Just some small detail behind the hand. MP Preflop raise, HJ call (hero), SB call.

SB Checks, MP bets $50, I proceed to raise and cut out $50 for the call and $100 for the raise amount. (All nickels). I put the $50 in one hand and the $100 in the other and in one motion drop them in the middle. If one crossed the line before the other it was within a half second or second at most of the other. The dealer proceeds to tell me the raise is to $100 total because I made 2 motions. I did not go back to get additional chips and both bets were put out there at the same time.

The same dealer did something similar to another guy at the table which he was obviously new and his motion was not similar to mine at all. He basically put out almost enough for a min raise and went back to get more chips and put a lot more in.

I have played at this room numerous times but not sure if I have done this motion before or even paid attention.

I asked for the pit boss and he ruled in the dealers favor even though she argued it as if I did a string bet or 2 motions which was incorrect. I was going to argue anymore about it.

tbh a half a second is enough for a noticeable string bet. Just announce raise next time and the amount of the raise.

I don't see where she came up with a $100 raise, it should have been ruled a call.

Sorry, maybe I didn't clarify correctly. I did say Raise and the dealer said the $100 stack came in before the $50 stack and that is why it was a total of $100.

Seems the dealer believed you dumped the $100 in advance of the $50 stack. Reverse your action next time and you should be good to go.

no need to apologize but it sounds like the ruling was correct, it sounds like a string bet. If you're not sure you're putting chips in with one motion, just announce the action prior to moving the chips.

Don't hold chips in both hands. That's a recipe for a string bet (ruling).

If you need both hands and don't want to announce your intention, at least have the chips on the table and move them forward at the same time.

I disagree with the ruling. OP said he announced a raise and brought out two stacks, roughly simultaneously, with one stack in the exact amount of the call. It's hard to interpret this as anything other than a raise in the amount of the bigger stack.

At best, this is a hyper-technical ruling if the bigger of the two stacks hit the felt a split second before the call hit the felt. I generally don't favor hyper-technical application of the rules when the actions in question don't implicate the policy underlying the rule.

I could be wrong, but I thought the whole point of the string bet rule is to prevent someone from adjusting the size of the intended raise based upon the reactions discerned while going back for more chips. Where the entire raise is brought out roughly simultaneously with the call, and where there is no second motion to retrieve more chips or alter the amount of the raise, I don't see the point in calling a string bet.

I hate when I see this nonsense. If both your hands are in motion at the same time it is ridiculous to play the game of which crossed the line first. But this sort of thinking occurs because inexperienced players get told the string bet rule is to prevent you from somehow getting a tell. These inexperienced players later becomes inexperienced dealers and they honestly believe they are protecting other players.

It doesn't really sound like a string bet as described, but the problem with these situations is that they're highly subjective to the whims of whatever floor or dealer happens to have to deal with it, as this thread shows.

As a player, it's your responsibility to make your intentions perfectly clear at all times. If you don't, then you can subject yourself to whatever the floor rules.

I disagree with the ruling as well .. provided there was a verbal 'raise' in there.

You are allowed to put out the calling chips when you announce raise ... and then you put out the raising chips. This is typically done in 2 motions .. which is in fact how the dealer ruled it by calling it a string bet, except there was a verbal declaration beforehand. The fact that OP cut out chips 'next to' the calling chips is even more implied intent to raise 'that' amount. OP describes it as 'one' motion, although the raising chips trailed the calling chips.

I do not agree that leading with the 100 stack cures everything here. In fact that would be cause for this exact ruling if the 50 'extra' chips trailed the 100 stack AND somehow this got ruled 2 motions, not one.

I would allow this as long as it 'was' all one motion even without the verbal raise .. trailing chips? Big deal. What do we do with players who are pushing 2 stacks and one of them falls over but they continue to push the upright one? We allow all the 'humpty dumtpy' chips into the pot.

A string bet is 2 motions, which requires the player to 'go back' for more ... not 'trailing' chips IMO. Obviously you want to protect your action as best you can so announcing the amount or pushing them a little more together should protect you. GL

You are allowed to put out the calling chips first and then go back for the raising chips. But if you put out the raising chips first, it's a raise to the amount that you put out. You are not allowed to go back for a second motion and add the calling chips to your raise.

If OP put the $100 in the pot and then tried to add the $50 call, I doubt anyone would argue that isn't a string raise. The controvery is over him doing it at (almost) the same time.

He said the 100 crossed the line first and up to a full second later the 50 crossed.

