And people wonder why Vegas locals hate to play short

[*TT*]

While playing at the Bellagio this evening my table became short. When it was down to six players the dealer suddenly stopped after a player asking if she can find the floor to help fill the empty chairs. And by stopped I literally mean assumed that the table would not play on unless the seats were filled - even though there wasn't a single person who complained. I'm in the small blind and I ask her to just continue playing until Boba or Nate can be found. After a bit over 5 minutes of going back and forth with her calling around looking for the floor and me asking every 45 seconds for her to just deal out the players who don't want to play on she finally agrees - except by this time the local nits all decide to sit out, leaving the game to me and 2 tourists who NOW have cold feet.

Nick finally comes over and says no rake - and the game continues 6 handed - Hurray - or so I thought. 3 hands later the dealer's down ends, and a new dealer sits who is told that there will be no rake. After he deals one hand one of the locals gets up, and the new dealer once again stops and calls for the floor. Nate comes right over and the dealer says "the game is breaking" - mind you not a single person said they were leaving, the dealer assumed this on his own! Of course this sends out subliminal messages to the remaining players who suddenly don't want to play any longer. In other words, the dealer's assumptions were the reason why the table broke, it became a self fulfilling prophecy!

Cliff Notes: Bellagio management needs to train their dealers to maintain the game, rather than stop the game at the first sign of shorthanded play. Its better for the game, and better from Bellagio's profit margin.

[Justin A]

Yes Bellagio sucks with regards to games getting short.

[Howard Burroughs]

This happens too much (IMHO) and not just at Bellagio, btw. It drives me CRAZY!



Sometimes on graveyard (when I play a lot of my poker), it happens when a dealer wants to go home (I'm not dealer bashing, just making an observation).


I love it when I'm able to talk a table (of say, 3 fun tourists & me) to stay and play and NOT draw for seats.


Sometimes after an hour or so of shorthanded play, the other table ends up drawing to come to our game. YMMV.



Best Wishes

Howard

[GTL]

this is a huge pet peeve of mine. (not the nits who won't play short handed. i mean, how can i get pissed because someone doesn't want to play short) when dealers and floor people imply, that people won't want to play short, or that a game won't go, or that a game is breaking. it often happens at foxwoods when they're trying to start games. the dealers and floor act like the game won't start 5 or 6 handed. they sit around and wait for a full table. they don't realize if they just get everyone in gear, get it going, it will fill. that works much better than sitting around doing nothing.

[52s]

[ QUOTE ]
When it was down to six players the dealer suddenly stopped after a player asking if she can find the floor to help fill the empty chairs. And by stopped I literally mean assumed that the table would not play on unless the seats were filled - even though there wasn't a single person who complained.

[/ QUOTE ]

"find the floor to help fill the empty chairs" is Vegas nit code for "I don't want to play short-handed" - there was a complaint. It's up to the dealer to get the floor for the player who asked for the floor, SOP.

The length of time, OTOH, is ridiculous... I'd be dealing out hands in the meantime and bypassing the person looking for the floor if they didn't want to play SH and sitout.

It'd help to know how late it was when this happened. From the dealer rushing to break up a 5-handed game, I'm presuming you were playing 15/30 - those games SH have a tendancy to die off quick and if there are other tables available with open seats (and 99% of the time, there are) the MO is to try and fill those seats up, even if there are more players at the SH table than open seats - someone usually always ends up leaving for the night.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]

It'd help to know how late it was when this happened.

[/ QUOTE ]

11pm. Mind you I am used to the "nit code" as you call it, but this was the worst example I have experienced to date. In reality though its the dealers responsibility to call the floor for the players, but its not the dealers responsibility to fill the seat. For what its worth, Nate was pissed - I've never seen him like that before.

[SellingtheDrama]

Amusing nit: A month or so ago I had a player at my table complain that he didn't want to play short and that the game should be paused to fill the table. We were 9 handed.

Contrast to the Borgata - when I've been in a game that gets shorthanded, they're very accomodating. The game went 6 handed (2/5 NL, were 6 tables going with a little over 50 people playing) for almost two hours. They realized that all of us were comfortable playing short and simply cut time in half. Eventually it filled back up and all was good.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
Amusing nit: A month or so ago I had a player at my table complain that he didn't want to play short and that the game should be paused to fill the table. We were 9 handed.

[/ QUOTE ]

I regularly play at the Wynn short handed, the dealers are good at keeping the game alive by asking for help and then continuing to play. Its all psychological... they don't need to encourage people to sit out, let it be their own choice.

[SellingtheDrama]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Amusing nit: A month or so ago I had a player at my table complain that he didn't want to play short and that the game should be paused to fill the table. We were 9 handed.

[/ QUOTE ]

I regularly play at the Wynn short handed, the dealers are good at keeping the game alive by asking for help and then continuing to play. Its all psychological... they don't need to encourage people to sit out, let it be their own choice.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, the dealer's job should be deal to whoever is at the table - whether its headsup or a full game. Let the floorperson do the floorperson's job - there's a reason there are two people and not one.

[dd323]

wow, this is really funny. They never stop the games for any reason in LA, and its usually the nits at the table whining about it being shorthanded.