Stupid Dealer Trick #143

[bav]

Tonight's stupid dealer trick.

Good ol' Kansas man has been raising to $15 pre-flop about 60% of the time in our NL1/3 game. New dealer sits down and in his first three hands sees the guy raise to $15 each time.

So I'm in the BB and we have fold, limp, fold, and Kansas asks the dealer "how much is it to me?" Dealer laughs and says "$15". My mouth drops but I'm too speechless to say something instantly, and Kansas says "ok" and puts out $15. A player behind says "WAITAMINUTE--What do you mean it's $15 to him--there was no raise" and the dealer just laughs and says "he would have raised anyway." That player tells the dealer "you REALLY shouldn't do that" as he folds and the dealer again just laughs and says it doesn't matter 'cause this guy would have made it $15. When it comes to me I look right at the dealer and say "do NOT do that again" and he seems finally to grasp that just maybe that was not such a funny stunt.

That's about as blatantly interfering with the betting as a dealer can do short of reaching into a player's stack and physically betting it for him. Never seen something quite like it.