So I'm dealing $2-4 LHE tonight. We had a special event that brought a lot of people to the property who normally don't come, so we had a lot of newbs in the room for this one.

One of the first hands of the down, MP raises preflop, only the blinds call. Flop and turn, blinds check, MP bets, blinds call.

A blank hits the river, and suddenly, SB (newb) bets out. BB groans, because he's being squeezed, and folds. MP makes a crying call, but his unimproved AKs is no good--SB had A5 and had flopped bottom pair. He wins. I have no doubt that he doesn't even know what a squeeze play is, he just tried a desperate bluff, and got lucky to get a better hand to fold AND a lesser hand to call.

So far, no big deal, but I had to tell you about that hand to set the stage for this one:

Same newb is first, and he's betting bottom pair every street, since it worked last time. Only this time, the player to his immediate left is raising him every street. A third player ("Villain") is paying through the nose for his draw, which doesn't get there. The every-street-raiser wins, and as I'm pushing a huge pot to him, Villain (who missed his draw, and is fuming that he had to pay extra to do it because of some newb) starts venting. He's calling to the winner, "You should tip HIM extra, for betting into you every street!" Then to the newb, "How many times does that guy have to raise you before you stop betting into him? Unbelievable! Dumb ass!"

I ask Villain if he and Newb are friends. Villain says no. I give Villain a disapproving headshake, and tell him, "We don't do that here." Villain assures me that he is "in this place five times a week, and I hear worse than that ALL the time!" What does he think, I only come in once a year or something? But I can't retort that I'm there five times a week as well, since I'm only part time, which means I usually come in four days, so I just shut up. At least Villain is madder at me than at Newb, so I've done my part to protect the innocent.

About 30 seconds later, a floor man came by the table for something unrelated, and I was still pissed at Villain, so I asked the floorman, "Hey Joe, are we allowed to call each other Dumb Ass after the hand is over?" Most players smiled, Joe ruled that no, that was not permitted, and Joe kept on walking.

Villain wasn't smiling. "Woooooow!!!", he said, positively shocked that I would sell him down the river that way.

"Hey, you didn't believe ME, so I thought you'd want to hear it from him."

He was not amused. "Well, there goes YOUR tips from now on!"

"Sir," I replied, "If I've got to sit still while you berate our guests in order to get tips from you, then I don't want them."

He folded his arms, set his jaw, and began the vigil. He couldn't WAIT to win a pot, so he could stiff me.

Meanwhile, while he's waiting for a winner, I'm getting $2-3 tokes every hand for the rest of the down. It was the best $2-4 LHE down I've ever had. Announcing he was going to stiff me was the best thing he ever could have done for me.

The floorman came back, and asked which player was the one that prompted me to ask him that, but I waved him off, and told him that everything's fine now, so he let it go. Later, away from the table, he asked me what it was about, so I told him the whole story. I added, "I didn't point him out to you, because if I rat him out, he'll REALLY get mad at me."

"Oh, you didn't need to point him out," said the floor. "I just assumed it was the guy in the blue cap."

"DING DING DING DING DING!"

Very rarely will the floor not know who the problem child is going to be when they're walking over.

Plus, when the guy says he hears worse every day, its probably because HE says worse every day

Seems odd to reignite the problem after it has passed and the argument/berating was over.

anyone know what happened at revel? apparently some of their best dealers quit?

As the floorman was able to correctly surmise the source of the problem, I'm betting that no, the problem had not passed, and the berating was not over.

Do you really believe that your self serving, ego building fake question to the floor "are we allowed to call people dumbass...?" after the issue was over would in any way contribute to either a better playing experience at the table at the time, or have any effect on that guy's future behavior?

It seems from your post that you just wanted to continue the issue with the guy, so used the floor coming by to reopen the argument, so you could have another chance to put him down.

