Can a blind player participate in a poker tournament? It turned out that he can!

And such a player was Hal Lubarsky, who visited the World Series of Poker in 2007. He even managed to reach the top places and take 197th place, with no vision.

He lost sight as a child but didn’t lose his desire to play poker. And he was able to develop his own playing style. He got an assistant, who told him his pocket cards, and cards on the board, and he also trained him to read opponents' faces. Through an intermediary, Lyubarsky managed to understand the cards on hand. 

Administration WSOP tried to prevent him from playing by banning the presence of any assistants at the gaming table. Hal listened to the arguments and calmly said that the next day his lawyer would bring the action to the court for discrimination against people with disabilities, and finally, their full prize pool would go to pay compensation for his moral damage and court costs, unless they make exceptions for him.

The organizers quickly realized that it would be more expensive to deal with such a dedicated player, and allowed him to play. And he proved his worth to them. He showed a high level, outcompeted two hundred opponents, got prizes, and successfully won a place in the team of professionals.