I have seen some terrible negotiations at tournament final tables before, but these two recent ones are at the top of my list:

1) 3 handed, players 1 & 2 have $250K in chips, player 3 has $80K. Players 1 & 2 agree to split 1st & 2nd place prize money, player 3 simply accepts 3rd place money.

2) 8 handed, player 1 is offered 1st place prize money, players 2-8 will split the rest of the prize pool evenly. Chop is declined by player 1.

I would never say this while dealing but when the subject comes up when I am playing I always offer to play the following poker game.

Since you feel getting information about a hand is the most important thing ... we c an play the following game .... whichever poker game (holdem omaha, stud, draw) you want. For any stakes you choose .... the rules will be simple.... I will play with my cards face up ..... and you promise to never show me your cards.

Clelrly the fact that I always show and you never show would put you at a great advantage

Winning just isn't in the nature of some people.

For 100 years, the poor etiquette was to do anything except promptly turn up your cards when called. The poor etiquette was to mumble, "You're good...", then indicate YOUR willingness to fold if the CALLER will show first and spare you the indignity of (gasp!) turning up your hand. THIS is the nonsense that was frowned upon for 100 years. That's why 5 of 6 players can't understand your position.

NIIIIIIIIIIIICE!

Well, make them comeback with a counter. If the first offer is 1st place, maybe the second offer will be more than 1st place!

I've seen people turn down 1st Place money before. It's always a young guy who wants to play it out, certain he's going to win. He's having his "WSOP Final Table" moment.

Anybody remember my story about my first time playing in a cardroom, how I put in fifteen bets on the end with the second-nut flush? And how the winner ran me off, when I still had more money I wanted to lose?

Well, my record got shattered last night. I dealt a hand where a kid put in 18 bets on the end with AA and a board of AJJxx. He only stopped raising when he ran out of money. At least in my story, I still had money left when I stopped raising back.

The similarities were manifest. Even when he saw that he lost the hand, he was still smiling, congratulating the winner, and having fun.

And sure as day follows night, the other players couldn't help themselves, they found nine different ways to call him an idiot, and almost before he could finishing stacking the fresh rack of chips he had ordered, he racked them back up and ran to the cage, embarrassed as hell.

The loudest of the loudmouths laughed at how dumb the kid was. I could only think, "Well, YOU just ran off at least a rack of dead money, now who's the dumb one?"

No jackpot for that one, eh?

Since you mention it: About a year ago they changed it from AAATT or better to 2222x or better.

While I'm counting down the stacks (because they said "raise" about thirty times without touching the chips before the floorman who happened by was satisfied that they had said "raise" enough to cover--and I say thirty because I was mistaken earlier, they put in $105 on the end in a $2-4 game, so that's TWENTY-ONE bets, not 18 as reported earlier) a player not involved in the hand is furious, loudly and angrily complaining that "we would've hit the jackpot if they hadn't changed it two months ago!"

I let him vent for a bit, but he just wouldn't stop. After a minute or more, I finally asked him, "What are you so upset about?"

"WHAT AM I SO UPSET ABOUT??? WE WOULD'VE SPLIT $80,000 IF THEY HADN'T CHANGED IT!"

"But you're yelling at us like we've done something wrong."

He still wouldn't stop complaining, but at least that got him to lower his voice. I let the others point out the flaws in his logic (it was a year ago, not two months ago; and the old jackpot never got close to $80k).

Once he was convinced that nobody agreed with him, he directed his nonstop chatter at the play of the hand, something everyone could agree with. This guy hadn't said a word for the twenty minutes I'd been there, but now he can't shut up.

The kid tried to ride it out, but between the winner gushing about his great luck and the angry guy refusing to let up, the kid racked up about 5-6 hands later. His hands were shaking when he tried to rack up. That's only happened to me twice: the time I mentioned where I did the same thing and they made me feel stupid about it; and the time a player insulted my wife and I wanted to come over the table at him feet-first, but held back out of respect to the folks who worked in that room.

a First off quality mistake free dealing is the most important, BUT, speed matters HUGE !!!! 1 hand per down at 10 downs a day times 200 days a year is 2000 more tip opportunities a year !!!!!!! I am amazed how many dealers dont get this. I have 1 player that is a friend of mine where i work, he thinks its funny to go in the tank and fake shove taking 10-15 seconds 5 or 6 hands a down. he costs me a hand eveytime i deal to him. Since he is supposed to be a friend i have told him how much he costs me but he dosnt get it. Anyway quality accurate dealing is very important but SPEED MATTERS as much as 2 dimes a year !!!!!!!!!