But I'll leave it at that. I'm a poker player, not a dealer so maybe all the dealers will feel you handled this in a very professional and clever manner. Just didnt seem like it from this players perspective, as the last thing I want at a table is a dealer starting a new argument at the table with a smart ass comment. If you felt he actually needed the policy confirmed by the floor, it seems you would call for the floor and tell him the guy has a doubt about the rules regarding berating players. But I guess that wouldn't have been as personally satisfying to you.

Seems odd to come into a friendly LC thread and try to berate somebody.

You're missing the point. The problem player seems to feel as if he's the Lord and Savior of the joint, because he shows up to play 5 days a week. You can be sure that the problem wasn't over even though the conversation was. It may have been over momentarily, but guys like that let things stick in their craw for days, weeks, even months. Sooner or later the problem player was going to get back at the dealer....and continue his crappy behavior in the meantime. The dealer was simply making a point (and a pre-emptive strike) by letting the player know that he needs to follow the rules like everyone else. He is not above the law.

As an outsider, the dealer's response may seem harsh. But I give him props for doing what he did. Many players are like children...once you let them get away with something, they will continue to push the envelope even further to see what else they can do. Better to rope them in the first time they misbehave. And if shaming the unruly child in front of other players is what it takes, so be it.

That wasnt my intent with my initial comment. I really just thought it was odd for a dealer to reopen an argument like that. Then I guess I took his follow on comment wrong, as it seems like he was saying it wasnt odd at all and was implying that it was a great way to handle it. From a player's perspective, I dislike seeing dealers mock players as well as the other way around.

But you're right, and I'll not comment again on this. It's easy to forget sometimes when switching from thread to thread that this one is different, and it's more a place for dealers to just say stuff about their day rather than to invite discussion on it. Then everyone can say, "yeah, you sure showed him!" and everyone will feel good.

My bad for intruding. i'm sorry about that.

As a player, I think what he did was great. And since everyone else at the table was tipping extra, I'm not the only one.

Also, if a player is bragging about being in the room 5 days a week, it's going to take more than a dealer calling him on his BS to chase him from the room.

We may need a separate containment thread for it.

What's the longest you guys had to wait for your gaming licenses?

Having been around, my experience has been the west is easy peasy. Quick FBI background check, fingerprints, thank you, drive thru.

Eastern US, not so much. A colonoscopy would probably be quicker and less painless.

The other night a player explained to the floor that the reason he told me to "Go To Hell" was because I provoked him ...... by asking him to not fold out of turn.

He also explained that the reason he deliberately folded out of turn was ..... Because .... Yes you guessed it ..... I provoked him ......

The other night at work we were kind of slow so myself and two other dealers were propping. Usually when we get bumped from a table we will throw our gaming licenses back on and act as a brush to help out the floor.

Some moron came up and complained to the floor that "These props are walking around with their badges on carrying chips and stuff. How do I know they won't make a floor call?"

Dude.... Wait, what? Evil Knievel couldn't have made that jump.

Around 6 weeks.

6 Weeks. New Hampshire. Grrrrrr.....

I found myself singing, "It's niiiiiiiiiiiine o'clock on a Wednesday/the regular crowd shuffles in...."

We do Aces Cracked on Wednesday nights, starting at 9. And we have a corps of regular players who only come in one night a week, and they all "shuffle in" between 8:30 and 9.

You making me fondly miss doing Aces Cracked at Excalibur and spinnnnnnnning that wheel.

Round and round she goes, where will it stop, hell nobody knows.

The ultimate in customer service. The reality is that management doesn't recognize what you're actually worth.

What rooms in the northeast allow prop players? Any shot info from Maryland could be available about that?

No, no, the manager gives me a SMILE. Cuz he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see, to forget about life for a while.

None I believe.

Try asking in the Md Live! Hype thread.

Mike Smith, the poker room manager, is answering questions itt.

They're scheduled to open in late August.


--klez

Hard to imagine a room in a brand-new market is going to need props at first. Don't they usually have players lined up outside the door on Day One, with mile-long wait lists?