Really? Would you care if I told everyone at my table to stiff you for that half? How bout the table after that? And the one after that? Personally, I don't think you should get upset over it, it's not as if you wouldn't get tipped at all that day; just not from my table and maybe a few others.


That was exactly the point. The man was of sound mind having a good time in the game that he chose to play. Period. He didn't ask if there was anything higher or if there was perhaps a different game all together. So, why is this dealer even bringing it up? Are the dealers itt who think that it was appropriate going to tell all the businessesman types to go play X if they see that they're losing? I mean, where do you draw the line? Imo, that dealer crossed the line as soon as he/she suggested he get up. That game is there for US, the player, including the man who was having fun, not YOU, the dealer. Suggesting that a player go play somewhere else cause you think his fun is likely to last longer, is not part of running the game. Ruining the game? Yes, perhaps. But it's not what any good dealer would have done and you know it.

ETA: I completely agree with what you said regarding the new players and informing them about their options in the room, which is to inform them and help them when they *approach you.* I never argued with that.

the funny thing about this is 2/4 is probably more complicated than 1/2. Plus it plays a lot faster and you have to deal with all the old regular OMC nits. But I'm sure they will love him anyway

If you believe these are equivalents then we need not discuss it any further because we will never agree.

From time to time some jerk at the table likes to tell me he will not tip because he doesn't like something I did .... And when it isn't justified I take pride in it ..... It reminds me that my integrity couldn't be bought.

Sounds like it would have been a good time for op to rack up and go play 2/4 limit.

Maybe they aren't equivalent to how you think they should be, but, I'm illustrating just how wrong I would be to go around telling other players to stiff you. That's not my place. Even if I thought you shouldn't get tipped, for whatever reason, I'm probably not going to tell others to follow suit, because essentially, those tips are a big part of your bottom line. And, that's why I made that analogy: By the dealer suggesting that a player go play somewhere else(for reasons why MOST players should be told to leave, which is because they're bad/newbie players) he/she was crossing the line regarding my bottom line. I wouldn't cross it as a player regarding your tips, and I don't think it's appropriate for a dealer to cross it with me.

My integrity can't be bought either. In fact, if this man was playing with me and had asked me if I thought he should keep playing in a game that he had no knowledge about, I would first probably try and explain some of the basics to him(cause some of the games I play can get crazy confusing at times) and if he still felt like he wanted to play/having a good time, then yes, I will hope that he stays, and, I will hope to get every last dollar he shells out. But, that doesn't mean that I have compromised any part of my integrity.

And, I've already said this; I have no problem with a dealer or a Floorperson who informs a player about the games when they ASK you. And, this was not a "Hey, Joe, you said you wanted to play a little higher, I know you're playing X right now but a seat just opened in the $2/5 game if you'd like to lock it up." Nor was this a case where it was some drunk just drooling all over himself...

This was a dealer, downright telling a player that he'd be better suited in another game, to which he really has no grounds for basing that on, it was just that, he simply felt that he had 'lost enough' in his current game. Add to that, this man was having fun! And you can NOT ignore that part because its a critical part of why players gamble and the motive that the casinos try to put forth.

I think it may be a false assumption to believe that new players want to "last longer". I remember my first poker experience before the poker boom. I played 1-3 five card stud with a bunch of bluehairs and hated it. I couldn't wait to burn through my $50 so I could get back to the black jack tables.

The other day, a new player joined us for 1-2 no limit. He did okay, played tight, and won a pot or two early. But it seemed like he got bored as time went on and he started playing more loosely and badly and eventually lost all his chips. He didn't rebuy. He had his poker experience and that was it.

Then there'd be 2 fish leaving the table...

i'd probably equate the situation to a poker player advising a big tipper about the merits of tipping the standard $1/pot

What if there was only NL or bigger games at this particular casino, but there was a 2/4 limit game at the room next door? Does anyone think the dealer would have suggested player go play 2/4 there instead? Well, shouldn't he though? I wonder what his boss would think about that? Or what if the dealer told _every_ losing player in the game that he shouldn't be playing that game? Eventually there would be no game.

It does not seem like this dealer was even truly acting in what he thought was the bad player's interests, but in those of the house/other dealers. I would certainly act in my own interests and never tip that dealer again, and I would also ask the poker supervisor if this was considered acceptable behavior for a dealer in his room, and report him if not.

I think the dealer was out of line and possibly embarrassed the guy into leaving by essentially saying, "Hey, you aren't good enough to play this game, go to the other game..." Of course a new, insecure player would likely rack up and leave..

