Hi Everyone,

I am new to poker and still learning. I know the ropes and can handle my own the majority of the time but still need to learn a lot more. That said, last night I committed what I now know to be a bad move.

It was my last hand and I announced to the table that I am playing one more. I start to place my chips in the chip holder and proceed to leave out $20 on the table. The holder was then placed in my lap with the chips. At that point in time I thought I was doing nothing wrong. No one at the table said anything to me, not even the dealer who could easily recognize my $500 in chips that were once there had vanished. The player two over to my right saw the chip holder leave the table and hit my lap and he asked me what I was doing and I explained I was leaving and playing one more hand. He then proceeded to say nothing. Nobody told me this was wrong. I was confident and excited because I have seen people do this exact same move before in the same poker room. I ended up winning the small side pot. I was very happy to leave on a win, but as soon as the chips moved to me the gentleman to my left who folded started screaming at me. He called the floor over and the floor said that if he were called earlier things would be different with regard to my playing situation. I get this and I feel bad about the whole thing. But I can't help but wonder why he didn't say anything to me pre flop....or better yet before the blinds were even placed down. The whole table saw I made a mistake yet said nothing until after I had won. I panicked and took my chips, cashed out and left. I know I am not entitled to a learning lesson at the table, but I felt verbally attacked by this player. There was no level headed thinking or suggestions made to me. Just screaming and yelling making a fool of me in front of everyone.

It was a small pot, but ultimately I want to make it right with the pot involved players the next time I see them. My question is: in an ideal situation (i.e. not getting abused verbally beyond reason) what should I have done with the small pot I won? Forfeit it to the pot? Would the dealer re appropriate the sum among the players involved in the pot? I hate asking this basic question but no body gave me any advice.

Thanks again for helping me learn more about the game.

Cheers.

You can't make it right at this point. It's over.


Very often when someone is racking up to leave but playing another hand or two, they leave out a "working stack" and they can have all their other chips in racks, but at no point are those chips out of play. They are still in play (and you wouldn't put them out of sight if you were doing this). I'd imagine anyone that saw it didn't assume you believed those chips were no longer in play, and I'm a little confused as to how it got that far without anyone actually saying anything, but with all the thoughts about "if you're not in the hand, mind your own business" I can see where someone may not say anything (although they should).

not related, but kind of is... when I'm playing 'one more hand' prior to leaving, I never announce it or make it known by racking up. more times than not, I'm typically a little looser.. whether it's a loose call, or a big-ish bet preflop with a weaker hand as I'm not concerned about table image since I'm leaving.

I feel like once you make an announcement/rack up chips, it leaves the door open for others to take advantage and possibly bet preflop so that I have to fold without seeing a flop... or they don't respect my raise and call.

just something to keep in mind.

It's not a big deal. Now you know to keep your chips and a working stack on the table. And now you know what types of people you'll run into while playing live.

A lot of poker players are anti-social selfish jerks. Sounds like this guy fits the mold. I couldn't give two ****s about trying to make it right with him.

Besides, maybe I am missing something, but I don't see who was harmed.

I don't see exactly why the guy was mad.

Were you all-in for the chips you had on the table? so the guy folded because he didn't see you had more money, and maybe would have called with a drawing hand or something that would have got paid off?

Did you think you can take those other chips out of play? The dealer might have seen it, but it didn't register. So if you didn't know about the going south rule, just don't worry about it. Now you know. ; )

No matter where you put them, the chips you racked should still have been in play until you left the table.

Did the action on the last hand put you "all in" for the $20 you had in front of you? If not, no harm, no foul. If so, still nothing you can do about it. Mistakes happen.

No need to make anything right next time. Just remember to keep your chips visible at all times. If you want to rack up, put the rack(s) in front of you on the table.

Keep in mind that some rooms don't allow for you to play out of a rack. In that case, tell the dealer you are out after your last hand and then rack up.

Blinds = 2/5 (the 1/2 table list was so long and my bankroll covers play at this level even though I am still learning just FYI)

I ended up with a second boat on the turn with my opponent having trip kings (95% sure about his hand - at showdown I was already getting yelled at by the guy on the left with floor on the way).

The gentleman to my left folded on flop when the gentlemen to my right raised it up to 40 or so after the flop hit making him a pair of kings and me a set of 8's. I was all in for the $20 i had on the table at this point (with my stack off the table) so the betting for me stopped then and there.

Who knows what he would have done if I were playing with my full stack in the appropriate manner. I most likely would have put in a large 3 bet on the flop and certainly would have shoved when the board paired kings on the turn.

It actually worked out better for him (guy on my left) that I made this noob mistake. It worked out even better for the guy on the right who had trip kings.

Ack! Will never forget this one.....and thank you for all the advice! I know I shouldn't have expected a learning lesson at the table, but damn, I hope they didn't mark my record or something! I love the poker room I play at and the people I was playing with right up until the point this **** happened!

Wow. The dealer declared you all-in for $20 when you had >$500 the hand before?

The dealer has to notice that and immediately call for the floor to handle the situation.

This isn't a strategy forum but it's a strategic advantage to have a poor table image and a strategic disadvantage to screw around on your UTG hand.

The reason I announce I'm leaving is twofold.

