Winning hand mucked by dealer, Was I wrong to say something?

Fishwhenican · #1 03-28-2007, 12:23 PM

This is similar to a couple of other posts I have seen recently but I have to know if I was just wrong for speaking up here.

I was in Wendover, NV a couple of weekends ago playing 2-5 spread HE. It is a fairly friendly table and having a good time. I am not in this particular hand as I folded yet another pair of crappy cards that were dealt to me.

There are two guys left in this hand and it has been basically going Check Bet Call. We get to the river and the guy doing the betting shows two pair. The guy doing the calling (he is sitting to my right) turns his cards up and has a straight, but he doesn't realize he has a straight. Dealer is saying that the guy with two pair wins and I say "Wait, he has a straight". Dealer says "No, No straight here" as he is mucking the guys cards and pushing chips to the guy with two pair. For a second I wonder if I misread the straight (I have done more stupid things in the past) but I am really sure there was a straight. So, I again say that I was pretty sure there was a straight and even say what two cards the guy to my right had. Dealer thinks about it for a second and starts going through the much and sure enough there are the two cards I said and the cards that were on the board making the straight.
By now the chips were already being stacked by the guy with two pair and everyone starts looking at each other wondering what to do! The two guys on the hand agree on about how much the pot was and the guy with the straight gets something although I am pretty sure he was still shorted in the deal.

The guy with two pair was not happy, with me pretty much, and I feel like a schmuck on one hank for losing a pot for him but on the other hand the best hand should win, the guy with the straight did show his cards, I did say there was a straight before the hand was mucked and the dealer was just plain wrong.

Since I was not in this hand should I have just kept my mouth shut or was it OK to question the dealer??

Jack Bando · #2 03-28-2007, 12:27 PM

Hand turned up, cards speak. You did the right thing, the dealer's job is to make sure the winning hand gets the pot, the player's job is to make sure the dealer does his.

If the guy with the straight didn't turn up his hand and just showed it to you, then you don't talk.

n.s. · #3 03-28-2007, 12:28 PM

As long as the guy with the straight clearly tabled his cards, then you absolutely did the right thing.

psandman · #4 03-28-2007, 12:30 PM

You did the right thing

AngusThermopyle · #5 03-28-2007, 12:33 PM

[ QUOTE ]
turns his cards up and has a straight,

[/ QUOTE ]

As long as 'turns his cards up' means 'puts them face up on the felt', you did right. When someone says something like that, the dealer should take a second and double check before mucking the hand and shoving the pot.

*TT* · #6 03-28-2007, 12:35 PM

Casino poker is a "cards speak" game, the dealer's role is to speak on behalf of the cards. When the dealer interprets the cards incorrectly, then the players are expected to act on behalf of the cards to assure the game always remains fair.

example - dealer colludes with player, awards pot when he thinks the true winner isn't paying attention. Its the players duty to correct the dealer when he is wrong to assure the game remains fair.

mikech · #7 03-28-2007, 12:40 PM

[ QUOTE ]
The two guys on the hand agree on about how much the pot was and the guy with the straight gets something although I am pretty sure he was still shorted in the deal.

[/ QUOTE ]
as others have said, cards speak and you did the right thing. however, the guy with the straight should've gotten the whole pot. in fact, they should've reviewed the surveillance video to confirm his hand and reconstruct the amount in the pot so he could be awarded the entire pot.

Mano · #8 03-28-2007, 01:40 PM

Which dealer was it?

Xanthro · #9 03-28-2007, 01:55 PM

You shouldn't feel bothered by this in the least. As others have said, cards speak. Allowing the dealer to muck the winning hand is wrong.

The dealer was in the wrong not just for not seeing the straight, but ignoring your comment there is a straight. This should prompt any dealer to review the cards before mucking

The rule is if the cards are face up, better hand wins.

Fishwhenican · #10 03-28-2007, 02:35 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Which dealer was it?

[/ QUOTE ]

I do not remember his name. It was at Montego Bay. He was a really nice guy other than this deal. Very talkative and very fast. I think that was part of the problem, he was going a bit too fast and lost track of the straight.

The guy with the straight did table his cards face up on the felt just as he should have.

I was hoping I did the correct thing. It felt right at the time and I have always thought the cards turned up and tabled should talk no matter what. I guess I just felt a bit uncertain since I wasn't one of the two in the hand.