Protecting Your Chips
 

Recently a Commerce player told me about a guy he was playing 40-80 with. Supposedly a gentleman who had a few racks of chips got up to use the restroom. A few minutes later a younger kid shows up at the table while talking on his cell phone. He says into the cell “Ok dad, I’ll rack you up and meet you at the cage.” The kid proceeds to rack up all the chips and leaves. A few minutes later the guy comes back and asks where his chips are, and the table informs him that his son has his chips at the main cage. To this he replies “I don’t have a son!” I of course have no idea whether this story is true or not, but supposedly it is, and the guy didn’t get his chips back, nor reimbursed by the casino.

What can a player do to protect themselves and their chips when away from the table? What kind of responsibility does or should the casino have to protect the chips (I suspect this varies by jurisdiction)? What level of security for the chips should a player reasonable be able to expect?

I already take all paper and high denomination chips when I am away from the table, but I don’t really make any effort to protect my main pile of chips other than knowing approximately how many I have. Even though I am know by the regulars and dealers in my home casino, I’m not so sure if anyone would actually stop someone trying to take my chips with some story or another, let alone when I’m playing out of town.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

I gotta try that on a bad day.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

The story sounds like b.s.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

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The story sounds like b.s.

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As I alluded to in my OP I'm skeptical myself, but regardless I'm more curious about protecting myself than the validity of a story I heard at the poker table.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

Wait a minute. If you aren't allowed to pull money off the table, how the hell is it possible to protect your chips when you go to the bathroom.

If the casino isn't responsible, who is? Are we expected to just hold it until we cash out?

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

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I'm more curious about protecting myself

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You already take high denomination chips and cash.
Don't stay away from the table for long periods, even if it is "allowed".
Impress upon the players/dealers/floor that you will be "back in 15-30 minutes after your break/smoke/meal" etc.
Don't play in 'unlicensed' places.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

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Wait a minute. If you aren't allowed to pull money off the table, how the hell is it possible to protect your chips when you go to the bathroom.


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As long as you put the cash/high denomination chips back when you return, most places allow it.

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If the casino isn't responsible, who is? Are we expected to just hold it until we cash out?

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As I said, I think the story is b.s. But, nice scam to have a younger friend pose as your "son", cash out, and then you scream and get the chips back, if the casino falls for it. "if".

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

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The story sounds like b.s.

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I know of something similiar that happened one year at the WSOP.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

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The story sounds like b.s.

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I know of something similiar that happened one year at the WSOP.

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waiting.... [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

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The story sounds like b.s.

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I've seen this more than once.

The first time: Shortly after the Excalibur opened a regular low limit player bought in for a $100 rack. He played one hand and then left to get something to eat.
Soon thereafter a young couple ( drunked up or drugged up ) showed up to play. The guy sat down in the open seat and she sat down in the seat with his chips. Nobody seemed to notice.
About the time she had blown his rack down to about $15, original player came back.
When they saw him coming, they picked up and left.
Original player of course freaked and Excalibur security caught the couple.
A happy ending!

Another story: I was playing 10/20 at Foxwoods and left to make a phone call.
When I returned, someone was sitting in my seat, gambling with my chips! He was a regular, but by his fifth vodka, he would be out of control. After a short discussion, we came to a clear understanding. Since then he avoids eye contact with me!

Lession learned: When you leave the table, count your chips, mention it to the dealer, and hope you get backed up if there is a subsequent dispute. There is not much more than you can do, but be careful out there!

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

This story may or may not be BS, but this DOES happen from time to time. I also heard of a very similar tale happening at the WSOP in the past maybe 4 years? Basically you wait for someone to go to dinner so you know they'll be gone a while, wait for the dealer to change, and then come in and do whatever bit of social engineering double talk to abscond with the chips.

In one story, the thief simply came over and said "Bill asked me to come pick him up--he's not coming back from dinner". In another the person quietly sat down in someone's seat, posted the missed blind, played a couple hands, and then picked up and left. Apparently nobody at the table remembered who had been sitting there.

If you're worried about such things, color-up, and announce how much you're taking off the table as you go (but leave behind some chips to save your seat).

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

I make it a point to be friendly with at least one person on the table, if I don't know anyone. One of the bonuses is nobody gets to walk off with my chips.

