Marked kings was I set up.

[eee]

I played in the Pokers stars tourney today at Bay 101. I was knocked out in 25th place in a somewhat unusual occorrence.
I had just moved to a new table in the big blind and folded. In My small blind I am dealt KK. Folded to the cutoff who raises all in for five times my stack. (A2) The button calls all in for more than my stack (AK). I call all in. (KK) the big blind calls all in (AA).

Now normally I would just walk away and say oh well. As this is not an uncommon occurrence..

However, I happen to notice that my cards are marked. I call the tourney director over, he looks at my cards. The dealer pushes the pot to the winner (also an employee of the club). The tourney director tears up my cards I ask about the hand he shrugs and says "what can you do" .

I cannot make any claim as to what happend for certain and normally wouldn't question it but past illegal behaviour at Bay 101 (involving dealers) and marked cards make me stop and say hummm.

Just a little unclear moment to be discussed.

[Jimbo]

I should probably let this sleeping dog lie however I am a glutton for punishment. What would it matter if your cards were marked? The guy with aces is going to call all in even if he thought you had the other two aces right?

[Greg (FossilMan)]

Marked cards is a huge problem, and if I thought the dealer in the game or anybody else was doing it, I would raise a big stink with the floor.

However, as far as this hand goes, the issue isn't marked cards, but whether or not the guy in the dealer's box was a mechanic who purposefully dealt KK to you and AA to his partner. As for that, I have no idea what the chances of that being the case might be. It takes a good bit of talent to intentionally deal out 4 specific cards to people, and to do it in a way that a smart observer wouldn't spot it pretty quickly. It is not an amateur trick, IMO.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[modestmouse]

wow, that is a trip, i play 3-6 there and never noticed anything unusual. i think the floorman shoulda been called over for a ruling, and possibly the hand declared dead?? who knows, but with a marked k, that puts you in a losing situation if it were true...