Wyatt Earp, lawman, entrepreneur and casino dealer (among many other careers) said it best: "Fast is fine but accuracy is everything." I think he was talking about something other than dealing but I think it applies hear.

As a former competitive pistol shooter, I learned early on that you cannot miss fast enough to win! Every time you make a mistake because you are going too fast, you also cost yourself an opportunity and worse, you may make an enemy, if your error costs a player a hand he would have won.

More importantly, this is the wrong thread to discuss tips in.

This post is so right. In a vacuum, I sat with one one of the best dealers in history. He could shoot out the cards faster than those old style sprinklers. I never saw another dealer come close to his speed.

In the real poker world his art of speed was often ruined by inattentive players who deflected cards all over the place. Extra cards and needed floor rulings made his speed a major negative.

Ive told this story before, i don't recall exact details, but it went something like this:
Got off work at one riverboat at 1:30 a.m. headed downriver with a 2 other dealers to play at another "boat". We got there about 2 a.m. and make a very short 2-10 O8 game 7 or 8 handed.

About 2:15 im in a hand Holding JJ?? and flop comes Jx10sQs forget the action, turn comes Js. I check, "Jimmy", another dealer bets, i raise, he re-raises, i pause, look him in the eye and raise again, he smiles really big and raises.
Its pretty clear what he has and I call.

River is a blank and i bet, Jimmy raises and picks up more chips anticipating my reraise, i call and turn my hand with quads Jimmy turns the AKs for the royal.
JACKPOT !!!! ( which was 38,000k at the time, good now, and really good 16 years ago).

The dealer starts sobbing like a child, half the table doesn't say a word.

This is when the Shift manager comes over and says "I'm so sorry guys, No jackpot", and tosses a memo on the table that has been pinned to an information board.

"To our valued players etc etc, blah blah blah at 2 a. m. on Wednesday october x( that day/morning) the jackpot qualifier for Omaha 8 or Better High Low Split will change from four Jacks to four Queens being beat."
We missed it by 15 minutes or less.

He checked, there was nothing he could do.
Push the pot, deal the next hand.

C'est la vie

That's the worst beat I've ever heard. I'm glad that you were able to take it in stride as I'm certain I would have myself, but holy ****.

How does a riverboat have a $38 million jackpot?

Sick lifebeat Ubin.



Last day of work to two weeks tonight! Gonna take a vacation. Headed to Disneyworld tomorrow.


Oh... and there's gonna be a wedding too. Getting married on Sunday.

--The worst part of Ubin's story is, what do they gain by changing JJJJx to QQQQx? It's such a near-meaningless move, it's like they felt a need to change something just to show that they're not sitting in the office doing nothing.

--Congrats, QS, on the vaca and the Disney trip. Oh, ok, I'll congratulate you on the marriage, too, though I really want to grab you by the shoulders and give you this speech (very nsfw audio):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddqx_cWUN-g

Congrats on the whole thing. Have a great time.

LOL

I imagine if it was 38 million, the story would have ended with me being thrown out of the cardroom at least : )

Congrats, Quadstriker. She's lucky to have you.

That's 38 thousand Kroner actually - translates to about $6k USD.

Question for all you dealers, especially cali card room dealers. Is there a tip out in your room you must abide by? I recall back when I worked inn 2005 15% was mandatory to the floor envelope. Then there was a big suit and we were actually given 1.5 years worth of tips back. Recently my new room has decided to implement a mandatory % again. Is this common and what % of your tips are you giving up?

No mandatory tipping in my room. Most all of us voluntarily tip the cage when cashing out.

Give a couple of bucks to the chip runners and the brush each day, NYCN. You're the waitress, they're the busboys and bartenders.