It happened again the other day at the Palms. A player went for a dinner break, leaving his chips at the poker table to reserve his seat. Then, after an hour, the guy returned, picked up his chips, cashed out, and went home.
You might wonder why he didn't cash out before leaving for dinner. The most common reason is the various incentives that casinos give players for hours spent at the poker table. In the case of the Palms, they have a freeroll tournament every week for people who put in enough hours to qualify. Players in absentia for long stretches become a real problem when they are given incentive to play longer than they really want to. The Palms guy got credit for an extra hour or so that he didn't actually play.
Some places have effective measures in place to prevent this. Poker rooms such as Treasure Island, the MGM Grand, Imperial Palace, and all the Station casinos have electronic systems built into the tables. Players swipe their cards in at the table, and the dealer can just push a button when the player is absent, so that they cease to accumulate time credit. When the Hilton had its poker room open, they had an increasing problem with this phenomenon, so they would manually take people off the freeroll tournament clock as soon as they missed a blind. (This was possible because the number of qualifying players was low enough that essentially all of the players were known by name to all of the dealers, and the room was physically small enough that it was easy for dealers to speak to the people at the desk.)
In most rooms, there is a limit to how long you can be gone before they come around and pick up your chips, so that your seat is forfeited. Typically you get 60 to 90 minutes. They keep track of this by each incoming dealer (changed every 30 minutes in most rooms) placing an "absent" button at the seat of anybody not there. Usually the third absent button gets you picked up. The most unethical players try to effectively extend this by returning after an hour, playing one or two hands, then leaving for another hour. The Rio recently instituted a countermeasure: If you get an absent button, it can only be taken back by the next dealer, not by the same one that gave it to you. That means that when you return from your break, you have to stay and play at least until the next dealer arrives, or the effect is the same as if you hadn't come back.
Personally, I don't get this behavior. I'm at the casino to play poker because I make money doing so. The longer I play, the more I make (or at least that's the plan). Furthermore, there's nothing else that the casinos offer that I want to do. I don't drink, I don't play the table games. I'm not interested in watching what's on the TVs in the sports book. I'm not into shopping at the stores. If I'm at the casino, I want to be playing poker. But that's just crazy ol' me.
In addition to being a cheat on the incentive these seat-squatters are chasing, it leaves the game short-handed while they do whatever it is they're out doing, and it prevents other waiting players from joining the game because the seat is locked up.
What made the situation at the Palms more infuriating than the many other times that I've seen it happen is that the culprit was a guy that I know is a poker dealer at the Red Rock casino. He's normally a very cool guy that I like having at the table--a good player, quiet, friendly, respectful, easy-going. This is the first major etiquette infraction I'm seen him guilty of. I'm calling you out, Adam. You of all people should know better than this.
Taking a dinner break in the middle of a long poker session is perfectly fine. But tying up a seat for a long time, only to return, pick up your chips, and leave without playing again, is a crummy, unethical, low-life, rude, cheating thing to do to the casino. It is a crummy, unethical, low-life, rude, cheating thing to do to the other players that are honestly qualifying for the freeroll tournament (or whatever other incentive the hours count towards). It is a crummy, unethical, low-life, rude, cheating thing to do to the other players at the table, who would like to have the seat occupied. It is a crummy, unethical, low-life, rude, cheating thing to do to the people who are on the waiting list and would like to be able to sit down and play.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I hate seat squatters
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4 comments:
Maybe Adam was ill and needed to leave in a hurry? Perhaps he got a phone call and there was an emergency? Please don't discount these valid excuses. I would probably feel the same if I witnessed the same player with the same behavior on multiple occasions, and maybe you have. Please consider all of the factors.
-Phrank
No question that there can be unexpected things that give rise to this happening once, when a player was planning to return to the game. But if so, I would expect the person, knowing how rude it is, to saying something, like, "I'm sorry. I know how this looks, but something came up and now I have to leave." I'd accept that. No such thing happened here.
I'm wondering if there isn't another problem with squatters. Where I play in Niagara, there is a rule that only 1 person per table can be on dinner/extended break without having to forfeit their seat. Cheeses off buddies who want to play together but then want to head for the buffet yet save their seats.
I've seen it allowed for 2 the odd time, but they usually know the dealer AND they are regulars, but never more than 2, for anyone.
Wondering if this is the same in Vegas? Never come across it.
I've seen the "no more than one person out on break at a time" rule at the Wynn in Vegas, but not at any other casino. Perhaps it's at others and I didn't experience it - it doesn't come up often in play.
The Wynn is, in fact, the only place I've ever experienced that rule.
In San Jose, if multiple people are up walking and the game is breaking down, they announce over the PA for the walkers to please come back to the table. Of course, in San Jose, you only get 20 minutes before your chips are picked up, so it's not as much of an issue.
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