Help your dealers

[juanez]

OK - the "why aren’t dealers accountable" post annoyed me just a tad and I've had more than a few Harps, so here’s my rant:

I've pretty much stopped posting here because it's a lot of the SOS, but I do read a lot to get the insight of Randy, Bigfishead, Photoc and others on floor calls which only helps me progress as a floor guy. Too bad Al isn’t around anymore. Anyway, the "dealer did this" and "dealer did that" crap is getting old. Look man, a good dealer can put out a lot of hands in his/her shift. Believe it or not they are human beings (just an FYI for you internet players) and they do make mistakes now and then. Here are a few tips on how YOU, yes you, can help the dealer NOT make mistakes (no particular order):

State your intention CLEARLY. A tiny movement of your pinky or a slight nod of your head might be a cool way to check when you’re in the WPT on TV, but it might just be a nervous twitch or a hick-up in a 2/4 game. If you intend to check, then simply say "check" or tap the table in an obvious manner to indicate that you check. Saying “OK” or “Sure” is not checking in my book. When dealing I would always ask “Is that a check/call/raise?” if some guy made an ambiguous statement about his action. Maybe he was intending to say “OK……(long, dramatic WPT wanna be pause)……I bet”. Just make your intentions clear and a LOT of problems will be avoided.

Don't HIDE YOUR CARDS. If a dealer can't see your cards, it just makes it hard for them and other players to see who’s in the hand. Dealers and players alike want as many hands dealt per hour as humanly possible. Making it hard to see who's involved in a hand slows the game down.

If the ACTION PASSES YOU before you have acted, speak up IMMEDIATELY. Don’t wait until 4 people have called a bet to say that the “dealer skipped you”. Pay attention to the game and protect your action. If you’re cards were hidden when the action passed you, it’s YOUR fault.

If you intend to muck your cards, then MUCK THEM. Don't place them face down a half inch in front of your stack or 2 inches away from you so the dealer has to make a decision as to whether or not you folded. Muck that sh*t if you intend to fold already.

SHOW YOUR CARDS at a showdown. This “What do you have?” crap is just annoying. Show down your hand if you’re at the showdown for crying out loud. If the guy ahead of you has you beat and quickly shows his hand, I have no issue with you mucking it. But the whole “I want to see what you have before I show” game is annoying to everyone at the table and only slows the game down.

Don’t SPIKE YOUR CARDS. I can’t count the number of calls I’ve had to make about a card flying off the table or sliding into the muck because some guy decided to stand up and spike his cards like they were a football and he just scored a touchdown. Simply turn your cards face up and protect them until the pot is pushed to you. This leads into the next one….

PROTECT your darn cards. Especially if you’re in the 1 or 10 seat. This is Poker 101. If you mess this up, it’s YOUR fault. Your cards are the only thing that ties you to all that money sitting in the middle of the table. I have little mercy for players who have their hand mucked because they didn’t have their cards protected or fouled by other players mucking their hands.

IWTSTH: just bullsh*t and you know it. If you do this regularly, you are simply a giant douche.

I’m sure there are many other tips I’m leaving out, but it’s time to pass out.

Sure dealers and floor staff make mistakes all the time. But in a nutshell, if YOU as a player pay attention and act in a clear, decisive and responsible manner, many of the “the dealer f*cked up” problems will not occur........because YOU didn’t f*ck up.

Rant over.

[psandman]

Let me add:

JUST PLACE YOUR BET OUT IN A NICE STACK there is no need to throw or fling the chips.

ACT IN TURN.

If you are getting up for a smoke and want to be dealt in on the next hand - tell your dealer to deal you in before you leave. I can't figure out why players seem to think I somehow magically know that they are planning on coming back, and if I have to look around the room for players it slows me down

[KenProspero]

I'd like to add something, and this is a Thank You to this forum.

I was in Vegas over July 4. Mostly playing 1/2 NL at MGM. Normally, I play online, though I get to Foxwoods a couple of times a year.

Partially because I've read endless 'protect your cards' posts, from day 1, I forced myself into the habit of placing a chip on my cards as soon as they were dealt, and not removing the chip until I was ready to show my cards or muck them.

I didn't have a single problem the entire stay. Seat 1, Seat 10, no problem. Dealer sees the chip, and either waits or asks.

Getting a drink from the server, and action comes to me, no problem, the dealer knew the cards were live.

Even once or twice where my mind briefly wandered and I didn't know the action was on me -- dealer waits a few seconds (seems like an eternity) and politely reminds me that it's my action.

It really is that simple. Protect your cards. If you're not positive what the bet is, ask the dealer. There are no problems. Given the choice between having to write a post about how I got screwed out of a pot or using a little common sense and being able to write one about having a great experience, the choice was obvious.

[crackhead]

[ QUOTE ]
JUST PLACE YOUR BET OUT IN A NICE STACK there is no need to throw or fling the chips.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a VERY GOOD point. Here's an example from a hand last night. $3/5NL game, full table. 3 limpers, including the CO. BB splashes in the rest of his stack calling "all in". Dealer glances at it, thinks it's $25 more and calls out, "raise $25 more". All the limpers call the extra $25. THEN the BB says "no, it's more than $25." So, now the dealer has to cut out all the chips, reconstruct EVERYONE'S called bets and sees that the BB actually did raise it $35 more, not $25. 2 chips splashed so hard into the main pot, that they got over looked. The 1st limper now asks, "can I take my bet back and fold?", which the dealer allows - no one else objected. Then the remaining players called the additional $10.

This entire scenario completely broke up the pace of the game and slowed it down to a halt. It could've been avoided if the BB player had simply cut out his stack and announced, "I'm all-in, $35 total...:

[dicelumpY2005]

Excellent post, Juanez...couldn't have said it any better myself. I agree with everything you mentioned. I enjoy all the posts on here which point out a dealer incident at some random casino in the country, in hopes of generating some kind of flamming towards dealers in general. I am going to assume dealers WILL make mistakes, considering there are probably several hundred thousand live hands being dealt in this country every hour. However, this is what I have grown to accept: they are the customers, and they help me to make a living. Just because they want to sit there and do something completely douchebag-like doesn't change the fact that I depend on them. Does it justify what they do? Absolutely not...but I would rather have to sit there and watch the players play stupid head games with each other, and piss each other off rather than focus their ignorant behavior towards me...

[Cactus Jack]

Good point. Those of us who depend on a-holes for a living have to put up with the smell. The good news is I only have to for a few minutes and then dump them on your doorstep. (and for the most part, they are happy to be here and too tired to put up much of a fight going back to the port.)

[DemonDeac]

whats IWTSTH??

[beavens]

[ QUOTE ]
whats IWTSTH??

[/ QUOTE ]

i want to see the hand.

[tom10167]

I love the guy who sits in the 8 seat and is staring down at his chips and mutters "rs"

Huh?

ten mintues later after cutting down his $40 stack in to piles of two he puts out $10.

ohhhhhhhhhhhh raise

The reason you are saying raise is so that I CAN HEAR YOU ME THE DEALER ME

I totally agree about action passing.

Dealer I ahven't acted yet!! On a preflop decision after the turn is out. Well what were you waiting for? Stop palming your cards and pay attention.

[a1WDC182]

Most are good points. But if I call a bet and it is showdown time I am going to see the other players cards before showing mine. If you don't like it, to bad. For Cactus, if you depend on us aholes for your living, that's your choice, start liken it.