Did I go over the line here (while dealing)?
 

I'm dealing a really fast and loose 2/5 SL HE game. There's this kid in the 5 seat and it appears that it's his first time playing live poker. He was cool as hell and a nice guy, but he had a habit of placing his hands over his cards so they were not visible. This was a bit annoying since the action was moving quickly and players behind him acted before he did because of it a few times. I asked him to stop covering his cards, but he did it on this hand anyway.

So on this particular hand, there are 7 or 8 players that see the flop. The first player bets and the action almost instantly goes to the 5th or 6th player with (almost) all of these players tossing in $5 practically simultaneously. Before I could say anything and while I'm still looking at him, the kid, who was the 2nd to act, speaks up saying "I have to call still". I say, "Hold up guys...it's his action." The kid calls.

This other guy, who is known as "Mike the Mouth" to all of the dealers, starts spouting off as usual. A little backround: Mike is a loudmouth jerkoff who plays loose as hell, comments on everyones hand, annoys everyone and thinks he is the man..this from a 30 something "sandwich engineer" from Subway, who regularly comes into the the poker room in his Subway uniform. Of course there's nothing wrong with working at Subway, but this guy thinks he's God's gift to poker and the authority on everything ever disussed at the table - it's comical to listen to this guy.

Mike kept calling the kid "Junior" because he was a young guy I guess. He says "Sh*t Junior...I wouldn't put that $5 in. He (meaning me) missed it. It's his fault..."

I respond with "Well, he (the kid) is honest and realizes he owes the pot $5. I appreciate that and I think everyone else here does too."

This sets Mike the Mouth off in a tirade. He says I have to learn how to deal, I don't know what I'm doing, and he goes on and on and on.

Again I respond, and maybe I shouldn't have, but I said "First of all, you acted out of turn - it was his action and I was waiting for him to act. Second, you sit in this box dealing cards for 8 hours every day and never make a mistake...I'd like to see that." Then I lean to my friend who is a dealer at another casino who's sitting in the ten seat and say "You take this when you're in the box?" My bud replies "HELL no."

A few at the table came to my defense and shut him up pretty quick. My buddy says to The Mouth "Pipe down and relax turbo." A great comment from another player was "So we can all expect you to short the pot whenever you have the chance?"

This shuts Mike up pretty quick and he loses his stack by the end of the next dealers down, obviously on tilt.

Usually I blow off any idiodic comments by players and simply carry on with my job, but this guy set me off. Frankly, we have awesome floor staff and one call to them would have had probably had him ejected, but I'm curious...should I have just STFU or was it right to point out that this POS is a POS to the whole table? It had little, if any, effect on the action. If anything it was detrimental to "Turbo" only. He was back the next day...

Re: Did I go over the line here (while dealing)?
 

As long as you didn't use profanity or personal insults and abided by the rules of poker then nothing you did can be considered "over the line"

Oh, if I was at his table I would tell him that Subway sucks ass and Quiznos rocks their world.

Re: Did I go over the line here (while dealing)?
 

[ QUOTE ]
we have awesome floor staff and one call to them would have had probably had him ejected,

[/ QUOTE ]

If they would eject him, hell, I'd call the floor over in a heartbeat if he's as much of a douche to everyone as you describe. I'd love to see these dicks get what is coming to them.

Re: Did I go over the line here (while dealing)?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Second, you sit in this box dealing cards for 8 hours every day and never make a mistake...I'd like to see that."

[/ QUOTE ]

This makes it sort of personal with the customer of your establishment. You realize you risked your job when you engaged him like this.

Suck it up. Don't get confrontational. Call the floor before it gets to that point.

Yes, dealing can be a thankless job at times and you get to put up with all kinds of sh*t. Get used to it and learn how to handle it better. There's also a high turnover rate for dealers for a reason.

b

Re: Did I go over the line here (while dealing)?
 

I would've told him to go make me a sammich...

Re: Did I go over the line here (while dealing)?
 

I hope you got the kid to stop covering his damn cards after you sorted out the loud-mouth.

Re: Did I go over the line here (while dealing)?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Second, you sit in this box dealing cards for 8 hours every day and never make a mistake...I'd like to see that."

[/ QUOTE ]

I love every part but this one - for the reasons already given

Re: Did I go over the line here (while dealing)?
 

I hate that guy, only played with him once but have heard him on multiple occasions...

"Mike the Mouth" huh? He doesn't deserve that nickname, neither his cardplay nor his wordplay could even hold a candle to the blowtorch that is the real Mike "The Mouth".

I don't think you were over the line... the whole "I'd like to see you..." personalises it and was definitely pushing it but lets face it, that guy is a jerk.

"See junior... THIS is why you don't cover your cards [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]"

Re: Did I go over the line here (while dealing)?
 

A couple of notes. When a player is covering his cards, it can help to show them how to put a stack of chips on their carsd to protect them (with the chips there ha can't cover completely with his hands). You were out of line, no matter how right you were; I am guessing you knew this already or you wouldn't have posted. If this happened in my room that would be the exent of it I would mention that you were out line. In colorado you are protected becasue they dont' have higher limits; the only way you are losing your job over this is if the player plays high in the pit and complains to his host.

This reminds me of somethign from the Bellagio many years ago. Player next to the dealer keeps calling him a "fat f***" finally the dealer turns to him and say if he does it agin he is goign to knock him off the chair. Player goes bezerk and calls the floor. The floor listens and then says "if I were you I would call him a 'fat f***" any more and walks away." That doens't mean this dealer wasn't out of line, but not much was going to happen to him ; however, if this palyer had the ear of someone higher up to complain to that probably would have cost the dealer his job.

Re: Did I go over the line here (while dealing)?
 

Yeah, you went a little over the line. But screw it, you got a funny story out of it. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

al