People in the poker community often come up to me and ask about whatever is on their mind. Some of these questions are good questions, and some are bad beat stories in disguise. I’ve been through quite a few things in my poker career and I like to help whenever possible, and in this new Card Player series, I’d like to share my experiences and knowledge. Feel free to ask any poker-related question, and I’ll do my best to answer it in the space below.
Question: I was playing recently and the gentleman to my right was inexperienced and didn’t protect his cards very well. I could occasionally see them and I mentioned it to him on a couple of occasions after which he would make a conscious effort to protect them better. This would eventually wear off and I would be able to see them again. What should I do if that situation comes up again?
Gavin: Well, first of all, I think you proceeded as admirably as you could have. It’s a tough situation to deal with and one that not everybody is honorable about. My rule in this situation is to tell someone once and if they don’t improve their sweating technique, I don’t openly look at their hand but if I see their cards, I use that information. This may seem a little harsh, but it’s each player’s responsibility to protect their own hand and if you can’t do that basic thing, it’s not my fault.
There are some exceptions to this rule though. First of all, if it’s someone who has a physical disadvantage that causes them to expose their cards, (they are old, their hands shake, etc.) I give them all of the warnings I can. Larry Flynt was famously bad at looking at his cards due to his physical problems. In fact, at his home casino, he had screens put up on either side of his favorite seat so that the players on his left and right couldn’t see what he was holding. With people like this, I do my best to avoid looking in their direction when they are looking at their cards and if I happen to catch a glance on accident, I’ll do my best to play how I would have if I hadn’t seen anything, especially preflop. It becomes harder on later streets, but I try my best.
Second, if it’s someone who is clearly a beginner they get more warnings than someone who is very experienced playing live. Finally, if someone is drunk I give them a few more warnings than I would normally. Speaking of drunk people…
Question: The casino I usually play at has a pretty good sports bar right by the poker room and they do a fair bit of serving on weekend nights. Some of the drunks populate the games eventually and they are great action but there are some downsides. What should I do about the bad sides of drunk players?
Gavin: There are definitely pros and cons of having drunk players in your game. They play poorly overall and tend to have control issues, losing more money than they probably would have if they were sober. On the other hand, they usually slow the game down, can become belligerent, and there is a fine line between playing with someone who is tipsy and taking advantage of someone who is drunk.
When someone who is clearly drunk comes into a game I’m in, I usually have one of two reactions. If it’s a reg who is having a good time and splashing around and I know the money they are losing is an amount they can afford, I’ll usually just let them hang around and enjoy themselves. They knew they were getting drunk in the place they usually play poker and they understand the amount of money they could lose and how quickly they could lose it. The next time they come in, they’ll likely make a joke about playing drunk and it won’t be a big deal. I will make sure to mention to them that they should get a cab and if they are resistant, I usually let the floor person or security know that they have had quite a bit to drink and they should stick around for a couple hours to make sure they don’t drive drunk.
If it’s not a reg, I will often tell the floor if it’s clear they are playing higher than they should be playing or if they look like they are drunk to the point of blacking out. I feel uncomfortable dealing with people that are in this state and it’s not worth the few hundred or thousand dollars they might lose in the game to incur the karmic wrath that comes along with taking advantage of someone who might have a problem with drinking and gambling.
Just a few weeks ago a very drunk man sat down in a game I was playing. He’s usually a pretty good player but the drinks he’d had changed that quite a bit. In addition, he started being rude to the dealer. The dealer couldn’t really do much besides call the floor and when the floor came over, they didn’t handle the drunk person particularly well. As a result, one of the other players decided to stick up for the dealer resulting in the usual masculine verbal sparring and a challenge to take the argument outside. Obviously, security got involved and the offending parties were barred for a day or two.
These are the types of situations that need to be dealt with immediately and, unfortunately, this floor man’s bungling of the situation meant that an innocent bystander (the guy who stood up for the dealer) was kicked out when the other guy could have been taken to the side and talked to quite easily.
If you have a question for Gavin, send it to editor@www.cardplayer.com.
