They also have chip runners.

And I know NE isn’t familiar with chip runners so I’m just informing those who don’t know that tipping is generally expected. $1 is fine

Non-tipping is a tell, imo. I try not to give action to players that don't tip for services where tipping is called for. true story.

Wait, you're supposed to tip the chip runners EVERY time you use them?

Every time a service is provided, it is customary to tip. If you don't want to tip, go get your own chips. Just my opinion.

What about my other questions? =)


When your allin preflop, do you need to show your cards?

Does the better/raiser need to show there cards first at showdown?

I would normally nix this discussion (tipping containment) but I know many in the northeast are unfamiliar with chip runners, and what is customary regarding them, so it's informative. But please tread carefully and not get into arguments about it.

In both situations IF the caller shows first you can muck, else they can wait you out and the dealer will prompt the last raiser to show first. Not sure about all in preflop situations, and whether they have everyone turn their cards face up. I usually wait until someone instructs me to do something if I have a losing hand.

I will also say that you need to show your hand to win. So your opponent saying you win in a stud game or a game like hold’em doesnt mean anything until you show your hand. If you muck and they show 72o in hold’em or the second nut low in a Stud Hi game they win. Seen this play out in Stud where players had three of a kind face up and their opponent showing worse after the winning hand mucked their hole cards. Same applies in hold’em even if your opponent plays the board or even if you show one and it is better than their hand. Your cards will not be retrieved from the muck.

What is the remaining confusion about who has to show first?

At Encore, if you have an all in preflop, do they have players flip there cards up like a tournament or is it face down and the last raiser has to show first?

All showdowns are last aggressor (or earliest position if no aggressor) shows first. No forced exposure on all in.

Is a winning hand required to show down to win the pot?

E.G. Call bet on riv, other player auto mucks, do you have to show to win a pot as a called bet or do you not have to show.

Not as far as I've seen, but since the dealers are green who knows if that is the rule or them just going with the flow.

You don't have to show.

At the 5/10 and 10/20 I've played you do not have to show if the other player mucks.

Seen the same at low stakes on multiple occasions.

Twin River is the only casino I've ever played in where someone has to show their hand to claim a pot once the only other remaining player mucks their hand. And no TR dealer or floor has ever given a valid explanation for why that rule exists or what would happen if the remaining player refused to show

99% sure foxwoods has this rule as well.

Foxwoods is the same. If there is action on the river, someone has to show to win the pot

I legit never knew this. Lifelong AC player, and never encountered chip runners there. Started going to Parx recently, and they use chip runners, which was new to me. I did not realize tipping was expected. In fact I assumed it would be frowned upon based on the fact that they're handling money. Glad I've been creeping on this thread for my next Boston trip haha.

Huh, I don't remember that being the case. I stand corrected.

I am positive you don't have to show if your opponent mucks on the river at Encore, though, for sure. MGM Springfield as well.

It's been a while, but can confirm this from my last visit. Called a river bluff, tried to tilt the tilty kid further by making him show/asking dealer to expose his hand after mucking. Said they don't do that. So I capped my cards with a tip and waited for the pot and they made me show. Makes no sense. I understand forcing one player to show to claim the pot (though disagree with it as a rule) and I understand not forcing the other guy to show, but if he doesn't have to I shouldn't have to.

Chip runners are provided only in the high limit room in Borgata on week-ends. I'm surprised you never noticed the Borgata chip runners as they are quite distinctive in their vests, rolling their chip carts to and from the cage.

At Encore (what I’ve seen, anyways) the dealer will take my cash, and give me chips. The dealer will do this a half a dozen times for players, have 1500-2000 stuffed in the tray, and eventually a chip runner will come and sell chips to the dealer for that cash in his tray. (I THINK I once saw a dealer tip a chiprunner a white chip he had reserved from his own tips at this point, but I could be mistaken.)

Should everyone who has cash in the dealers tray be tipping the chip runner a buck at this point? I’ve always treated this the same as a fill, and I’ve never tipped the person who brings the fill. Sincere question not trying to start a tipping war.

Yes, the dealers tip out chip runners / refillers one or two whites from what I've seen at least when they've remembered to set a few bucks aside. As a player I wouldn't worry about it. Waiters tip out the busboys and barbacks at the end of the day too most places, but I don't really worry about how exactly I'm involved in that transaction other than to tip my server in the first place.

Word has it that back during the boom years, Foxwoods had so many entitled morons running around that most of the rules have defaulted to being simple and straightforward rather than sensible or good for the game. The kind of players who would argue with a floor for 20 minutes rather than turn over their T2o probably are no longer with us for the most part. For example, I've been told that the rule for posting when coming into a game (which Encore doesn't seem to require) was enacted due to a cabal of players years ago who decided it was +EV to constantly table hop between games rather than ever pay the blinds.

My understanding of the Encore showdown rule is: last aggressor on the river shows first, and if there has been no betting on the river it goes clockwise from the seat to the left of the button, regardless of betting on previous streets. Not sure how or if that changes if there was no betting possible on the river because all the chips went in already, but 1/3 seems to be mellow enough that it hasn't really been an issue. (IIRC, on PokerStars it was always last aggressor on any street, but obviously a computer can track that much easier than a live dealer, and the hands were all shown in the history file even if the software wasn't explicitly turning them over on the virtual felt.)