When the Spirit is Lost

Recently I was at a big poker tournament out of the country and saw some interesting things. Players from all over the world and from all walks of life were there. There were professionals playing alongside neophytes, there were old players and young players, and there were kamikaze players. They all were out in force. What was particularly interesting about this mix of players was the camaraderie at one moment, followed by some angle shooting and misinterpretation of the rules at another. I'll explain a situation that arose and ask you for some e-mail help in telling me what you think should have happened. The situation is not cut-and-dry, and that made it a bit tougher call for the floorman. However, had a well-known pro not tried to take advantage of a specific rule, a decision never would have been needed and the table involved would not have been delayed while awaiting a floorperson.

We were in the late stages of a no-limit hold'em tourney and I had been enlisted to deal. Yes, it's true, I do deal poker. This particular event had had such a wonderful turnout that they were short-staffed, so it was my pleasure to help. Anyway, there were two short tables left and two players had been eliminated on the previous hand from the No. 4 and No. 6 seats. The button was now in the No. 1 seat. I dealt the cards, and the player who was under the gun, in the No. 5 seat, called the big blind of $1,000. At this point, after calling, this gentleman asked if the half-full cups that littered the table belonged to anyone. Everyone said no, so he said, "I am going to get rid of these cups," as he picked them up, walked the eight or so steps to the trash can, and turned to head back. A lot happened during those few seconds that it took for him to be a good Samaritan. Everyone else folded to the button, a seasoned pro, who quickly raised the pot to $3,000. Both blinds folded, and it was up to the No. 5 seat, who was rounding the corner to return to his seat. Instantly, the raiser demanded that his hand be killed, since he "was not in his chair when it was his turn to act." That is a real rule for tournaments that has been widely adopted by the Tournament Directors Association (TDA). However, the tournament we were at did not follow TDA rules; also, it is my interpretation of the rule that "butt in chair" applies to the beginning of a hand and not necessarily to subsequent actions.

That being said, things got ugly. The man returned to his seat within a couple of seconds. Now, the player in the No. 1 seat was flailing his arms and making a scene, demanding that his opponent's hand be killed. Since I was dealing the game at the time, I certainly could have reached over and killed the hand, but that didn't seem to be "within the spirit" of fair play and what was correct. It seemed to me that the seasoned veteran pro in the No. 1 seat was trying to exploit a rule. Or, did he really believe the other player's hand should be killed? He knew that the No. 5 seat was away from the table for a moment, and he possibly hoped the action would get back to the No. 5 seat before he came back and sat down, resulting in the No. 5 seat's hand being declared dead. Was this player trying to steal the blinds and the No. 5 seat's called bet by using an angle? Would this be allowed? I don't know if that was his intent, but it might have been.

A floorperson was summoned, and the first person who came to the table did not feel qualified to make the decision, so he asked for the tournament director to come over, and he ruled the hand live. Play continued, much to the chagrin of the player in the No. 1 seat, who continued his ranting well into the next several hands, and even to his new table when the two last tables were combined. He later asked me how I would have ruled it, and when I gave him my opinion (everyone is entitled to one, right?), he glared at me and told me how wrong I was.

So, I ask you to think about it and let me know. Should the player's hand have been killed? Please send your e-mail to [email protected] and give me your thoughts on this situation. Pretend that this is a Mike O'Malley "You Make the Call" guest column. Class dismissed.

As always, please e-mail me your poker-related questions and comments. I personally answer each e-mail I receive.