Bobby's Breakroom - for gaming employee chatter + YTF appreciation. See restrictions in Post #1

hope you got a good toke

Fun times at the casino last week!

Some kid sat down at the $1/3 game in Philadelphia Eagles gear. Now, I live in Philly so this doesn't phase me, but it does set the mood for what is to some.

Second hand he gets his whole $200ish stack in on a flop of AT3 rainbow. The runout goes 5-5 and he disgustedly turns over A3 which, now counterfeited, loses to AK.

Immediately he is mumbling and grumbling and rebuys. Still in the same down he gets it all in on the flop against someone who turns over a flopped top set when the runout finishes. He doesn't show but mumbles about how many outs he missed.

He buys into the tournament and I don't see him there, though he was done before it went to the final table so he didn't cash.

I run into him again at another $1/3 game and the second I sit down he is bitching about me loud enough for me to hear. He then commences to fold every hand directly in front of him while in the seven-seat (we are 8-handed) meaning I have to lean all the way over to him to retrieve his cards. It was so obvious and petty that someone else at the table, when he stepped away, was incredulous, saying "He's really doing that to you?"

Whatever. It's a minor inconvenience and it slows me down but whatever.

Not long afterwards I push back into the same table and he is there and he is *still* doing this. Now I am irritated and two can play that game so I start short-arming him, putting his cards in the middle of the table and making him reach for them. After I do this a couple of times he seems to get the hint and starts folding like a normal person.

I was glad it ended there, but I had one more bullet in my chamber if he kept it up, and I was definitely going to fire it if I had to:

You know how when someone new to poker is at the table you will let the dealer pushing in know so they can treat them with kid gloves and not assume they are versed in things? Well, I was going to whisper loud enough that he could hear to the new dealer that the guy in the 7-seat had never played before and to be gentle with him.

I am very confident that, had I done this, he would have protested about how he has played the game before.

At which point I would, with mock sincerity, apologize profusely.

"I'm sorry," I would tell him. "When you went on monkey tilt for two hours because you took a bad beat I assumed you had to be new at this."

Did he look like Eric Andre? At my old job we had a guy who would do the card thing. Eventually he got banned and is still somewhere in the NE.

I wish more players would have the guts to speak out with the guy still at the table. I understand why they don't but it would really help out.

I had the best/worst day the other day.

I started late in the afternoon which is rare for me. Furthermore I had a crappy night sleep and was tired. Mostly due to the shift change, but whatever.

So knowing I am in trouble, I show up to my shift early to sign the EO before I ever clock on. The floor person in charge or the rotation asks me if I can clock in early and open a table. Not good for my EO, but sure, I am already here so why not. He tells me to open the 10-25-50 game, generally our biggest game. It is a time collection game. We generally waive time collection for the first down or even two to get the game going. It depends upon demand. The game also gets a moderate auto-toke at time collection. Not great but decent.

So I open the game and for the first 15 minutes I make nothing. Literally. I cannot blame the players because they are used to auto-toke, but since I am not taking time collection, I am not taking auto-toke either.

It sucks, but not the biggest deal in the world. Again, I don't blame the players, they are all very good to the dealers and will always bend over backwards to help them, but the timing sucked. Most of the players have been more than generous to me in the past so I cannot complain.

After a while I realize that I have been in for a while. Since I had clocked in early (probably 20 minutes to the hour), I had guessed that I was dealing the next down as well. I asked the floor if there was a forgotten tap out of me or not.

The floor comes over and tells me that the shift manager screwed up and forgot to put the table in the rotation. Sorry. To their credit, they announced to the table that since the table had just started up, there would be no time collection, but that they should take care of the dealer.

A couple of players tip me the minimum that would come with the auto toke. Fine.

I continue dealing and again it seems like a long time.

After a while I see other tables rotating, but no one comes to tap me out. So I call the floor over. I explain I haven't been tapped. They say ok and go the the shift manager. He comes over and I explain to him. He leaves and investigates. He comes back and explains that the person who was supposed to tap me out didn't read the updated board correctly and tapped out the game ahead of me.

Fine. So I am stuck here for another down.

To their credit, a couple of players see that I am stuck here again (and as a result they have yet to pay time) and tip me. It is a freeroll for them.

So I deal the rest of that down. I finally get tapped out. I had dealt an hour and 20 minutes at the table. I made barely over the minimum of the auto-toke for two downs. Fine. Again, no big deal. They players have no idea that there have been two screw ups. Not their fault.

The thing is, dealing at the high limit game is stressful. For thr most part, the players are great, but the game is tough. They play all sorts of games and things in the game are taken for granted (for example, since the BB is $50 it would be assumed just throwing in a $100 chip is a call, they all consider this a raise, unless verbalized). Furthermore there are a few players who are very peculiar about stuff. They may be in the big blind, but do not want the dealer to remind them. They will throw out the blind after the cards are out.

Nothing major, but stressful as a dealer nonetheless. Especually considering the looseness of the game. Compound it with the fact that they they are playing for a ton of money and it can be very stressful. I don't want that to sound harsh. It is a great game to deal. I love it. I really like dealing it, but that doesn't mean it isn't stressful. A dealer always has to be on. At his best or he will suffer.

