At 7:23 mark, with a bit of commotion and Gold moving around the table is easily distracted, and the dealer places a full overhand palm grip on the chips on the table. I think this is exactly the kind of situation where a pro would look to palm chips with all these guys chattering and a big pot in the middle.

You don't see dealers grab chips that way too often.

Are you insisting that he actually stole a chip or are you insisting that the way he gathered the chips is wrong?

Stole, when money is involved It does happen.

I vote everyone starts linking videos as such:

add this to the end of the youtube link, eg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qxCI8Cseto
+
#t=7m21s (7 minutes and 21 seconds)
=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qxCI8Cseto#t=7m21s

I looked at the clip a dozen times, and I gotta say it looks a little weird to see chips in his palm rather than his fingertips. Barryg1 was there. Perhaps he can chime in and tell us what he thinks...

I get the feeling OP believes this dealer is committing gross misconduct in handling chips this way, regardless of his intentions. (And I agree)
Weather this particular dealer actually stole chips or not is not the point. OP is letting us know to watch out for mishandling chips like this, as it is a common method cheats use..

It looks like esfandiari is looking RIGHT at the dealers hand when he does this (that's right..the MAGICIAN), even though he does palm the chip, you cant see if he lets it go right on the other side of the table, which he most likely did...especially at a televised poker game.

doubt it

Watched the clip, seemed really odd and looked like the perfect spot to do the trick(well perfect would be without the camaras obv)..

Thanks OP, we internet poker players need those kinda tips for when we start playing and are playing live games.

i was actually a victim of chip stealing. it happened at a casino called Sky City off of exit 102 on rt40 in new mexico. its a truck stop casino. i was on the way to california and decided to stop there to check it out. they didnt have a poker table so i sat down at a blackjack table. i was only 18 at the time and didnt know that you had to be 21 to play, but anyway, after about an hour of grinding blackjack and being breakeven, i noticed the dealer took a $5 chip from my bet. i assume he did this because i hadnt tipped him at all in the hour that i was there (didn't know any better) but anyway, i called him out on it, he called the floor, the floor checked my id and asked me to leave because i was underage. gg dealer.

I think the dealer only did this because he was intending to grab cash as well.

However, it's definitely not proper procedure.

in all honesty, i highly doubt the tv dealers are palming chips. i was watching pad and kenny tran (i believe) was tipping the dealer after every pot he won in $100 chips. that must be a huge night for them and on top of that i am sure they get paid more to deal the tv table. am i wrong?

i feel like this is one of those situations where if he was actually planning on stealing chips from the pot, it would look a whole lot better than what he did.

ty for the OP, I've never played live but will for it when i do

That's not the proper way to pick up chips but I don't believe the dealer stole it on a show with cameras everywhere that millions of people on the continent watch.

btw, those are some pretty lose calls in that screen shot

BUSTED!

If you take money from Jamie Gold is it still considered stealing?

And ty OP, very helpful post, I'll keep this in mind.

I promise you that you can't see it when it happens. Not even on camera. But it's NO accident that he is picking up chips this way. I guarantee you it's not his first time either. This move takes many hours of practice to perfect. His big hands help out a lot too. Who can really see what's in his hands after he moves the chips to the center? Once again, I GUARANTEE you that a decent manipulator can hide one chip with no problem. Think about the sleight-of-hand magicians you have seen in your lifetime. This is a hanger for them. "Hanger" is a pool term for an easy shot.

I'd like to see the reaction if all the players in the game could see that clip. The dealers may be getting about $100-200 to deal this game, plus the players have a stack of $5 chips they use to tip them. One chip per pot is the average tip, and that's only if there is more than the blinds in there. So maybe they are making a few hundred to deal this game. Most dealers want to do it for the prestige. But it sure is tempting when you see $1,000 chips getting thrown around like confetti. Especially if you have perfected this move.

When you gamble as long as I have, you get to see all kinds of crazy stuff, like crooked dice tables and crooked blackjack shoes. YES! I've seen them up close and personal. What I've learned in forty years hanging around casinos and pool rooms is that when money and human beings are involved, you better be careful! You must look out for yourself. Look what happened on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker. I always felt like stuff like that could and would happen online.

yeh this never happens to me because im really nitpicky about counting the exact amount in the pot. i had a player try to shortchange me out of $30 but I called him out on it and the floor went and looked at the tapes and the guy was forced to give me my $30.

Hey Jay. I know who you are and I even played pool at your pool room a few times. What are you up to these days?

Making babies!
Actually I have a five month old daughter in the Philippines and I'm headed that way tomorrow. I do a lot of commentary for pool on television, but mostly it is shown in Asia and Europe. I was the tournament director at last month's U.S. Open so I'm still very involved with pool.

I'm playing a lot less poker these days. Maybe only five or six tournaments this year. This was the first year since 2002 that I didn't play even one event at the WSOP. I have been playing a little 15-30 Omaha H/L on Poker Stars. Not a bad little game.

Dealer grabs chips like that to pick up the cash as well. Bad procedural technique by him, but lol at trying to say he is stealing on national tv. I find it very odd that no one has questioned your integrity yet for coming on here and accusing him of stealing. 100% bad procedural move by the dealer, but not a "thief". Get a life OP, and some real hair as well.