Poker 101

As I sat down to write this column, continuing along the lines of ethics and correct behavior, I received the following E-mail:

Hi, Jan:

Keep up the great work. I am a fan of "Poker 101." Your column about poker ethics and proper behavior is so true. I am a self-employed systems consultant and have been an avid hold'em player now for about five years. I recently got a contract in the Los Angeles area, and to avoid the freeway traffic during the rush hours, I ventured out to the Gardena/Los Angeles casinos a few times. The subject of ugliness in poker players toward dealers and other players truly needs addressing.

During my last session, a player ripped his holecards in half and threw them at the dealer. I couldn't believe it when the floorman came over, called him by his name, and gave him a 20-minute timeout. Obviously, he's a regular there, and I was wrong in my thoughts that this "ugly" player would be told to leave. In any event, the games are good there, but it's not worth the annoyance. I thought that with the no smoking policy, I could bring my lady, business associates, or friends with me, but I would be ashamed to do so after what I witnessed.

Keep writing articles on this issue and maybe, someday soon, the management of these card casinos will enforce strict rulings against "ugly" behavior.

Sincerely,

Chuck Brooks

The timing of this letter could not have been better. Lately, I have been appalled by some of what I have seen, and this nice reader wrote and took the words right out of my mouth. What do I think about what happened and the 20-minute timeout that this offending player was given? First of all, there may have been extenuating circumstances in this situation. This player was known to management and was a regular. Perhaps he had played daily for a long, long time without incident. If that was the case, I believe that the timeout was appropriate. However, I doubt that was the case. If this player is one who has had a history of bad behavior, this slap on the wrist was not only meaningless, it was insulting to the other players in the game, the dealer, and all of the players in the future who will play with this person. Any player, I don't care how many hours he puts in at the cardroom, who acts like this should be asked to leave for some period of time, if not permanently.

This whole subject line that I have been addressing lately is really in many ways a plea to management as well as a plea to the card-playing public. Please do what is right, and what is fair. To bar a player whose behavior is so much against public policy will increase business, not reduce it. For every player who misbehaves and is allowed to continue playing, there is an unknown number of players who are appropriately disturbed and who will not return. As written by Chuck, not only has this cardroom lost a customer, it also has lost the possibility that this player would bring his business associates or lady friend with him in the future. Cardroom managers – why? Why does this go on?

I am very fortunate that I do a great deal of personal and business traveling. I visit many cardrooms and see how players and management interact in various venues, in both the United States and abroad. There are some casinos that I am happy to visit, as they have very strict no abuse policies. However, there are others that I abhor. There are enough casinos that, in my opinion, do it right – so why can't all of them? If you the player make it clear to management that this bad behavior is unacceptable, perhaps the nice majority will prevail. It's just a thought on my part, but we as players have a voice in what we will or will not tolerate. If we patronize the casinos that make playing poker fun, perhaps the other casinos that tolerate or take a weak stance on abuse will follow suit. Get on the bandwagon, let's be a vocal majority and insist on behavior guidelines. Class dismissed.

Author's note: W.S. of Northern California, I received your note; thank you.