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Criminey!

I'm in Al's boat in that I'm frustrated at dealers who don't respect the game. I confess I'm new to the dealer side of things, and have only been playing more than kitchen table games for a few years, but I have tremendous respect for the game and the players. The dealers who don't understand these nuances and why they're important make my job more difficult as players learn they can do crap like this.

I don't think I could go so far as to never tip the dealer again, but I would certainly give a harsh WTF?! sort of reaction immediately after the hand, and I would probably speak to a supervisor (unfortunately, the floor is the worst person to talk to, but is the person you should start with).

If I were in the box and let this slide on such a huge pot and the player stacked tens of thousands of dollars in chips and told me he was never tipping me again, I would apologize profusely and tell him he was 100% right.

This is nothing difficult to do at all, especially if it's a regular talking to a drunk. The drunk is easily distracted and will not notice me getting the attention of a regular, who should better friggin' know friggin' better. If I'm able to get his attention without the drunk noticing, I tell him in no uncertain terms to STFU. If everyone's watching and it would affect action, I try to be as, "hey, c'mon guys, leave your theories to yourselves," as possible, but still stressing that it is not acceptable to talk any further at all, with probably some glaring.