If you hang out in cardrooms often enough, you will eventually witness an altercation between two or more players. While playing Chinese poker at Wynn Las Vegas recently, I heard a commotion at the table next to mine. Apparently, one player had called another player an idiot and was ranting and raving about "what a moron" he was, so the dealer had called for the floorman. I was extremely impressed with how David Yeung, the floorman, handled the situation. Here is what happened as I saw it from the next table: When David first approached the table, he asked the dealer to explain what had happened thus far. She said that she had just gotten to the table and had heard Player A call Player B an idiot, and it seemed like a fight might be brewing. Player A tried to interrupt to interject his side of the story, at which point David asked him to step away from the table. Player A protested that he didn't want to leave the table, and started to scowl at Player B. David explained very politely that he would not discuss the situation at the table and that Player A needed to discuss it with him privately.
Player A did get up and have a conversation with David that I couldn't hear, but it looked like David was trying to explain some logic to Player A and get him to calm down. His words must have been effective, because a few moments later, Player A returned to the table and apologized to Player B, and play resumed with no further problems.
Later that evening, I commended David for the way he had handled the situation, and asked him to explain his thought process to me. This is what he told me: "The first thing I do when I am called to the table in a situation like this is try to get an account from the dealer of what had taken place. During this time, I don't allow the players involved to talk. Then, I generally ask if anyone else has something to add. In this case, however, since the dealer didn't have much information for me and Player A appeared to be confrontational, I asked him to step away from the table and talk to me in private. It doesn't do any good to have a yelling match at the table. If the player refuses to do this, I usually have to ask him to leave. However, the objective is to try to diffuse the problem instead of having to throw the offender out of the cardroom, unless, of course, the infraction is very severe. In this case, after talking with Player A in private, I was able to convince him to be rational and to apologize. Also, by getting Player A to walk away from the table, play can continue rather than having the argument continue."
Hmm, I really like David's thought process, and the results, as well. Too often, I have seen players almost go to blows at the table while the floorman stands there and does nothing. I really like the fact that David refused to listen to Player A at the table, since this probably would have led to a lot of back-and-forth arguing, and would have brought the game to a halt for who knows how long. Good job, David!
Change of subject … Congratulations to Mike Sexton for his wonderful win in the
Tournament of Champions. Sexton emerged as the victor after a five-hour heads-up battle with Daniel Negreanu, in which both players displayed terrific poker skills and savvy. I'm sure other writers will describe the actual poker play, but I just want to applaud Mike for donating half ($500,000) of his prize money to charity.
Mike gave $100,000 to each of five charities. Benefiting from his generosity were the Special Olympics, the Buoniconti Fund (to help find a cure for paralysis), the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Wounded Warrior Project (helps families of those wounded or killed in battle), and Children Incorporated (helps provide food, school supplies, and so on for underprivileged children around the world; this is the primary charity to which Barry Greenstein donates most of his prize money).
I've said it many times and will say it again: Mike, you are one of the greatest men I have ever met, and it is a pleasure to call you my friend. You remain humble, kind, and generous to everyone, and are a great poker ambassador, as well. The poker world is lucky to have you as one of its shining stars!
Another change of subject … The first-ever Card Player Cruises poker trip sailing round-trip from New York to the Caribbean will take place Oct. 12-19. Prices for this eight-day trip start at just $710 per person plus port charges and taxes. To book this cruise, go to www.cardplayercruises.com or call the office at (888) 999-4880.
Now, let's play poker.
Linda is available to host seminars, corporate nights, tournaments, and other poker events. You can contact her through her websites at www.cardplayercruises.com or www.lindapoker.com.