1. If I win the hand, I don't want people crying about me hitting and running.

2. The dealer can call in an open seat immediately and the table stays full.

People may or may not take shots at me because I'm leaving, but it's no different than people taking shots at me becauae I'm eating or wearing glasses or because the last time we played I cracked their aces and they want their money back.

Uh yeah and OP racking up is fine but keep it on the table. Villain sounds like a piece of **** but you should have apologized anyway.

When you're new or inexperienced, you should always expect a learning lesson. Why no one (dealer included) said anything right away is interesting. Don't mind the loud mouth.

Not as it usually is done at this place. I announced my self loud and clear "ALL IN" with my stack in my lap. And yes, I had $500 or so in front of me the hand before.

However, the dealer did not through the all in chip in front of me like the other dealers did. So, not sure if that is needed to officially mark all in, but mark my words I declared myself all in for everyone to hear. Picked my $20 stack up and advanced it into play...I was middle seat right in front of the dealer. Play then advanced to the player to my left who folded....I was able to carry through to the showdown without any additional betting/calling from anyone...cards were dealt out consecutively without pausing for betting etc....it played exactly as it would if I had the all in chip in front of me.

I wouldn't worry about that mistake. Now you know that it's not allowed.

Don't worry about making things right from a financial point of view. If anything, he should feel extremely fortunate that you didn't have those chips in play since you flopped a monster.

I wonder about your opponent. He may have been angleshooting you. On the flop he bets 40, you go "all in" , thinking it's for 20, yet he never says anything or asks about the 500 in your lap. So he keeps quiet to see how the hand turns out. If he loses, he doesn't say anything and pays you the 20. But if he wins, he then says that your 500 is in play, and he would be right and you may be made to pay him whatever his stack was.

So while it's good you learned about your mistake, you shouldn't feel too bad about it. It's likely all the other players didn't say anything because they were all hoping to set you up. And the guy who complained probably was hoping he could use your mistake to get his money back, but would have taken your whole stack should you have lost to him.

I've seen many people rack up before their last hand (btw never do that due to the Curse of the Rack), and leave it on the felt. But the few times someone took it off the table, usually someone squawks immediately. So it was very suspicious that no one said anything to you.

Doing what you did can be used as an angle, but you actually reverse angled yourself. Taking chips out of sight, then bringing them back into play when you have a monster would be the way this would be an angle. Doing what you did served no advantage.

Not sure what the guy complaining wanted to have happen. They aren't going to kill your hand after the fact, and he said nothing when the action was going down. At most you would get a warning, which means nothing since you were done for the night.

Next time you go, ask a dealer or a floor (before you sit down) how to handle racking up and leaving, what the house rules are about going south, changing stack sizes when transferring tables, cashing out and buying back in (some places have a time limit, or require you to buy back in with the same stack size you cashed out with), topping off or rebuying, etc. They will let you know the exact mechanics of how all that works.

OK so now you know. You got some verbal abuse from an asshat. Lessons on what not to do sometimes come with a higher price than what you paid.

As to letting folks know you are leaving, well it is certainly not required, especially at a casino game. You can just say "That's it for me" and rack up. Letting folks know you are quiting soon is not a problem either, especially among closer friends or at a home game. Do what makes you comfortable first and the table second.

You broke your cherry!

This was my first thought as well.

Either way, lesson learned. Apologize, explain you are new and didn't know, and move on with life.

Not really. Dealer and other players messed up. Dealer should have forced you to put the rack back on the table and have it play.

Lession #2: When you post here, include all pertinent information in your post. Don't add tidbits later.

Yeah the fact that the hand played out with you "all-in" for you $20 is the most relevant part of the story and left out of the original post.

What you did shouldn't invite being yelled at by another player. Actually pretty much nothing should invite you being yelled at by another player. Ideally the floor pulls you aside and explains the rule.

There's no way that we can excuse the dealer here. Whenever I've seen someone rack up but take an additional hand the dealer says - the rack has to stay on the table and those chips are in play - if there is ANY question the player is doing/thinking something else.

I wouldn't call this "going south" either which is intentionally and secretly removing chips from play while you intend to keep playing.

One other thing - if you ask around everyone who's played poker for a long time has a story about racking up but playing "one more hand" and ending up walking out broke hours later. It's a stupid superstition but why tempt fate. I never put my chips in a rack until I've folded my UTG hand and I'm about to get up. If I ever accidentally do put my chips in a rack early and get dealt in I'll just fold without looking. Once you've decided to leave just leave.

I don't understand the hand you are describing....when you say you won the "small side pot", who won the main pot? Someone was all-in with LESS than $20? Or are you actually saying you won the main pot?

I can't understand why someone didn't point out that you still had several hundred in chip behind during the hand. If you declared you were "all-in", you could have easily been forced to put those chips in the pot (although in the circumstance you describe, that wouldn't have been that bad for you).

First off forget everything you think or what people say , even me. You are there to make money , f%=¢k everybody else, the guy to your right , left , the pitboss , the waitress . The place is pure evil why be nice . In fact hit and runs piss them off even more because next time they have an incentive to catch up

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

He might not know what the main pot is. It took years for it to dawn on me, as the main pot is often much smaller than the side pot and is bundled up on the "side" while the rest of the hand plays out :P Hi, former online player here. When I first started playing live, if there was no confetti then I didn't know I won the hand.