A terrible experience at local cardroom

[bav]

[ QUOTE ]
A whole table rooting for you to be knocked out is also ususual. I've read several stories about people refusing chops here and I've never heard of that.

[/ QUOTE ]

Having a whole tourney rooting for the one person refusing to make a deal to get knocked out isn't unusual at all. That's really pretty standard--but you root silently and are polite. Folks propose a deal, 49 out of 50 people agree, one person says "no" (actual example--Monte Carlo freeroll before the start of day 2). Yep, 49 people were rooting against that guy. What's unusual is that the players were openly allowed to behave this way, and the staff took part in it instead of quashing it.

In OP's case, it's pretty clear he's playing in a place run like a saloon backroom. He can try complaining up the chain of command, but it won't fix what happened, and I'd guess the chain of command won't believe the tale.

But let's tally the problems:

- Floor took a side in a deal.
- Floor allowed verbal bullying by players.
- Floor allowed the dealers to participate in bullying.
- Floor allowed threats to be made.
- Floor allowed a drunk to push another player.
- Floor allowed collusion.

I think I shan't be playing here.

[KipBond]

If the average stack size is 4-5BB, I think I'd chop. You are getting ~25% less than your equity, but the risk of busting is pretty big if everyone is short stacked. Also, I wait for the 1BBs to bust out before pushing with 99. Never go back to that place, though. Completely unacceptable.

[psandman]

sadly this is just a an extension of conduct that is not really all that uncommon. its uncommon that it goes to this extent, but I have often seen players direct verbal taunts and engage in what may be team play against a player who refuses to chop and I have never seen a player warned or penalized for doing so. When we tolerate this sort of behavior its only natural that there will be instances of it getting out of hand.

Aside from penalizing offenders another option a TD has if this starts getting out of hand is to announce there will be no deals permitted. I worked in a room that had a written rule that there were no deals allowed. I aske dthe floor about this rule and he said they actually allow deals but they includ ethat rule so that if a player is being a pain in the ass about a chop they can just point to the rules that say no chopping allowed.

[nineinchal]

Final table of a 100 player hundo dollar tourney winter 2006. I have the big stack, get dealt AK in the big blind. Short stack goes all in, three or four callers, I raise all in. Table erupts in anger at my lack of small stack all-in collusion ettiquette. The usual mumblings, cursing, and the tourney's table tutor chimes in that I don't know what I am doing.

A real degenerate piece of trash sitting to my right in the small blind whispers to me that he is going to kill me in the parking lot after the tourney. Luckily I win the hand and an hour later take down the first prize. I have my buddy pull up the car to the front door, and we laugh all the way back to Miami.

[mingorama]

I've found that the cardrooms in Florida are without question, the most POORLY managed I've ever seen in my life... dealers AND floorpersonnel. Not that I think it would accomplish much, but you should at least write a letter or e-mail to management.

[FeliciaLee]

I've had some bad experiences in tourneys, too. Not the higher buy-in ones, but the little ones. Those people can be vicious. I think because I'm a woman, and kind of a masculine woman, at that, I get some abuse that I wouldn't get if I were a man. But young guys get it even worse, if that is possible.

For a long time I stopped playing smaller buy-in tourneys and went to the middle to higher events ($300-2000). The conduct was extremely appropriate almost everywhere I went (I was traveling the tourney circuit until I got cancer).

In the smaller events, those guys are looking for lunch, and their next buy-in. They will not hesitate to be very abusive if someone doesn't agree with their proposal. I, too, have been threatened and abused.

Typically, I complain to the TD and floor. Typically, nothing is done. These are their regulars, who are there day in and day out, and they feel sticking up for one whining chick is not in their best interest.

I never leave alone, I never carry money in a way that makes it easy to steal. I always put sharp car keys between my fingers.

I'm sorry to see that you have experienced the dark side of low buy-in tournament poker. Please believe me when I say that it gets much better. I do not have many enemies in the higher buy-in events (although John Bonetti and Men Nguyen can kiss my lily white butt anyday).

I am unable to travel the circuit anymore (not to mention that my ability to play good poker has gone down so far that I find myself looking up to the gutter). I do not, however, play the smaller tournaments, either, for the most part. I stick to cash games, which was my first love anyway.

Good luck in the future, and please remember, things do get better as you move up.

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[llleisure]

That does suck - I've run into a situation where I refused a chop deal short handed and got some abuse but nothing like that. In my case, I didn't elaborate on why I didn't want to do it, I just said "no I want to continue to play" and they didn't pick on me. I am 6'3 and 290ish tho so that may help me to not be picked on like that. If I was in a situation like you describe, agreed to chop and the rest of the table started acting like that towards another player, I'd have switched to your side anyway and told them no way am I chopping with a bunch of clowndicks lol.

You shouldn't have to explain yourself though - if ONE player doesn't want to chop, you don't chop and you keep playing where I'm from. You say no, be nice about it and continue. If you start trying to explain your rationale, that just gives them an opening to argue about why you're wrong.

[CrazyOne]

I will premise the flowing statement by saying I do not know the laws in Florida. However if this happened to me I would inform the floor that I would be filling a complaint with the local regulating body. This kind of behavior from those who are suppose to be professionals should never be tolerated. I would not expect much to come out of the complaint but if there is enough things will change. (Please note that I am assuming there is a regulating body of some sort responsible to the state if this is not so well damn not much that can be done other then complain to management.)

With that said sorry to here about your experience. If I every go to Florida I will not be visiting that casino.

[Brokeski]

i had this same problem at the first B&M tourney i played in. I took the chop though because i was 17 and didn't want to get carded. The floor also had staked some of the guys who were at the final table with me, so they were looking to chop and get their money right then and there.

[johnnyrocket]

i like it, always stand up to someone when they are trying to get in the way of u and ur money