I'm not a dealer, but can't you just talk to the floor supervisor and ask him to make sure every floor is on the same page on this?

Here's an idea of the kinds of things I think should be in such a document. I'm talking about super basic stuff that everyone that played poker pre-moneymaker knows but is lost to the current internet-first generation.

Card protection

Unprotected cards


Protected cards


Two ways to table your hand

Finger method


Hand on table, or the RR method


Videos

How to table your hand - Finger method
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcbXzknrsjY

How NOT to table your hand - Donkey toss method
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQm1cHx4yWw


I'd like to write up a complete FAQ on topics like protecting cards when dealt, how to bet, showdowns, words to use and not use, etc. But all this will probably have to wait until November after the honeymoon.

What license do i need to be a poker dealer in West Virginia?
Link?

Have you contacted a poker room in WV for direct accurate information yet?

Unless there is a dealer or floor/manager who works in WV that reads this forum, anything posted here would be a guess.

Why do players ask dealers to break the rules?

Over the last two weeks as I dealt close to 100 tournament downs, I was asked to violate several rules that were important enough that they were explained during the opening announcements before each day of play.

"Don't penalize him/her for violating that rule, it doesn't matter"; "Oh who cares if he's violating the rule, we won't tell." Come on dealer, rabbit hunt one time for me."

One player took their stack over the line and dropped one chip, the betting line is drawn on the tables and it was mentioned in the pre tourney announcements. Add to it the player admitted that the previous dealer had warned them but the table wanted it to be overlooked.

Does anyone understand that the rules are written to protect game integrity, that dealers who violate these rules can be penalized for doing so? What kind of penalty? How about losing the chance to deal for the rest of the day or even the rest of the week.

I've had people offer me a $1 to $5 to rabbit hunt. If I'm sent home and lose even one hours earnings I'm in the hole big time.

Does anyone understand how wrong rabbit hunting is? If you just ran a successful bluff, showing the next card could expose the bluff and cost you big time on the next hand you make a move on.

People complain about dealer mistakes and they should. Dealer errors should be addressed in a timely and professional manner.

But who complains when players pressure dealers into breaking rules put in place to protect the game?

I've always handled this with, "I've got to follow ALL the rules, pal, not just the ones you like." This shuts 'em up.

Also, after you've killed the board and all the hole cards, give the deck a quick wash, then briefly turn up a card, and tell him that's his rabbit. You haven't given up any information, and his superstitious side is placated for a while.

...until the next time, any way. But the next time, just say, "Sorry, I can only do it once."

800-795-7001 (x4580) is the number for the poker room in Charles Town.

The last I heard (about 6 mos. ago) they were only hiring experienced poker dealers. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of that info, though.

And I am not a dealer.


--klez

Re: Rabbit Hunting

I am amenable if a nice reg asks me and I have a way that I do it which doesn't take much extra time and doesn't make it a big issue for those who don't want to see it (and isn't something the camera would catch) and doing it has netted me a few extra dollars by way of thanks.

If it makes more sense to NEVER do it, I'll go that route. That would be if I got in trouble for it or veryone here said it was a bad idea...

Rabbit hunting is not good for the game. It's immaterial what the next card would have been, the hand is over.

If a player represents he had "whatever" hand, rabbit hunting could expose the fact that he was bluffing, you have just made an enemy who WILL complain to your boss or stop tipping you. In fact, anyone who has seen you rabbit hunt for your friends probably has formed a negative opinion of you right now.

The room you deal in pays you to enforce the rules and protect the integrity of the game, not make "a few extra bucks" violating the rules your are supposed to follow.

Whenever you fail to follow or enforce any rule, you create a bad situation. First, you have admitted to everyone at the table that you can be bought for a $1 or 2, that the rules can be ignored if you are enticed enough to do so. Is that the kind of reputation you want to have?

In addition, the other dealers in your room now have to put up with hearing about how you bend the rules for "special" customers (ie: "a nice reg"). Their jobs, which they attempt to do correctly, just got harder.


If you are going to tell me everyone in your room bends at least some of the rules on occasion, then you do not work in a very well run card room.

Dealers are supposed to be impartial third parties and protect the integrity of the game.

If you are making sure the camera doesn't catch it (good luck doing that) or you intend to stop when you get in trouble, then you KNOW it's wrong. It doesn't matter is you only show it to one or two players, they can tell another player what it was.

You do realize giving away tells of one player to another is wrong and that is potentially what you are doing.

