Stealing Chips
 

A friend said he saw a guy at another table stealing a drunk guys chips when he was raking in a big pot. A few days later my friend was sitting right next to the thief at a table and when he went to take a bite of food he saw movement towards his chips. He turned around and the guy laughed and tossed the chips back like he was joking. How common is chip stealing? Should you ask the floor man to check the tape if you suspect anything?

The thing is there are a lot of regulars at this casino and people do joke around with taking chips and tossing them back. I would not want to falsely accuse anyone but I also don't want anyone putting their hands on my chips.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

If anybody touches my chips, like a stranger, iam gonna give it to em. Its totally wrong to be messing with somebodys chips. If its my good buddy at a home poker, I dont care, hes not going to steal from me.

A random guy has no buisiness touching your chips. I would probably whoop his ass right their if he tried to steal my chips, and I am not kidding.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

[ QUOTE ]
I would probably whoop his ass right their if he tried to steal my chips, and I am not kidding.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes you are.

But, I agree people have no business touching your chips. OP, I'd just give the guy a dirty look and make it clear you don't think its a joke. If he tries it again, you verbally tell him and mention it to the dealer. If you see anything else its time to get that [censored] kicked out.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would probably whoop his ass right their if he tried to steal my chips, and I am not kidding.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes you are.

But, I agree people have no business touching your chips. OP, I'd just give the guy a dirty look and make it clear you don't think its a joke. If he tries it again, you verbally tell him and mention it to the dealer. If you see anything else its time to get that [censored] kicked out.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess I'm not as nice. I don't give second chances about this. No one should be touching your chips (barring taking your time if you're not there).

Re: Stealing Chips
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would probably whoop his ass right their if he tried to steal my chips, and I am not kidding.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes you are.

But, I agree people have no business touching your chips. OP, I'd just give the guy a dirty look and make it clear you don't think its a joke. If he tries it again, you verbally tell him and mention it to the dealer. If you see anything else its time to get that [censored] kicked out.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess I'm not as nice. I don't give second chances about this. No one should be touching your chips (barring taking your time if you're not there).

[/ QUOTE ]

What are you going to do? Hit him? Make a big scene over whats pretty easily played off as a joke? Sour the whole atmosphere of the table by looking like your overreacting to a stupid joke?

Re: Stealing Chips
 

Why not get up after a few minutes pull the floor to the side and inform him of the situation.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would probably whoop his ass right their if he tried to steal my chips, and I am not kidding.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes you are.


[/ QUOTE ]

Some people are wired differently. I think I'd stand up, push him out of his chair onto the floor, stand over him and ask him why he's think stealing chips is funny.

At least yell FLOOR right away.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would probably whoop his ass right their if he tried to steal my chips, and I am not kidding.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes you are.


[/ QUOTE ]

Some people are wired differently. I think I'd stand up, push him out of his chair onto the floor, stand over him and ask him why he's think stealing chips is funny.

At least yell FLOOR right away.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've always found it funny how such a large percentage of internet forum posters have anger issues and would start a fight over the smallest thing, and yet in real life it doesn't happen that often.

Anyway, I'll shut up now since this whole tangent isn't really relevant.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

lol ive noticed that as well, I'd probably say "hey what you doing!" then he'd toss them back and id laugh (pretend to) and feel pissed off at him for the rest of the evening

Re: Stealing Chips
 

[ QUOTE ]
What are you going to do? Hit him? Make a big scene over whats pretty easily played off as a joke? Sour the whole atmosphere of the table by looking like your overreacting to a stupid joke?

[/ QUOTE ]

I won't hit him or do anything physical, but i'd definitely let the floor know. I've played many many live hours in a casino and have had zero incidents with people touching my chips. It's understood that it's absolutely off limits, I would say even to first timers. If a guy put my chips in his hand, I'm reporting him. The floor may just give him a warning. I doubt it will sour the mood. Most likely, it'll make the guy feel real uncomfortable. And I'm ok with that.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

A month ago or so, a player left his chips (about $800 in a 1/2 table) to take a break. When he came back they were all gone. He told the floor, and they checked the camera, which showed a thief taking all his chips. The casino reimbursed him so the story ends ok. Not sure if they ever caught the thief.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

Tell the floor immediately, they will check the tape and the thief should be 86d immediately and probably permanently. A girl at Casino AZ did it as a joke on a friend so they only banned her for a year. Criminal charges could also be filed.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

[ QUOTE ]
Tell the floor immediately, they will check the tape and the thief should be 86d immediately and probably permanently. A girl at Casino AZ did it as a joke on a friend so they only banned her for a year. Criminal charges could also be filed.

[/ QUOTE ]

The thing is many times these people are just joking. There is a guy I just know from the casino that took some chips from me and gave them back laughing and I never noticed. I am wondering if these guys do that [censored] to see what they can get away with or are they just trying to be funny? I guess I am trying to see how prevalant this may be. Usually my chips are protected but they can become exposed easily when raking a big pot and getting involved in the very next hand.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

About 2 months ago I was at The Borgata playing $5/10NL. To my right was a young guy with about $2000 and to his right a middle aged regular with about the same size stack. At the half, middle aged guy gets up to use the bathroom and the kid racks up and the seat stays open for about 20 minutes. Guy comes back and didnt play a hand unless he was the BB. We finally get a new player and he asks the middle aged guy to make a little room. When he goes to slide his chips over he notices that a whole stack of green is missing. He asks the dealer and us but none of us saw a thing. He calls the floor and they call security. Sure enough the kid swiped them. Guy asks for the floor to reimburse him and they ask him to fill out some forms and tell him that it has to be reviewed. Turns out that the kid was clocked in on his players card so they know who he is.

