Playing 1/2NL, I unfortunately double up a guy who I'm pretty certain is a reg. He plays one more lap, then gets up from the table. He cashes out and comes back to the same table, sits in a different seat, and buys in for $100. He was away from the table for about 15 minutes at most and ratholed ~$200 into his pocket.

I mention this to my neighbor: "did that guy just rathole his chips?" and I say it loud enough that the dealer hears me. Neighbor agrees, dealer doesn't say a word.

I play another lap and leave the table. I decide not to tell the floor because: 1) ratholer is a reg and I'm not. 2) he's ratholing what were my chips, so I'm going to look like the whiny loser if I complain. 3) the situation of losing a big pot and seeing him rathole is tilting me, so I should leave anyway.

So I leave. Should I have made a bigger stink?

That's 1/2 for ya.

Instead of making a pejorative remark about the issue to your neighbor, you could have handled it better by just directing your inquiry to the dealer. A less conforntational way of bringing up the issue would have been to say to the dealer "Doesn't that player have to buy back in for the same amount he cashed out with 15 minutes ago?"

There was no reason to accuse the player of ratholing. It's possible that he merely changed his mind about leaving and didn't know that he was supposed to buy back in for the full amount that he left with. And if you want the dealer to do something, then direct your question to him. Making an accusatory and inflammatory remark to your neighbor with the hope that the dealer would overhear it and act on it was the douchey way to go.

Ok, let's make it hypothetical so we don't argue about my level of douchiness. I'm sorry you feel I behaved that way.

Let's assume I was silent and had no intention of making a "stink" about anything. If you saw what I did, would you bring it up politely with the dealer in front of everyone at the table? Get up and tell the floor discretely? Or just let it go?

What MMOB is saying is that you acted in a passive aggressive manner and hoped for results while claiming the moral high ground of "well, it was MY chips he was ratholing, so whatever," as though you WOULD have done something if they weren't your chips. Try a more direct approach, or keep silent if you choose not to care. The passive aggressive approach is BS, won't produce results, and won't make you feel good about yourself or the situation. Indeed, the thing you should draw from this thread isn't "what to do when you see a reg ratholing," but rather more effective forms of conflict resolution.

I would recommend to you Dale Carnegie's, "How to Win Friends and Influence Others," Its a book I re-read every few years to remind myself that the best way to get someone to do something isn't being grumpy and aggressive, but rather coming from a point of understanding and approval. In this case, Mr. Carnegie might recommend something like:

"You just left this table with $300, right?"
"I've been gone long enough to buy in for the min!"
"Oh, no! I understand! It sucks being the big stack at the table, and it is really nice to lock up a win by taking money off the table! In fact, I used to do that all the time! But then someone pointed out to me that it sucks even more when you're stuck $200 and the guy that took it just put it in his pocket, so you'll never see it again. I figured, he has a good point. Even if I've no intention of getting that money back into play, at least it is on the table and the guy thinks he's getting a fair shot at it."

This way you're not calling him a dirty ratholer, but rather a prudent cautious man and calling on his better nature and innate sense of fair play. Of course, in this situation the direct approach of asking the dealer the rules about rebuying after 15m away from the table seems the easiest and most effective method. But given your response to this situation, I think you could probably do with some self-examination in terms of conflict resolution. Passive-aggressive is pretty damaging to yourself and your relationships.

Rather than tilt yourself and end your session early, pick a different strategy. Either let the guy do it and be happy he's back with at least some of your chips, or tell the dealer or the floor or the player directly.

Folks trying to rathole at NL1/2 is common in Vegas. Players often have no clue what they're doing is against the rules. Typical scenario:

-- Player wins a 4-way all-in and turns his $100 into $420. He grabs $200 and hands it to his girlfriend or stuffs his pockets. Dealer or a player explains he can't do that. Player grumbles, plays two hands, and then picks up and leaves.

-- Player returns 5 minutes later and buys back in for $100. Comes back to either the same table or a nearby one. A player or staffer notices and he's told he has to put the $400 back on the table. He whines, but then picks up and leaves saying he can't possibly risk $400 'cause it's life-changing money for him.

-- Player walks across the street and buys in for $100 at the competition. Easy game.