So I then I (finally) go tap into the rest of my rotation of three tournament tables. I tap out the dealer who effed up and should have tapped me, but skipped me.

I immediately understand. This dealer is probably the nicest guy in the world. I am sure he saves puppies and orphans on his days off. No doubt. Unfortunately he is the worst dealer in the world. He literally does not have a clue. I would rather follow a brand new dealer out of school than him. He is brutal. The rack is always a disaster, and it is a 50/50 proposition that the button is in the right place. He is terrible. I understand why he effed up and I had to deal over an hour at the high limit game.

Fine. Whatever.

The first down goes smoothly. They players are all complementing me about how I am such a good dealer. I am being compared to the worst dealer in the world, so I take it with a grain of salt, but still. Good ego boost.

The 2nd tournament table is the same. Lots of compliments, but context matters. I am literally being compared to one of the worst dealers in the world. Great ego boost.

However, I see that I am not sharp. I am tired. An hour an 20 on the stressful high limit game plus an hour at tournaments has gotten to me after not getting good sleep. I am off. My mistakes are minor. Misreading bets, or missing action. Easily recovering from and the players do not even notice. I do though.

I get to the third tournament table and the players are ecstatic that there is a dealer there with an IQ over 80. They are loving me compared to the dealer ahead of me. I am faster, more efficient, more accurate, everything. Ego boost but whatever. I know I am struggling. I am making minor mistakes that are not seen by the players.

One of the players decides to engage me in conversation. He compliments me compared to the previous dealer. Great. He then asks me about dealer stuff. What makes a good dealer? Does skill matter to the casino? Etc.

I try and engage him, but I know I am dealing terrible. I am dying.

Half way through the down, the shift comes by and notifies me that I am out when I get tapped. My EO. Great. I am so tired and not 100% that I cannot wait to leave.

The player keeps asking me stuff about dealer quality that I am forced to respond. I acknowledge that the dealer in front of me is terrible, but I recognize that most of the dealers at our place are good. He keeps talking to me and pumping me up.

I get tapped and told it is my last hand. 4 players to the flop. Then the turn comes. First player bets, next two fold. I immediately drop the stub, flip the board and push the pot to the first player who bet.

There is still another player to act. Oops.

Fuc$%^=_@. I really messed up. Furthermore, while pushing the pot, I had mixed the board into the muck.

Eff me. I am a dumbass. Kill me now.

I have just been receiving accolades on how I was such a better dealer than the previous guy (true, but still), then I totally eff it up. Worst mistake I could make.

I call the floor over. I explain what happened.

Luckily, I remembered enough of the board that with unanimous consent from the players we are able to properly reconstruct the board to everyone's satisfaction. I pull what I think is the board out of the muck, everyone agrees. I deal the river and the action goes check check.

Calling player had a flush draw and missed. He was fine with it. Turns out that his biggest worry was that we would get the board wrong (i.e. no flush draw and he would have to argue for the board, thereby giving away his hand). He was just ecstatic we got it right without his input.

Everyone at the table was fine.

I dodged a bullet.

It's not you, it's universal-- players complimenting our dealing ensures that we're about to make a mistake. It's the same energy force that gives your opponent his two-outer on the river after he stands up and tells you nice hand.

This is the best understanding of poker I have seen on this site.

Players generally don't gas up my dealing, but if they do, it's pretty likely they're about to suffer an absurd cooler/suckout in the next orbit or 2 I'm dealing to them.

I've got a really nice, pixel-perfect flop but it's like a trauma victim in a psychologist's office: it breaks down if you talk about it.

I'm going back to dealing after several years off. I have heard in my market players are much better behaved in general, especially regulars (maybe because we have staff with backbones now?) is this your feeling for anyone who has been in the industry 25+ years? Or is it market dependant...or do they just want me back in the box because they don't want to be there as often and want someone who knows what they're doing?

And with different cards and fewer people at each table how hard is it goto be to adjust the pitch? We were 11 handed for hold'em when I was at my peak but I think they've switched to 9 handed for hold'em and Omaha. I adjusted to 10 handed okay for the last little while but these hands want to do what they want to do. We were only limit except tournaments when I dealt last and now mostly NL; I know how to deal it and what reopens betting and everything but it just seems so overwhelming change in thinking. Maybe I'm lucky they don't know I'm the last dealer they had who knew how to deal stud and should feel lucky they don't advertise they can spread it and try to keep me in the box for hours until the table agrees to a break again? Anyway! Someone assure me I'm not making a terrible decision.

Player perspective here (and a less frequent one at that), but I don't think anything has changed really. I'm sure things are regional, but management still cares about the same things, players still act the same way, only the tiny details have changed. Pitching to 9 vs 11 seats doesn't matter. Learning NL rules and minutia will happen quickly.

You just need to know why you left the first time, because if it wasn't some externality that has changed (had to take care of a relative, kids were in school and you needed different hours, etc.), then more than likely it will all be the same again, and you'll wonder why you thought things would be any different this time around.

JMO.

