Iris Caught Marking the Cards at Commerce

[andyfox]

I don't know if anyone has ever caught her or if this was the first time. I agree that if it's not, a warning would be proper; if it is the first time, I'm in favor of one strike and you're out.

[andyfox]

Her dealer abuse is probably the worst there is, because not only is she nasty, but she's racist as well.

[pfapfap]

I once had someone slice a card in two with a rubberband at 30/60. I was a little shocked that somebody would be so completely obnoxious over losing a hand. The floor did nothing.

On the topic of rooms tolerating dealer abuse and other crappy behavior... why is this? I talk with a friend who has dealt in Vegas, and when I tell him of the crap people get away with and the little backup dealers get from the floor, he's amazed. Where I work, I'm not allowed to deal anybody out of a hand without the floor's permission. This is absurd. And since the problem players know how to juuuust push the edges of the boundaries, the floor never does anything if they're called over because someone's being a jerk. We have no power and the a-hole players know it. Occasionally I've dealt someone who was skirting the line out of a hand, and the person shaped right the hell up for a while. These people are addicts, and taking away their fix is the only thing that works. On a basic lizard brain level, they respect the firm hand.

But no. We pander instead. Blargh.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
I think she plays as poorly as ever, but she's universally regarded, and justly so, as the most horrible person who plays mid-limits at Commerce. And that's saying something.

I agree with Chris. Maybe I'd feel differently if I were playing for a living; I doubt it. I don't care if she were worth two big bets an hour to me all by herself. I hope to never see her again.

[/ QUOTE ]

Andy,

I've long believed that LA cardrooms under-perform* despite the fact they have more B&M games than anywhere else in the world. IMO a big part of this is the amount of awful behavior that is allowed just because a particular customer or group of customers puts in a lot of hours. Iris of course is a classic example. Her despicableness is more than simply bending/marking cards; it's about the other things (e.g racist abusive behavior) you mention in this tread and you and others have mentioned in past threads. It makes a great story on 2+2 but it's really ugly to watch in person.

If the Commerce seriously barred Iris (and perhaps a dozen more of her ilk) and kept at it when new cretins emerge does anyone agree that in the long run far more new customers (the types who realize a card room isn't church but expect at least a small degree of civility) would emerge to replace her?

It stands to reason that in a generally wealthy metro area where about twelve million people live within an hours drive of a card club there just have to be many that like (or would like) poker but stay away because they can't stand being around such unpleasantness. And Iris and her ilk are certainly unpleasant (at least at the tables; I've heard she can be nice on the phone to her family or friends).

~ Rick


* By under-perform I mean that the LA card clubs are immune to new competition, they are half empty during the day and that other clubs (e.g, the typical Indian Casino card room) are run even worse doesn't disprove my point.

[*TT*]

rick - you need this.

[3rdCheckRaise]

[ QUOTE ]
she's universally regarded, and justly so, as the most horrible person who plays mid-limits at Commerce.

[/ QUOTE ]
Why? More info please...

[Howard Beale]

[ QUOTE ]
the most horrible person who plays mid-limits at Commerce.

[/ QUOTE ]

Whoa! I'm probably going to visit Commerce in a month or 2. Can I sweat you when you're in a game with her for a half-hour?

As an aside:

Something like 12-14 years ago there was a guy playing at The Taj who was told that if anybody else ever hit him again HE would be permanently barred.

[andyfox]

You've written on this--eloquently--in the past. I would think that, indeed, a certain percentage of new cardroom customers don't come back after one trip because they are wtiness to the club allowing a jerk (or jerks) beahve like a jerk.

You would know, better than I, what the mentality is that allows the abuse to continue. As a guess, I would venture that the clubs don't really know what it is that makes them successful. Why does Commerce have the large number of high limit games? Do they themselves really know? If they're not sure why they do, they would worry about their business in irrational ways.

[andyfox]

"Can I sweat you when you're in a game with her for a half-hour?"

Sure. PM me any time.

[andyfox]

She's abusive, mean-tempered, racist, goes south with chips, and marks the cards.