1/2 NLHE.

I've never seen this before. This was last week at an out of my state casino that I play at maybe once a year.

I've been at the table 3+ hours and Young White Guy at the other end of the table was there when I sat down. YWG seems to be a decent player, and has about a $400 stack of reds in front of him (which hasn't varied much), and four black chips, so for the whole time I've been at the table I've been estimating his stack at $800 or so. (We've not butted heads in a big way this whole time.)

A new dealer sits down, scans her tray, scans the table, and says to YWG, "Sir, I need you to get those four black chips off the table."

I'm surprised, look at them more closely (as best I can across the table), and realize that they have a pattern but no denomination; they're souvenirs or from a home set or something, and have no more value than cow chips.

He protests, says that no dealer or player has objected before.

I speak up and say that while I don't care if they're on the table now that I know they're not real $100 chips, I've been assuming they were this whole time.

No other player speaks up but the dealer insists and YWG finally pockets the blank blacks.

Angle? Lucky charms? Weirdness? Dealer out of line?

(YWG acted like an experienced player, and in his protest seemed to indicate that he played there a lot.)

Seems like an angleshot. Even if it wasn't intentional, it served as one. And after your comment the kid should have apologized.

I think Dealer did the right thing.

Definitely angle shooting. No doubt.

I agree with Mr. Rick.

Could have been using same as a card protector. Maybe did this for many sessions. more data needed

I'd be real tempted to 86 the guy.

+1 if he's done it before and was warned I'd give him a week off

stern talking to if it's 1st time offense

Yeah kinda obivious since he had four of them stacked what he was doing. No real reason to have that many card protectors, lucky charms, or whatever. Coincidence that they were black? Not likely. OP says he seemed to know what he was doing poker wise. Think he knew what he was doing with the chips too. Prior dealers did not notice? Likely another example of a reg with some personal relations with some of the dealers.

Maybe the previous dealers didn't realize they weren't actual legitimate black chips.

Or, they didn't give a **** (more likely).

Sure, Totally possible, as you well know, dealing has distractions that could account for not noticing. But I think letting it go for "other" reasons could be a reason why some dealers took no action also. Just my opinion.

It's kind of two edged. If the black chips don't look like the black chips used by the casino then why should they say anything ..... and if they do look like the black chips used by the casino then why should they think they aren't ...

Kind of like hidden chips .... If they are hidden from the dealer how is he supposed to know to tell the player not to hide them .....

Interesting situation. Not sure why anyone needs 'four' card protector/good luck charms on the table, especially when they may be misunderstood. Comes down to room rules as far as the dealers go .. it doesn't sound like he was a whale moving chips around so we might avoid tapping the glass.

I believe, not 100% sure, that one of my casinos doesn't allow black chips at the 1/2 tables or pink chips ($500) at the 2/5 tables. They do allow $100 bills at all tables, which (of course) is player preferred since they don't need to deal with the cage as much upon exit!! The thinking is that 3-4 colors of chips are plenty per stake level. I've had some really good 1/2 sessions but I've never really felt like I needed to put black chips into play due to 'plenty' of opportunity to get bills from players who rebuy at the table. GL

I once saw someone who had a cigarette lighter that looked like a stack of 3 or 4 black chips, and kept it on the table as a card protector. At first I thought it was real chips, but it didn't affect my play as I had bought in for the minimum. Never seen anyone with more than one actual chip from another casino on the felt, a souvenir one being used as a card protector, which is generally not a problem. Even that would be sketchy if it was the same color as a large denomination at present room though.

Just another reason why I don't like allowing anything but chips and cards on the felt.

My locals don't allow blacks on 1/3 tables, I've always been surprised that some (most?) places do. Too easy to hide a single chip.

This place (Seminole Tampa) definitely does.

Later our table won a room promo where each seated player got $100. They paid each of us with a $100 chip, which was in play, so at that point everyone had a black.

Dam racists thinking blacks may hide chips, no reason to ban them.

Black chips matter!

-jk

To be fair, it's Canada, we ain't caled the Great White North for nothing.

Dealer did the right thing, you should not have protested

Floor should probably have been alerted and he should have been given a stern warning

Probably less likely of an angle and more likely he just thought it looked cool to have black chips on top of his stack.