NWI NL 1/2
Hero observes a hand between two 45 yo WGs who are friends. Both are nice guys. Fellow one bets 10 on the Button, Fellow two raises to 30 and everyone folds. Button then says "All in."
Fellow Two in small blind says, "Really X, I have aces." He then shows his aces. Button folds. They laugh and say he'll buy the SB dinner.
I say, "Isn't his 'all in' binding?"
The dealer laughs and moves onto the next hand.
Am I wrong for finding this totally offensive? I felt like leaving the table. Everyone else didn't care. What happens in your casinos in this situation? I don't want to be in these soft-play games. It made me sick. Verbal should be binding.

This, like it or not, is standard given the descriptions. That everyone else didn't care should tell you something.

Dealer should enforce the all-in and it would annoy me that they didn't, assuming *I* would be held to an all-in. If not, it's an amateur hour room IMO and I would go elsewhere if that's an option. Either way I wouldn't make a fuss about it if that's how they do things there.

Why should the dealer enforce the AI this time when it's likely he hasn't the great many times it's come w/ these two in the past?

Unambiguously stated actions should be binding IMO. That's the way it's played in the card room I go to and that's the way I'd prefer casinos played. Of course, if that's not how a given casino does things, OK they have which are not to my preference.

Yeah i think it should not be allowed but everyone just passively accepts the soft-play. Stated action should be binding. if I were in the hand I would have complained. I also said afterwards, "I wouldn't let my dad out of an all-in." Of course, my dad wouldn't be as dishonorable not to honor his words.

It’s obviously a binding all-in in theory but I am 100% with Howard. Why do you care what others do with their money? SB showed aces so everyone at the table knows that they didn’t steal BBs $2 (lol) and just moving on saves everyone else at the table time.

FWIW, calling them “dishonorable” is beyond ridiculous. They don’t mean any harm. Pretty sure they can find a different hobby if more rules nits like you show up.

I don't particularly care if it's understood that I can jokingly state actions and then take them back, I do care if that option is reserved for regs. Again, I'd rather we operated in a binding environment because I want to have clear rules, but if its all jokes that's OK as long as its fairly applied.

To me, if you say you're going to do something you need to keep your word. It's like with the Armenian Mike thing where he said he was just joking. Shouldn't be allowed. Rules need to be followed.

Also, I think the other guy would have been tilted by the result which would have helped me.

I asked SB if he'd do that for me too. I sincerely doubt he would.

You're the first to say "regs" here. We have been given no indication that it is reserved for them.

Nope. Not wrong at all. As presented, it's awful.

I'm not sure that everyone else didn't care. Not speaking up, or reacting may just mean that they are used to it, afraid of causing a scene or choosing not to speak up for another reason.

I'd like to think that the dealer would call the floor, although I may be wrong. In the even that the player is forced to make the call (or get 86ed), the players could get up, cash out and give back the money. More interesting is when an enforced all-in cracks the AA and if that player decides to keep the pot, talk about really angle shooting. Is the AA guy getting freerolled?

Yes, I agree. I do think that some people joke and are actually offended that we think these things (angle shooting). Others simply don't get it and I'm hoping just a small amount of players are really shooting that angle.

I see this sort of stuff all the time and I don't get it. They talk about hands when they're not in them and even say why they're folding "he has the nuts" in multi-way pots. I called the floor before on two different guys before and i still don't understand how people don't see it's wrong. I hate being a tattle tale but come on.

What do you expect to happen if someone complained about it, called for the floor and the all-in is enforced?

Most likely scenario in my opinion: SB just folds his aces and the $30 go over to BU, players get up and leave. Maybe SB calls the AI, they get up and leave. Either case they are gone and returning the money to the other guy. That’s definitely what I would do if I ever felt like doing that kind of stuff and some guy started to rule nit on me.

Now those two guys who clearly don’t care about a couple hundred bucks are gone and replaced by #1 and #2 on the wait list. 22 year old online kid with huge headphones and 70 year old guy who is prepared to wait the next two hours for aces.

Is that really what you want?

Sorry, allowing take baksies on very clear all ins crosses the line for me. Softplay and implicit collusion happens and it's tolerated to keep the games friendly. This goes beyond that.

If you don't want to kill the table dynamic then talk to the floor afterwards. But I'm not comfortable playing in a room that allows this.

When you see this kind of thing go down , you can be pretty sure what kind of room you are in. Especially if nobody else "seemed " to care much. Trying to change things is likely a waste of time. Either go along and adapt with the way they run things or rack up and find another game.

As long as there wasn’t a third person in the pot or forced out of the pot just let it slide.

I let it slide but it left a bad taste in my mouth, I don't let up on any friends and they don't let up on me either.

99 percent of the time this stuff is harmless, but the problem is that since the rooms don't stop it most players have no idea that they aren't supposed to do it.

And then when it really matters, it ends up costing someone some money.

I didn't say that it is reserved for regs, I'm stating the conditions under which I would find this completely unreasonable.

If anyone can just retract their action because they're joking, then fine that's fair, albeit an amateur hour way to run a card room IMO.

If this option is applied conditionally, whether it's because the people involved are regs or friendly with the dealer or friendly with each other or are good looking chicks or whatever...then that's terrible.

That’s totally fine, just realize that not everyone is the same and that there are people who would rather stop playing poker in a casino than stop softplaying their friends.
If it’s a heads-up pot in a cash game and no third person is involved in any way, I am OK with most stuff that keeps the game going. Blind vs. blind and you want to chop it up after the flop (minus rake)? Fine with me. Always checking it down? Whatever, I don’t care. Taking money back? Your call.

The thing that annoys me is when regs try to talk fun players into checking it down and stuff like that. But two friends who came to the casino to have a good time together? Do whatever you want unless it impacts other players.

The AA guy isn’t getting freerolled because the other player had already mucked his hand.

Seems like bs to me but I wouldn’t get upset about it because it looks like the players are there to have fun instead of being there to play serious poker. I prefer those types over the serious guys with sunglasses, etc. that don’t say much.

In my opinion, this actually does affect all players at the table due to changed stack sizes, which would be my reason to get the all in enforced.

Hi Guys, I'm new here but not new to live poker by any means. I think everyone here who is upset has a good reason to be upset at something like this. People who know me personally know me as autistically rules-nitty.

BUT I think in the bigger picture, let these casuals have their way against each other as long as they can't do that against you. I think a big part of it is that none of the parties involved in the hand objected. While that's AWFUL of course from an integrity standpoint for the game, if you're the pro not in the hand (and they're truly casuals) this is great for your pocket. They'll stay longer and be relaxed and feel at home, when in reality there are probably 3 people at the table who see them as prey. The more you can keep up the illusion that they're amongst friends in a friendly environment, the better your chances of getting as much of their expendable income as possible. (including higher likelihood of rebuying after they're stacked if they're having fun an don't feel exploited) If you object you're either a d*ck at the table (in their view), or reminding them that there are pros there trying to exploit them. Either way that makes them more likely to leave vs rebuy.