Played at the Empire last weekend. The dealer was really doing a poor job shuffling the cards! After a hand was over he just flipped the community cards face down, didn`t really bother to "mix" them around on the table just piled them together, shuffled like twice, cut the deck while it was still in his hand and started dealing the next hand..
I didn`t comment on it since the players were so bad I wanted to get dealt as many hands as possible, but still... I`ve played a bit around Europe and in Las Vegas and this is the first time I`ve noticed it.
Also noticed: I sat there for maybe 2 hours the same dealer never left the table. I asked him if he ever gets a break he said no. I used to live in Estonia for 2 years, the dealers there worked like 30 mins on 30 mins off when they were on a shift.. don`t know what`s normal for dealers, but that he didn`t get a single break for like 2 hrs+ surprised me.
While a hand was in progress the dealer also told a bad beat story, all in preflop KcTc vs AcAh, he flopped a flush and a str8 flush draw but lost on the river!
I also witnessed one of the worst acting jobs I`ve seen at a poker table, big chinese guy sits down and raises the first hand he is dealt. Turns the nutflush and makes a great speak before both check-raising the turn and betting the river. Doubt that was the reason he got paid off though.. ppl in that game called with everything.
A break even online player could crush that £1-2 game if he bothered.
I sort of consider moving to London next year to follow Spurs and grind it out, but after this weekend I don`t know if I still want to do that after all? Why? SO ****ING CROWDED EVERYWHERE it`s a joke.. people all over, I was walking like 1 mph on Oxford Street on monday at 2pm, had to give up.. also all the pubs in Leicester Square and Soho were ABSOLUTELY packed.. underground packed at all times.. too much people for a friendly norwegian fellow