Dealers asked to stack the pot

[DrMega]

5/10 PL game, timed rake of $5 per down (every half hour). Apparently the house has required dealers to stack the pot up and count it after dealing cards while players act. Apparently it's so they can respond quickly when someone announces a pot bet.

A couple players objected loudly at the dealers, saying it was taking away from hands per hour (it does to some degree depending on the dealer, obviously).

1) Has anyone seen this done elsewhere (this is at HoChunk in Wisconsin)?
2) Is this too much to ask of the dealers and/or could it result in other things being missed?
3) What do you think of it?

Personally, I think it is kind of silly for them to have to stack and count the pot, but I got a little tired of dealers being berated and harassed for it after they'd told the players it was the house's policy (the floor eventually came over and confirmed it, and it settled things down some).

[jhardin3]

Wouldn't it be more reasonable for the management to require dealers in the game to be able to keep (mental) track of the pot size? I have always been capable of doing this in the games I have dealt, and I would hope that any dealer employed by any cardroom would require the same of their employees. I think the only person who would benefit from this policy would be the losing players, who would lose (minutely) slower than they would otherwise...

[RR]

I have heard of it. It is always in an out of the way room that isn't familiar with the normal procedures of poker.

[Tony.T]

Why dont they just count the pot in their head? If they take rake they have to do it anyways, right?

[pfapfap]

Up here (SF Bay), dealers stack the pot in fixed limit OH8, which is admittadly a different game with many split pots. It speeds things up, although the players help by keeping their own bets in stacks. Dealer is stacking chips while action is transpiring.

[Twistofsin]

The pot isn't stacked in a split pot game to make it easier for players to count, it's necessary to be able to split the pot quickly.

[SpleenLSD]

I prefer it when dealers stack chips. It makes it easy for me to know the pot size so I don't have to concentrate on that while I'm watching the other players. I'd also think it would help the deal focus on the action and not require him or her to memorize the pot size continuously.

[DakotaKid]

If I recall correctly, there's discussion in "Pot-Limit & No-Limit Poker" by Stewart Reuben and Bob Ciaffone speaking out against this being good for the game. They do insist on a good game requiring the dealer being able to keep track mentally just to fix overbets.

The notion that it could be bad for the game stems from giving players information (pot size) that they normally may not have. Granted, for some games this wouldn't matter at all, but if someone's normally very predictable betting patterns turn into "I bet the pot" simply because he can now count it easier, an opportunity is lost to the observant player.

[Red Lion]

When did HoChunk have 5/10 blind PL games? The biggest ive seen was 3-5 NL.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

You should not stack the pot nor should you need to for any reason whatsoever, other than the case of a split pot. The dealer is required to know the correct pot size at all times, period. This whole stacking hullabaloo just shows the people running the room are totally clueless.

Btw no one has ever asked me the pot size and gotten the wrong answer. In those games I shut up and deal and PAY ATTENTION.

Sounds like the floors trying to make up for inadequate dealers.

Al