We are all adults, we make our own choices. If he wants to play a game he doesn't know how to play, then that choice is his to make.

Doesn't matter if he is having fun or not. He is an adult, it's his choice.

The dealer was just trying to look out for the player, so I give him points for compassion. But he was out of line. Most players want to play no-limit because that is what they see on TV and they want to play "that" game. So it's rude of the dealer to deny or ruin that experience.

Most of the time Mr Happy is going to leave the game because he feels too embarrassed to stay after what this dealer said to him.

It's one thing to tell him he sucks, but it's a whole other form of rude to imply he can't afford his losses. So much so, that I have a hard time believing the guy didn't say something, just a little something to elicit that suggestion.

I wonder if the dealer's friends were in the 2/4 game

I don't trust you at all. It would be a normal human bias to remember things in a way that justifies your feelings of anger.

I'd be more trusting if you could reconstruct the conversation at the table before this happened. You make it seem as if the dealer told the player out of the blue that he shouldn't be playing at that table.

When you complained after the player left, did the rest of the table seem to agree with you or did they think you were whining excessively? Were their opinions divided?

Fair.

1. It was not a conversation. The guy wasn't sure what to do a in certain situations, and eventually the dealer said he should go play 2/4 until he knew how to play. In a friendly way, but in a public way. He kept his smile, and racked up and said OK. It seemed he was just taking direction from anyone at that point because he was new and not confident in what he was doing. Leading up to this, he was smiling the whole time, being friendly, and chatting a little/laughing at not knowing the game.

2. All I said was "no one is interested in your ****ing opinion so keep it to yourself, eh?" It was not very loud but I was in seat 1 and his face dropped so I know he heard me loud and clear. He didn't say anything, and all went on as normal. I hate people who make a scene and hold up games. Dealer left soon after and I wasn't involved in any pots so tipping never came up. One other person at the table rolled his eyes when the dealer said what he said, but that's all it was. It never came up for discussion in order to gauge opinions. I didn't discuss it with anyone else, was left to my own opinions with no external input, so I decided to pose the situation here for comments. It has been on my mind a few times since it happened, and it irks me.

The whole situation was super low-drama, my comment being the worst of it, and life went on.

Sufficient?

Sounds like he was slowing the game down and the dealer was like gtfo.

If your morality really makes you as a dealer want to tell a guy that has lost 200$ to switch to limit, what do you tell the degenerates that can't stop playing and have lost houses, businesses, family, ect.
He's there to blow a measly 300$, sit back deal, and watch the pots explode. Maybe he will win a couple and throw you some oversized tips.

What if he was such a noob that he didn't realize that tipping was customary and had given the dealer nothing on the hands he had won?

"Bets up!"

No. I can definitely promise you that there were no friends of the dealer in the 2/4 game.

Or any 2/4 game.

Ever.

I think the dealer was rude and insulting to the newbie. Who knows what that $300 really meant to him, perhaps he drinks $600 bottles of wine regularly? How long would it take him to break even and earn 50 big bets at the 2-4 OMC rock garden? Now he's likely leaving a loser and not enjoying himself.


Watching a newbie donk off $200 of $300... and get up with $100 to give away elsewhere, maybe disappointed...

If I had a strong feeling that the dealer was out of line here (I'm on the fence on this one), I'd just keep a running mental tally. The next $100 I would tip the dealer, I don't tip instead (assuming you tip at all). Then I'd consider it even and move on.

I guess you mean the tone of his voice wasn't harsh, or that he tried not to be too mean about it, but I think what the dealer did was very rude and condescending. The dealer could have let the player know that a 2/4 game was an option without making comments like "You shouldn't be playing at this table because you suck."

Even the 2/4 regs would probably take his money. If he wasn't going to buy in again, then he probably loses that last $100 either way. If he did rebuy in the NL game, the dealer could tell him what the minimum and maximum buy-in was in case he wanted to buy in for less than another $300.

I would voice my opinion to the floor/room manager and place this dealer on a 2 session tip probation.

If you are going to do "tip probation" make sure you ALSO tell the person why you aren't tipping them, otherwise, they won't know why and your "not tipping" won't correct a problem they don't know about.

Either tell them why, write it on a comment card, or Yelp it.

This is something I do with bad service at a restaurant, I write exactly what they did/did not do and why I'm not tipping.

I do this too. You're basically doing the establishment a favor when you do this, and sometimes the person you're stiffing, too. Never thought about doing this in a casino, but I have also never not tipped.