I usually announce to the dealer I'll be back in a couple as well.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

Soooo....is the casino responsible for stolen chips while I go to the bathroom or whatever? It would be a hassle to color up everytime I leave but it would become a necessity if they don't assume responsibility.

I always thought they agreed to watch and protect the chips while a player is gone so I have never worried about this in the past.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

You'd probably have to ask them and I wouldn't be shocked if they said no. I think any worth a crap would at least say they will watch them for X minutes to keep it reasonable.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

My buddy was playing poker one night and told the dealer and table he was going to grab some supper but he'd be back shortly. He counted his stack down to see exactly how much money he had and noted that he had 3 red chips. (it was a white chip limit game) When he returned from supper he noticed the table he'd been playing at was now empty. Assuming the game broke, he went to the podium and asked where his chips had been moved too. The floor acted confused and he explained the situation to them. They couldn't locate his chips and they hadn't moved the chips to another table. My buddy walked over near his original table and there on the empty table, with no one around was his chip stack. He told the floor those were his chips and they acted shock and obviously wanted to act like what had happened, didn't really just happen. ie: the game broke and they left his chips unattended on an empty table.

They found him a seat at another table and when he sat down and counted his chips, he noticed his stack was short a red chip. Having no way to prove how much money he'd had when he left, he didn't even tell the floor because he didn't feel it was worth the trouble of having security roll the cameras back just for a $5 chip.

He called me and told me about this while it was all playing out and I was just amazed.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

In some of the high limit areas they have a clear plexiglass box that can be placed on a chipstack. This might not stop someone from racking you up, but it would stop the loose chip or two thief.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

I use the clear boxes at my 1/2 tables if I'm going to get something to eat or take more than a bathroom break. They write the time I left on the box to make sure I'm not gone too long (maybe a 1 hour limit?). They do take the time rake regardless, but the dealers do that. I'm always friendly with the table/dealers, too.

It probably helps that I'm one of the few female players, so if a man sat down, it would be sketchy. Most of the dealers know my boyfriend, too.

I assumed all casinos had the clear boxes?

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

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I assumed all casinos had the clear boxes?

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I have never seen one of these at Foxwoods or in Vegas at any 1/2 or 2/5 NL game. Maybe for mid-high limit NL and LHE?

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

Many casinos don't take responsibility for the players chips, including mine. Players will leave them there, and I'll look after them of course, but officially our casino wants no part of it.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

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The story sounds like b.s.

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I know of something similiar that happened one year at the WSOP.

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waiting.... [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

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I was playing 1/2 Badugi Triple Draw with a guard nearby because someone stole chips from that table the day before at the 06 WSOP.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

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I was playing 1/2 Badugi Triple Draw with a guard nearby because someone stole chips from that table the day before at the 06 WSOP.

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Yeah, last year there was a snatch-and-run that was reported on 2+2. Some guy walking by reached around a player and grabbed a stack of cash (I think it was) and took off running. He got away. I noticed when I wandered through a couple days later they had a guard standing among the high limit tables. This year's big security oops was the person claiming his in-room safe was cleaned out for $10K's of cash.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

It sounds like this is a real risk, albeit a low one, that we just have to accept. When playing mid/high limit poker even a small number of chips is a decent amount of money, but it doesn't sound like I can reasonably expect the casinos to protect me. At the same time, though, its not realistic to color up 3 racks every time I have to go to the bathroom. Fortunately I am usually playing with at least one person who I know well enough that they (hopefully) wouldn't let some random person play or take all my chips.

Of course there is little defense from a smash and grab for a handful of chips (even when I'm in my seat), but I'd like to think security would generally make a decent effort to stop this kind of theft.

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

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Recently a Commerce player told me about a guy he was playing 40-80 with. Supposedly a gentleman who had a few racks of chips got up to use the restroom. A few minutes later a younger kid shows up at the table while talking on his cell phone. He says into the cell “Ok dad, I’ll rack you up and meet you at the cage.” The kid proceeds to rack up all the chips and leaves. A few minutes later the guy comes back and asks where his chips are, and the table informs him that his son has his chips at the main cage. To this he replies “I don’t have a son!” I of course have no idea whether this story is true or not, but supposedly it is, and the guy didn’t get his chips back, nor reimbursed by the casino.


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The story would have been better if the guy's face goes pale and he says, "My son was killed in a car accident a year ago today!"

Re: Protecting Your Chips
 

lol, yeah and today would have been his 21st birthday