime ban for the player.
Doug Caillier sustained minor injuries and was treated and released from an emergency room in Houston. A police report has been filed. As reported by PokerNews, multiple sources confirmed the events.
Sammy Farha, 67, is a regular in Houston card rooms and frequently plays the $1/$3/$6 ($15 button straddle) pot-limit Omaha game at this venue. Poker Hall of Famer Johnny Chan is a minority owner of the club.
The dispute began when two players went all-in on the flop and agreed to run the turn and river twice. After the pot was awarded, Farha accused the dealer of taking cards out of the muck. The dealer disputed the claim. Farha then told the dealer to “shut the fk up” and threatened “I’m gonna beat the living fk out of you.”
Sequence of the Alleged Assault
Security approached the table. Farha maneuvered around the guard, punched the dealer in the chest, and attempted to slap him in the face. Caillier did not fight back. One source stated that Farha “has a sick obsession his entire life with trying to f**k with dealers.”
The dealer filed the police report after receiving treatment. Houston Social banned Farha for life. Such incidents are not uncommon inside many Houston rooms.
Farha’s Record of Incidents and Career Highlights
This is not Farha’s first physical altercation. He was involved in one at Legends Poker Room in 2022. Dealers and players have long described his verbally and physically abusive behavior toward staff when cameras are not rolling.
Farha rose to fame as a regular on High Stakes Poker in the 2000s. He has $3 million in live tournament cashes and ran deep in the Super Seniors event at the 2025 WSOP.
Reporting: PokerNews
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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