Galen Hall sparked a dress code controversy

Galen Hall sparks a dress-code debate

American high roller Galen Hall became the center of a discussion about face coverings during the final table of the $25,000 High Roller (8-Handed) at the WSOP 2026. The player almost completely hid his face behind a massive scarf, which drew a storm of criticism from viewers.

The PokerGO broadcast and social media filled up with accusations of "killing the atmosphere" of live play. Paying subscribers to the service were outraged: they pay money for premium content to see live emotions and dynamics, yet instead they're forced to spend hours staring at a piece of cloth and dark glasses.

Hall first responded:

"My bad! Sorry that a multimillion-dollar game got in the way of the fans' right to look at my mouth."

However, a little later on X he said that he fully supports a ban on face coverings:

"I'm 100% for it. No covered faces, caps, or glasses. At most — one of the three."

The scarf story began by accident. Last year, because of the cold in the room (+7°C), Hall bundled up heavily, and an opponent who had been reading him for a long time was wrong three times in a row.

"Maybe it's pure randomness. But I'm not going to take the risk and give off tells in high rollers if the rules allow me not to."

— Hall concluded.