Who is responsible for left chips...

[thirddan]

i was at commerce last night and heard that someone in the high limit room ran up to a big NL game and just jacked a bunch of cash off the table and took off...he was caught and arrested by a couple security guards, but apparently he was just unprepared and didn't have a getaway driver or else people were saying he would have gotten away...

this made me wonder who is responsible for your chips if you are seated at a table, but walking for a break or for dinner...I am kinda sure that you are responsible for your own chips, but if this is the case why do people leave hundreds or thousands of dollars unattended at the tables while they are walking?

am i responsible? or the dealer? or floorman?

thanks...

[Rick Nebiolo]

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am i responsible? or the dealer? or floorman?

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The clubs are put in a tough position here since it's easy to be scammed by a customer with an accomplice.

Here's a quick story. At least ten years ago a Commerce mid limit regular (I'll call him Bob) had a habit of taking predictable twenty minute breaks at the bar every two hours or so. One time ten minutes after he left for the bar a guy comes up to the table and says "Bob is in the bar and wants me to pick up his chips". So he racks up Bob's $800 or so in chips and nobody even gives him a second look. A little while later Bob comes back and wonders where his chips are.

The official story is that the Commerce would not compensate Bob (see my first sentence in this post) but others say that they in fact did (since Bob was a regular and known to be an honest guy).

~ Rick

PS "Bob" no longer drinks.

[psandman]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
am i responsible? or the dealer? or floorman?

[/ QUOTE ]

The clubs are put in a tough position here since it's easy to be scammed by a customer with an accomplice.

Here's a quick story. At least ten years ago a Commerce mid limit regular (I'll call him Bob) had a habit of taking predictable twenty minute breaks at the bar every two hours or so. One time ten minutes after he left for the bar a guy comes up to the table and says "Bob is in the bar and wants me to pick up his chips". So he racks up Bob's $800 or so in chips and nobody even gives him a second look. A little while later Bob comes back and wonders where his chips are.

The official story is that the Commerce would not compensate Bob (see my first sentence in this post) but others say that they in fact did (since Bob was a regular and known to be an honest guy).

~ Rick

PS "Bob" no longer drinks.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a case where I think the casino is clearly responsible. The casino knew the chips did not belong to the person who took them but allowed them to be taken merely because the person said they were doing so at the owners behest. This is not reasonable reposnible behavior by the casino.

That is a different scenario then the original post presented.

The poster who said the casino is responsible because the casino rules do not allow the chips to be removed. This is in fact not accurate. Generally the casino will allow you to remove cash or chips provided you return them to the game when you return.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
This is a case where I think the casino is clearly responsible. The casino knew the chips did not belong to the person who took them but allowed them to be taken merely because the person said they were doing so at the owners behest. This is not reasonable reposnible behavior by the casino.

[/ QUOTE ]

I did the story quickly so let me add a few facts. "Bob" also had a history of often staying in the bar after his third or fourth trip, and the floor would have to pick up his chips. Also, my understanding is the regular players told the stranger to "go ahead", since it would speed up the process of filling up the game. I'm also relatively certain that the Commerce did in fact reimburse, but asked Bob to keep it quiet (which he "sort of" did).

~ Rick

[mak15]

so if you go to the bathroom, and someone comes over and takes all of your chips, and for some reason nobody does anything about it.

when you come back your money is gone and there's nothing you can do about it?

[Wake up CALL]

You can do a lot but nothing I can think of will make your chips reappear.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
so if you go to the bathroom, and someone comes over and takes all of your chips, and for some reason nobody does anything about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

In practice this happens so rarely you don't have to worry about it. The players the dealer and the house will try to protect you. There's just no guarantee.

Note that in five years of working the floor in the late nineties, I only ran into this problem once. A gypsy family (mother, daughter, grandmother/aunt) was pulling a move where they the middle age Mom would "accidentally" sit in the wrong seat and try to lift some chips when correcting her seat. I tracked it down and booted/barred the family from the casino. As they left the Gypsy woman put a "death curse" on me (she actually said I would die before I reached home). A few months later I saw her in another casino, looked her straight in the eye, smiled, and held my hands out to motion that indicated "I'm still here". [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

As a practical matter if you are in a game like NL with big chips in plain view you can put them underneath your small chips while you go to bathroom. Also always keep your chips stacked neatly when leaving the table for a break, you really have more to worry about from some neighbors than the average onlooker.

~ Rick

[SamuraiPlatypus]

i don't think the player can be responsible, since its forbidden to remove chips from the table. thus, if you leave to go to the bathroom, the house makes it impossible to protect your chips. seems like its their responsibility in some capacity.

[psandman]

You are responsible.

One thing that amazes me is the number of people who for some reason believe that a casino should be responsible for everything that happens in a casino. I had one person tell me how appalled they were that a casino wouldn't make good on there loss from being pickpocketed in the casino. I asked them if they were in a hospital waiting room when they were pickpocketed if they would expect the hospital to pay them back the money they lost and they said "No".

[thirddan]

hmm, weird, so far seems like there is no real answer...

sandman - do you just not take breaks? how do you protect your monies while taking a piss and such?