Some of the dealers in my room apparently got it in there head that the way around the no rabbit hunting rule was to drop the deck and let the player reach in and rabbit hunt for themselves.

The problem is that the players then get it in their head that they can do this whenver they want and now I still sometimes have to fight off grabby players who think there is nothing wrong with reaching in to rabbit hunt

BTW, this is why we were always taught to muck the stub.

I am not a dealer, but as a player i do this every now and again. I usually only do it in a pot that is not to meaningful, and when i kind of know the dealer, or dealer seems 'cool'. I usually toss the dealer a $1 or $2 for the privilege, and no player has ever complained about this at the table.

I know per the rules this is kinda iffy, but is this generally okay to do every now and again? i dont see any real problem with it as long as it doesn't get out of hand, or the pot is not a monster.

When I used to be in the box, I never really liked being asked to rabbit hunt. The only situations that I would consider it were if someone had a royal flush/ straight flush draw... I would peek at the card for my eyes only and say " Didn't get there." or something of that sort.

As a manager now... I really only despise rabbit hunting because it represents a rule being violated and us managers don't care for that much because it makes everyone's job more difficult.

As a manager, one thing that urks me is dealer commentary. In my perfect world, my dealers wouldn't be able to speak outside of game direction.

It's against the rules, isn't that enough of a reason not to do it?

So breaking the rules is "cool"?

It's not "iffy", it's against the rules, period.

So you put limits on when you do it, what's to stop other players from doing it on huge, "meaningful" pots because they saw you getting away with it? How does anyone know what your standards are? They just see you rabbit hunting, they think they should be able to as well.

No rabbit hunting period IMO.

Nothing good ever comes of a rabbit hunt for any player at the table. Ever. There is simply no upside. And there is a downside. The only person who can benefit from rabbit hunting is the dealer fishing for tokes.

I had a dealer rabbit hunt "for" me last night. I tossed my str8flush draw in face up after I got no callers, and the dealer decided he needed to see if I'd blown my high hand bonus by betting people out of the pot. I didn't ask him to rabbit, and I really didn't want him to rabbit--it just doesn't matter to me whether I actually would or would not have hit it. But he's a new dealer and I imagine the joys of seeing who blew their HHJ will wear thin for him soon.

Here's something that, when it happens, I think, "I'm going to make a post about that," but it's so insignificant that I forget by the time I get home:

Who invented the tradition of folding from the blinds by sliding your cards underneath your bet and pushing it all in toward the dealer??? I HATE THIS!!! Now I've got a pile of cards and chips that need to be sorted. Cards go to the muck, chips go to the pot. And when both blinds do this in harmony, I've got a HUGE pile to sort now!

And I never hear dealers complain about this, which makes me think I'm the only one it bothers. Since the dealers don't bitch about it, the players keep doing it.

I guess I just wanted to vent that, and also ask, "Does this annoy other dealers?"

Now you're complaining about a player trying to be helpful by pushing his chips closer to you? I think you're just being nitty, it never even crossed my mind.

That used to annoy me because it looked a lot like a protected hand. What was worse was dealing crazy pineapple and players would put their discard under their flop bet, I needed to get the discards in the muck, without pulling in the bets (they were still betting the flop).

Makes sense, but usually they're pushing it forward when it's their turn to act, so you're looking right at them right? The crazy pineapple example would be a hassle though, especially if the whole table was doing it.

what drives me nuts is this:
The player has called a bet, which is stacked neatly in front of them, the betting round is complete and i am gathering the bets. As i come around to certain players bets, they reach out and attempt to push the stack in "to help"but succeed in only scattering the chips making it harder form me to gather them.

There is an Asian woman at Hollywood - IN. who deals poker, the second it becomes your action she points at you and starts snapping her fingers encouraging you to hurry up. She then starts repeating its your action. She wont do it to regulars but it tilts the hell out of a first timer who is afraid to take his time lol...

I believe its a bit over the top for her to do this, however the more hands she deals the more she makes so I see why.

it annoys me. But not enough to complain about. Far more annoying i sthe guy who decides to "help" me by picking up and throwing his bet in after I'm already reaching out to get it so basically he tosses it over my hand.

Ytf, no it is not just you.

First jackpot in over 3 years for me last night!

99 vs. TT
99A, running aces to make the minimum qualifier. Woot!
It's been quite awhile for me. Finally!

Congrats, I hit one 3 weeks ago, the last one was over 4 years ago.

Since I hit it, it's been hit 7 more times in my room. But the room tends to hit it often anyway, it averages ~once per week. There were two, month + long dry spells and it's "catching up>