In our market the Players are just older (and wiser?) and also having gone through Covid calmed them down quite a bit IMO. There's still the few that 'show' they take it personally that you 'never' deal them a winner (or 'always' let the V suck out).

The issue in our market is the Player Pool is getting older and we need to figure out how to get an influx of younger Players into the live scene. Of course there's no tipping online, so the younger crowd doesn't know what to do about that while some of the older crowd can be seen as 'wonderfully' generous in pots that net them 2x or so. I just saw a $25 tip on a $400 pot just because the Player hit a 2-outer.

I wouldn't think pitching would be a big deal except the initial 8-12 days on your body to adjust muscle use.

I think you're in a great spot the first few weeks as you can always claim ignorance and or make the Players feel they are helping you get readjusted. "Oh really? I'll have to check that out with the Boss .. or would you like me to call the Floor over right now to make sure?"

Players wont forget how you were the last time around that's for sure, so just pretend you were on extended vacation. GL

I don't think there is a difference in players over all. There may be changes locally - losing a few troublesome regs can make a big difference, be they players, dealers, or management.

Adjusting to pitching to fewer players is the easiest thing in the world. Going from 8 to 11 is much more of a challenge. As for NL, you'll get the hang of it quickly.

Are there even tables around that can accommodate 11 players of average 2024 size?

The 10-player tables from years past seem to work perfectly fine for 9 players these days because the average person weights 10% (or something like that) more than 30 years ago.

So this guy....

Next time I go in he is acting the fool yet again, folding cards directly in front of him and mumbling loud enough for me to hear. Again!

He was doing it in a tournament which bugged me even more because I am a player myself and I appreciate fast dealers who can churn out hands when blinds are going up quickly as they are wont to do in daily tournaments. So I do my best to get the hands out and appreciate someone who is making that impossible even less than at cash games where only my toke rate is affected.

I don't want to compound things so I don't short-arm him but as I walk away I hear him mumbling as I walk by so I ask him what his problem is.

He tells me to get the **** away from him. "Floor!"

I tell the floor I do not need to be cursed at and walk away because I trust the floor to deal with it. And he does; when I meet up with him after a chip run (I was brush after the table) he just said to me "He won't be saying anything to you again."

I don't deal to him again until my next shift at a tournament table. He is folding like a normal person and I am ensuring I don't speak to him unless it's to direct action. Okay, fine.

But a funny thing happens: He wins a big pot where he rivers a straight against someone else's two pairs. Then he wins another larger pot.

Didn't think anything of it but he cashes in the tournament and jumps into $1/3 where I deal to him uneventfully until I deal him a high hand that would net him $350 if it makes it to the end of my down. It does, but I am pushed out and head back to the tourney.

While dealing the tournament, suddenly a greenbird hits the felt. I look up and it's my nemesis taking care of me for the High Hand. Well, that's cool! (Sidenote: It was part of a strange night where in six hours I dealt *four* high hands, all held up. And one of them was a Royal Flush and that guy stiffed me!)

I head back to his table not long afterwards and he is the beneficiary of catching big hands against someone who was on total tilt. The result was he won three huge hands in a row with big pocket pairs that held up (one of them he hit a set of Queens to beat Kings; the hand that set the other guy off on tile). And I got a greenbird from him each time.

So my nemesis went from cursing me out to giving me $100.

All I can do is hope that if I deal him dirty sometime he doesn't go back to the way he was before!

Our job is sure strange sometimes...

Couldn't find this situation in TDA rules. Scenario is free bar poker tournament (if that matters), blinds 1K-2K, postflop.

First player to act goes all-in for 1K. Next player calls, I tell them min bet is 2K. Other player (who usually knows the rules pretty well, but sometimes misses one) says, no, he's allowed to just call the bet.

I say I don't think that's right, but don't really care (free bar poker), and allow it.

Is that covered in TDA and I missed it? If so, which was the right ruling?

Calling is definitely allowed. A minraise would be to 3K total. The situation where it would be 2K to play would be blinds 1K-2K, BB all in for 1k. Any player entering would still call 2K

This^^

Where this can get interesting is if it checked to the button, and they went all in for 1k, the other players can only call or fold. 1K is not a legal bet therefore it doesn’t reopen the action.

Thanks for the responses, guys.

Wait, what? Wouldn't all players not AI have to at least call the BB to play?

Pre flop, but the question is about post flop.

If a call wasn’t allowed, then button could watch everyone fold and then bet 2K knowing it was really only a call of 1K. No one else could do this as a call behind would bind the better to the 2K.

Has to share this one, a lot to make dealers smile.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ylVwF82H-_Q?s...

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

That was my thought. The BB defines the minimum bet for each round of betting; just because the first (or any) player can't match that bet shouldn't release the rest of the players from that responsibility.

If the responses ITT are correct (no reason to believe otherwise), that's a rule/procedure I'm not a fan of.

So you believe only the button should effectively be able to call the all in? Anyone else must bet to call?

No, I believe what more experienced people ITT are posting. I could not find anything in TDA rules/procedures to confirm or deny either view.

If I were making the rules, I'd like it to be that the BB defines the minimum bet for each round, and anyone who is able to, must meet that minimum.