Based on the description I disagree with the ruling too, but string bets are enforced in different areas and casinos and dealers in a multitude of ways. In Europe they are often quite religious about the string bet. So yes, don't open up yourself to this at all, if you need many chips announce it in advance

I didn't say one or the other crossed the line first. I was speculating if it did. In my eyes I moved both hands across the line evenly. I was in the 8 seat so most likely one would have crossed before the other though.

I really can't recall if I've done something similar in this room before but I was playing this weekend at another poker room and saw someone do something exactly like I did. Nothing was said or even questioned.

Needless to say I thought I was right in the situation and the dealer is the sole person on the "do not tip list".

I'll make sure this doesn't happen in the future. I had just questioned the ruling and if this should have been ruled as a string bet as I didn't agree.

Bad ruling.

What will you do to make sure it doesn't happen in the future?
- Clear verbal declaration of raise amount (as I wonder if raise 100 will get you multiple rulings in this room)?
- declaration of raise, one motion for calling chips, one more motion for raise chips?
- Hands together, pushing out stacks together along the felt?

Yes, serious question. Even when people think they are clear, there are spots for ambiguity.

I have hundreds if not thousands of hours in that room and haven't had an issue. I try to stay away from your #1 item as you said you could get multiple rulings depending on how they heard you say it. If I give an exact amount on a raise I say XXX total so it's not an issue.

I normally have numerous $25/$100 chips so I don't have this issue but I had lost those in an earlier hand making a larger call. I don't normally verbalize the amount as I say raise drop in $150 with one hand it's just a not as easy if it's all nickels, lol.

If I have to use 2 hands I would normally do your #3 option and push the stacks along the felt. I just recall this situation being the dude to my right was a little too close and not in his "bubble" so if I did that my elbows would be in his basically in his face.

If the room's cash game rule is the same as the TDA rule, "Raise 100" means that the total bet is $100.

This is technically legal, but not normally seen, at least where I play, because it can be confusing. When a player says, "Raise" and puts in enough to call, some question whether they've heard the player correctly; those behind the player can act out of turn because once they see chips in front of a player, they assume he's acted and it's their turn. Another reason this isn't a good idea... I've played in rooms with a house rule in effect that said if you announce raise and put calling chips in first, and you put any additional chips in the pot, you are held to a min-raise. So if the bet is $19, and you say raise and put out $20, you are held to a $19 raise to $38.

This isn't a very often encountered situation so you might not even know if this is the rule where you play. You're now also potentially opening yourself up to a floor decision, which is never ideal for you because of the reasons I explained earlier.

I never put in calling chips first and then figure out how much to raise, and I don't recommend it to anyone. It's just not a good habit to get into.

The dealer is probably a rules nit dealer. There are a couple in every room and sometimes he will rule a hand in your favor, too. I wouldn't really take it as personal as you are (and this is assuming if the hand could have been ruled one way or the other).


You admit it could likely have been up to one full second (or maybe even more, but you didn't realize it) later, which when placing a bet in poker is a pretty long time - much longer than necessary to rule a bet a string bet/string raise. Even after you announce raise, and after putting in the "calling chips", the raise needs to be made in one motion only. That is why after you announced raise and put in the red stack of 100, the action was finished.

I know I wasn't there, but for a dealer to call a string raise and not hearing from you any disagreement from the other players, and your admittance that it could be up to a full second, the dealer was most likely correct.

Dealer was incorrect, your action was not a string raise if you got all the chips out in 1-2 seconds as described

Verbalizing raise should clearly get op the benefit of the doubt in this spot

You can not put in another stack up to 2 seconds after the first one. They need to be made SIMULTANEOUSLY with one motion, not up to two seconds later.

rules vary from room to room and dealer to dealer within the same room

player announces raise puts in the call then goes back for more chips
some rooms / dealers will allow any amount
other rooms / dealers will call it a min raise only as you reached back.

unless you can't speak English then stating raise and the amount is minimal effort for maximum clarity!

yet we see it day after day , simpleton's can talk sports for hours on end or tell everyone how they would have played that hand but can't state a number amount for a raise.

If you just say raise and the amount, most of the time it won't matter how you put your chips out. I say most of the time because I realize some rooms have "special" rules and from time to time dealer or floor folks can interpret them with some "variety"! Live poker is sometimes annoying.

I disagree. If you announce raise and put out a stack of chips that is a legal raise, you should not be allowed to wait 1-2 seconds to put out a second stack of chips.

I hate rules nittery and like for dealers/floors to give (unblemished) players the benefit of the doubt, but what you describe is basically the definition of a string raise.