normally i would agree this is a shady move that shouldnt be allowed but boss ****ing move probs to cowboy

I could swear there was a similar thread several years ago, but it turned out the waitress was the guy's wife/gf and he wanted to call but not for his whole stack so he saved a huge chunk of it that way.

This tipping thing finally reminded me of something that happened at the Commerce somewhere in the 1980s. A player in the $5/$10 lowball game constantly overtipped a particular waitress. Most of us thought he was just trying to get in her pants. Turned out he was pulling chips off the table. You see, that waitress was his wife and she gave him the money back later.

As a poker strategy, it's a bad one, but one I've seen in multiple forms.

I'm no poker room manager, but isn't tipping from the stack only allowed whenever you are not in a hand? (at least in the rooms I've been to)

Whether there is a rule against it or not it certainly happens, and no one really says anything. Everyone allows tipping from the stack because it's good for the game and keeps players at the table. Even if you are not supposed to do it during a hand, the idea that it would be for some amount that is going to massively impact the hand in some way is unlikely. It's not like there's a spot where if a guy has $100 I shove, but for $105 it's a fold. That level of precision just doesn't exist.

I think of it as a case of security through obscurity. Sure, it's a backdoor loophole to ratholing or screwing another player in a pot. But the stars have to align. First, you have to be in a situation where you want to showdown but not for the amount in front of you, and the waitress has to be near by. And at best you still lose the money, just the player you don't like doesn't get it. Running some sort of con where the waitress is in on it as well seems like a lot of effort for little value. Someone regularly ratholing by tipping chips to their wife is laughable. If they are that bad that they think it's a good idea, I probably want them at my table even with the ratholing.

These stories are unlikely to be true, and even if they are, I'm fine letting the floor deal with them on a case by case basis rather than try to have all the dealers enforce some policy regarding when and how much tipping from the stack is allowed. If I was the floor the guy probably gets a 24 hr. ban the first time and a perma if he does it again.

In busier rooms it's impractical to have a waitress hang around for several minutes until a player finishes their hand.

Look, the casino doesn’t give a toss if tipping off the stack might cause some problems sometimes, because it facilitates room transactions like massage, drinks, food, gift shops, etc (and even tipping the dealer). When I worked at a casino, this is what I was told. As long as it’s not a situation like above where people are tipping someone they know, the casino just sees too many advantages to letting it happen.

How is it a bad strategy? Do people not understand how this can be used for an advantage?

I've seen it happen with massages before as they can get into the 100-200$ range so if a player knows he has a losing hand will pay for it before calling... I've always been of the opinion if its more than a bb it shouldn't be allowed during the hand but unfortunately no floor ever is going to stop their employees from getting paid. Honestly people who usually do this are great for the game like OP's cowboy so even if it costs you some money from time to time probably worth letting slide and let them get their wins that way.

My solution to solve this (extremely rare) problem:

Floor has discretion to kill a player's hand if they tip an excessive amount of chips from their stack while actively playing a hand.

It is not hard to identify when players are abusing this method. In practice, floor should never really need to get involved unless more than $50 is spent from active stack during a hand.

While this rule is not perfect, it protects the integrity of bigger games from this behavior.

The predictable grey area is expensive meal or massage during 2/5 or 5/10 game but floor could always create more specific guidelines if players didn't self-police.

There's an easy fix though: Don't allow tipping from your stack while you have cards.

With this rule you will have players with no money to pay for food and tip after losing the hand.

House is more concerned about getting paid instead of
the rare occasion someone tips way too much during a hand.

Same as ordering food, then realizing you forgot your wallet. Shouldn't order with money that's not available (and money in play is money that's not available).

One floor once told me the policy is to allow an insignificant amount ($1-$10) to be taken off the table during the hand if stack is significant. Can't seem to find a rule for it though.

Exactly, when I go to a restaurant they don't ask me to buy chips and leave them on the table before I order. They don't check my wallet or bank account either.

It's not because you go bust at the table that you're not expected to pay for your food/drinks.

I could understand casino's anticipating that some ppl do have all their money on the table and would rather not have this happen though.

Anything that removes/adds chips while in an active hand isn't good for the game.

Nice bit of fiction by the OP. It is well written tbf

It's a non issue, this is farfetched to believe.

+1

Is this in the right thread?

Sorry. No. I posted in wrong thread.

Haha yeah..... seemed a bit off topic

As long it is done before showdown why does it matter? People can tip whatever they want. Having less chips for cowboy is actually an advantage for hoody.

Interesting positions…

1. No one here is limiting how much a person chooses to tip. The question is can the tip come from chips in play while you have a live hand.

2. General consensus here seems to be that under the most strict reading of most rules any chips tipped from a stackis a tech rule violation. But most feel without a hand and or for a deminimus amount, while a violation is overall good for the game and should be tolerated.

What is your rule support that a tip of any size is fine prior to showdown? (Btw, at showdown by definition those chips are either in the pot because they were bet or called OR there is no risk of them being in the pot this hand.)

How is it an advantage to hoody for cowboy to get to decide how much hoody can win or lose?

So when you shove with the nuts and your opponent tips the
waitress $500 and calls you with his last five bucks... you're fine with it?

You still win the money so the amount doesn't really matter. I'm sure someone at the table would call floor so it would be highly entertaining too.