I would assume that they made good on his money but for some reason the guy wasn't very confident that they would. He also asked the floor for a room so that he could stay and collect his money the next day but they couldn't do it which I found pretty foul considering that it was a Sunday night and I know there were vacancies because I checked in a little while before without a reservation. They didn't even offer the poor guy a meal comp. I hope he got his money, not sure what happened to the kid the floor said something about not wanting to call the State police for whatever reason.

I have never caught anyone touching my chips but I would probably get pretty heated if I did and if the guy claimed to be joking it wouldn't make much of a difference. If I caught a pickpocket with his hand in my pants and he said he was kidding he's still a thieving scumbag, just one that got caught

Re: Stealing Chips
 

I obv don't steal, but I do touch others chips frequently (and no, not after I won them in a pot). At Casino AZ, I am a regular in the 20/40 game, and am familiar with a ton of people. We also have tableside dining there, so people are turned away from the table a lot, and eating. If someone is eating, and it is their blind, I ask them if they want their blind, and if they aren't a total [censored] or someone I have only seen once or twice, I will usually put it in for them, and they usually say thanks. This helps speed up the game for me, and I have never once been given a dirty look or someone commenting on that.

But I don't give off a vibe as a cheat, and I am very helpful at the table. On the same accord, I usually go get people chips with their money, because the cage is like 10 feet away, and it speeds up the game again. 90+% of the time, I have more chips in front of me then the amount they are buying, so if I did 'steal' their money, my chips that are left on the table would make up for it pretty easily.

But of course if anyone ever expresses a problem, I will simply stop offering to help that person when it involves their chips.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

I think an important part of the OP's concern is the fact that it appears to be someone that they already suspected of stealing chips. If that's the case I don't think I could play it off as a joke. I also would be MUCH more alert if I recognized him and was sitting right next to him.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

When I first started playing in live casinos (only have gone to a casino 3 times before) I was just amazed at how trusting people were with getting up and leaving all their money sitting on the table. I kept asking my friend is it common for people to do that and he shrugged it off as a norm. I do not feel comfortable at all leaving like $1000 of my MONEY sitting at a table unattended. I'm not going to trust some dealer who doesn't care. I think the fact that it's chips makes people feel differently. I mean, if someoone pulled out $2000 in 100s from their wallet would they feel comfortable just sitting it on the table and walking away?

Re: Stealing Chips
 

[ QUOTE ]
When I first started playing in live casinos (only have gone to a casino 3 times before) I was just amazed at how trusting people were with getting up and leaving all their money sitting on the table. I kept asking my friend is it common for people to do that and he shrugged it off as a norm. I do not feel comfortable at all leaving like $1000 of my MONEY sitting at a table unattended. I'm not going to trust some dealer who doesn't care. I think the fact that it's chips makes people feel differently. I mean, if someoone pulled out $2000 in 100s from their wallet would they feel comfortable just sitting it on the table and walking away?

[/ QUOTE ]

I tend to leave a ton of money on the table when I go to the bathroom or for a walk, but if you keep it in easy countable stacks, you know what you have to the dollar and can notify right away if you see a problem when you start. And as you move up, you can do a little trick when you have big chips. Have a few $1 chips, and place them on top of your stacks, so it would be very awkward for someone to skim off a chip or two. Also, even stacks (except for the one odd stack out) will draw attention right away, where clumsily stacked chips would be almost impossible to tell if a chip or two were swiped.

But again, if you play somewhere even just a couple times a month, you will get to know a few people. And if you aren't the biggest [censored] in the world, it would be very uncommon for someone to notice something and not say anything. So you have everyone else at the table as eyes watching along with the dealer. But I've played 30/60 at Bellagio where bills play, and they tell me to grab the bills when I get up to walk, but leave the chips....

Re: Stealing Chips
 

When I take a break I tell everyone I'm there alone, so if anyone tries to claim they're a friend, or whatever, and take my chips, don't let them. This doesn't prevent outright swiping but will prevent some of the other "He sent me" scams. It also brings attention to your stack so it may have a slight effect on outright chip swiping.
And I too always take cash off the table when I leave,

Re: Stealing Chips
 

[ QUOTE ]
Sure enough the kid swiped them... Turns out that the kid was clocked in on his players card so they know who he is.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is seriously World's Dumbest Criminals material.

Re: Stealing Chips
 

touching someone elses chips is totally unacceptable except in the context of putting in a blind (if they requested it before they left the table) or taking time. its not a joke, its i just got caught and i'm attempting to play it off. i think part of the reason people feel comfortable leaving chips on the table is that at some point everyone at the table is going to have step away for a bit, and thus its in everyones interest to maintain a safe atmosphere by watching out for this type of [censored] and reporting offenders. even if they were "joking".