What would you do.

KenProspero · #1 10-24-2006, 08:17 PM

$3/6 limit table is pretty friendly(if that makes a difference).

I'm holding two pair (Tens and I don't remember what) at the show-down, heads up, pot is about $50 plus or minus.

Here's the sequence of events --

After the last the other player picks up his cards and shows them down the table -- I don't see his cards (I'm tipping the drink lady or something), completely, but catch that he's holding a picture card in the corner of my eye. I turn up and table my cards -- He says nice hand and mucks his. Dealer pushes the chips to me.

At this point, someone asks him why he mucked, since he had a higher two pair than I did (Jacks and something). He shakes his head, the dealer says that he never tabled his cards (to which he agrees, and says that he screwed up, it's my pot). I ask the player next to me, what did he show, and he tells me that he had the Jacks.

At this point, everyone at the table is clear on two things

1. The other player mucked his cards and it's my pot.
2. It was a screw up on his part and he really did have the better hand.

Ok, clearly I can keep keep the pot, and if I was the one who screwed up, I'd expect the other player to take advantage of it. In this case, the other player isn't complaining and is taking his mistake gracefully. What would you do?

What I did --

<font color="white">I offered to chop the pot. He said I didn't have to, but I did anyway. </font>

ScottHoward · #2 10-24-2006, 08:37 PM

keep the pot
giving half is dumb really. its either your pot or his. giving up half is acknowledging he had the better hand, and if thats the case, give him the whole thing.

Rottersod · #3 10-25-2006, 04:48 AM

[ QUOTE ]
keep the pot
giving half is dumb really. its either your pot or his. giving up half is acknowledging he had the better hand, and if thats the case, give him the whole thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would never give up the whole pot due to another players incompetence since being able to read your cards and figure out the winning hand is an important part of the game (sarcasm meter running up) but at a friendly game and if I wanted him to stay I could see offering to split.

Hoss1193 · #4 10-25-2006, 05:06 AM

I would probably toss him half the pot. It's low-limit, it's friendly, you're buying a lot of goodwill. Some might scoff at that, but I think it was honorable.

Yeah, the guy made a mistake...he's still paying for it; he didn't get the whole pot. You're just making it a little less expensive gaffe for him.

Can I truly defend this on strictly poker terms? Maybe not. I just think it's occasionally OK to simply be a nice guy. Magnanimity has a place even at the card table.

grando · #5 10-25-2006, 05:37 AM

I chop it

Rick Nebiolo · #6 10-25-2006, 05:56 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I would probably toss him half the pot. It's low-limit, it's friendly, you're buying a lot of goodwill. Some might scoff at that, but I think it was honorable.

Yeah, the guy made a mistake...he's still paying for it; he didn't get the whole pot. You're just making it a little less expensive gaffe for him.

Can I truly defend this on strictly poker terms? Maybe not. I just think it's occasionally OK to simply be a nice guy. Magnanimity has a place even at the card table.

[/ QUOTE ]

Given the description of the game and players I agree completely. But I wouldn't if for example:

- I saw the player treat a porter/waitress/dealer like they aren't even human. How people treat the relatively powerless is important to me.

- The player was a known nit or angle-shooter.

- He was wearing sunglasses and a hooded sweatshirt or sunglasses with his baseball style hat on backwards. I'm over 50 and there are some looks I just can't stand.

- I previously noted that he doesn't wash his hands after using the bathroom.

Everyone has a right to a few pet peeves [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

~ Rick

govman6767 · #7 10-25-2006, 08:19 AM

Keep the pot...Torment the other player mercilessly

I would offer a chop

pfapfap · #8 10-25-2006, 10:07 AM

Do most rooms even allow a chop? Isn't transferring chips against the rules? Isn't this the path to collusion? (Not in your case, obviously, but for the less scrupulous.)

mooghill · #9 10-25-2006, 10:19 AM

keep the pot, it'll be a lesson that he won't have to learn twice...i have NEVER seen anyone ever chop in a situation like this before. you don't need to buy goodwill. i guarantee the other guy is embarassed and wants to move on faster than you do.

bav · #10 10-25-2006, 10:53 AM

I'm awfully easy going, but I kinda think part of poker is knowing what hand you hold. You either table it, in which case cards speak, or you live with the consequences of misreading the hands. If there was some confusion, somehow, and he thought you'd said you had aces...ok. But if the guy just flat didn't notice that JJ beat TT, I'm not very inclined to share with him. But I don't object that you did...that was friendly and I gots no problems with being friendly--I just think it was above the call of duty.