SYDNEY, Jan 17: Australian cricket legend Shane Warne’s love of text messaging dealt an early blow to his new career as a professional poker player when he was penalised during a game, a tournament official said on Thursday.

The legendary leg-spinner hit the headlines regularly in the past over text messages to women in his life, helping trigger the breakdown of his marriage.

Since his retirement from international cricket last year, Warne has signed a deal with online gaming site www.888.com to play poker professionally.

But on Wednesday in his first tournament, the Aussie Millions at Melbourne’s Crown Casino, Warne was forced to sit out for five minutes after he was caught sending a text message at the table.

Etiquette requires players to step away from the table when they use their mobile phones.

“You are not supposed to be text messaging at the table,” said Paul McGuire, a reporter for online poker website www.pokernews.com, which is officially monitoring play. “He has to sit out of the tournament for five minutes. Essentially, he misses all action.—AFP