Saw a kid a PHo get the boot when he sat down at the next table over with $200 and our dealer pointed him out to the floor saying "he just cashed out over $800". When the dealer told the kid he had to put $800 back, he whined long and loud about how he didn't have the money anymore! He'd paid back his friends what he owed 'em and he only had $200. Too bad... come back in an hour.

There are often problems with regulars trying to rathole during certain promos. Several casinos do various NFL promos where they splash pots. So the regs often buy in for the table minimum, and just shove anything better than 72 when their table gets a $100 or $200 splash. If they win, they pick up, start the stopwatch function on their watch or phone, and go get lunch. Then they're back 61 minutes later buying back in for the min. They're quite shameless about it.

It was amusing one day when one of the more notorious of the minbuy resetters tried this, and he returned to our table about 48 minutes later. One of the players had checked the time as he was leaving. So he loudly called the guy out, explaining it hadn't been an hour. Floor checked Bravo and agreed and made the guy pick up. He then stood there fuming for 10 minutes waiting so he could minbuy back in as the regulars and staff in the room chuckled.

Don't let "he's a reg" be a reason for anything. Right is right, and this guy ratholing is not right. Call him out on it. You're entitled to have a shot of winning back your money if you get in another pot with this guy. If he's got to pick up for an hour, that's his problem. If he's got to go to another room, that's his problem. Just because a guy comes around all the time and everyone knows his name doesn't entitle him to special rules.

Well this would be MORE confrontational. Not that that's a bad thing. But maybe OP isn't comfortable with direct confrontations. Despite everyones internet tough guy act some people are like that. The dealer should be enforcing the rules, and if the only way OP is comfortable letting the dealer know a rule is being broken is indirectly, then so be it. Its not what I would do, or the best way to do things imo, but thats a different question.

I go to the casino expecting live players to do stupid/sleazy/borderline unethical things. I just accept that some of them are going to happen in the games sometimes. I try to pick the spots that are important to me to take a stand. Generally I don't care a huge amount about this kind of thing, especially because of how infrequently it happens. And if a player is uncomfortable playing with 150bbs they are probably bad/underrolled and I want to keep them playing in the game.

I guess what I'm saying is yes he shouldn't do that. And it may be against your best interest for him to do it (but maybe not). But I find if I get involved in every last thing like this in live games I would just be ripping my hair out. So I shrug and look the other way. If it starte happening all the time I would likely feel differently though.

he look liek this?

So...I'd never really thought about this, but I think I've inadvertently been a rat-holer.

I'm not really a cash player- I prefer tournaments for various reasons that I won't waste your time with. But if I get to the casino early, or am waiting between a noon and 7 pm tournament, I'll sit down and play $1/2. When the tournament begins allowing buy-ins, I'll often take chips from my stack to go buy in and then come back and play using the remainder until the tournament begins seating. So...that's wrong, huh? Be gentle, I really hadn't realized it was against the rules.

Yes and I'm surprised no one mentioned anything to that effect.

Yeah, I wish someone would have, because now I feel like an ass.

Don't. Its not a big deal. There are a lot of intricacies and customs to live poker that aren't necessarily obvious or intuitive. That is the kind of thing you see a lot of inexperienced players doing. They usually aren't doing it for any reason other than they don't understand what the problem would be with it. So don't feel bad.

People only are saying the guy is a scumbag because he is a regular player and clearly knows the rules and is just trying to cheat.

Don't let us grumpy live regulars get you down.

I rathole when I jump tables playing blackjack - is that wrong?

I was playing 1/2nl in Vegas and someone at the table ordered lunch - they were paying with chips ($8 or something) from the table and someone bitched and called the floor - the guy wanting to eat said all his money was on the table - they told him he had to leave table and cashout to pay for food with those chips.

I haven't seen anyone bitch about taking a chip to tip for drinks yet, but someone probably has.

Ugh rat holing tilts me so much and I ALWAYS speak up when I see it.. Example, I see a guy from a previous table who had 600+ back moving to my new table and siting with just 200.. I'll commonly say "damn, you take a rough beat over there? Where'd all your chips go".. Etc.. My main casino I play at has the retarded policy that if you move tables you can rathole money, such bs