Dealers propping: -EV for dealers? (questions for dealers who prop)

[youtalkfunny]

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In some places dealers are strongly discouraged when it comes to check raising. I’d say it’s wise to use it sparingly...Save your hardball plays for the big multiway pots...or for the heads up action against tougher players and maniacs who won’t be offended...

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Tell you what: You pay for the chips I'm playing with, and I'll "use it sparingly".

But as long as we're talking about MY money, I'm playing nothing less than my best game, and I think it's ridiculous that anyone would expect anything else from me.

Not just you, T. I've propped, and I've had players, other dealers, even managers upset with me for playing an aggressive style. Note that I'm not talking about running my mouth, or being mean or nasty--I mean people were upset that I bet and raised too much. Not checkraised--just plain RAISED.

Last place I worked prohibited the props from check-raising in the smaller games (less than $10-20). Too many people around here get upset when they get checkraised by an employee of the cardroom. They don't mind when a plumber does it, or when a doctor does it, or when a waiter does it--but should a dealer try it, they hit the roof. It never made any sense to me.

"Hey, Bobby, buy some chips and sit down! But you're the only one at the table who can't checkraise." I could not play under those conditions. It's tough enough to win at this game, without giving the field a handicap.

Try winning at baseball when you're not allowed to throw curves.
Try winning a volleyball tournament when only your team is prohibited from spiking.
Let's play some one-on-one hoops. But you're not allowed to jump!
Shoot pool? OK. But you have to shoot one-handed, while carrying a bucket of sand in the other hand, with your shoes tied together, while whistling "Dixie".

That sand gets heavy after a while.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

I also haven't found too much in the way of players who don't like dealers who play. still, there are a few players, very large tippers, who i won't play no limit with, just because i don't want to bust them and risk future large tips. i don't worry about it in limit.

i NEVER play any different in ANY game, regardless of whether or not the "manager" would prefer that i softplayed, declined to check-raise, etc.

anyone who props anything less than about 10-20 or 2-5 no limit, and who is not ACTUALLY A GOOD ENOUGH PLAYER TO BEAT THESE GAMES AT A NORMAL RATE ($20 an hour or more) will be inevitably losing money in the long run by propping. however, randy gives good reasons why you should play on the clock now and then anyway. the less skilled you are, the less you should play on the clock.

al

[Tom Bayes]

Most of the rooms I regularly play in do not allow any of the dealers or other casino employees to play in their house, so I have little experience playing against dealers.

I have played a little bit in Tunica with in-house dealers playing.

#1. I'm playing $4/$8 holdem at the Grand. Young dealer finishes shift and joins in. It's after midnight and the games are starting to lose players. He sits to my immediate right and identifies himself as an off-duty dealer. Early on him and I are involved in a pot, I had raised preflop with AQ or something like that. He raises the flop on me and says "Normally I would check raise here". I completely missed that flop and fold. He shows a flopped set. I didn't know about the no check-raise rule for dealers so I say "Why didn't you check-raise?" He explains the rule. I really don't like the rule and felt it was dumb. I wouldn't hold it against him for making the proper poker play.

#2. I'm at the Gold Strike and was on an interest list to play Omaha/8. After a few hours they have enough to start a 7-handed game of $4/$8 O8 with a half kill. The first down of the game is dealt by an older and obviously very experienced dealer, who has no difficulty with the game. His down ends and the next 2 dealers struggle mightily with the game. After about an hour older dealer's dealing shift is over and he can't get in the Omaha/8 game fast enough [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I think he saw in his 30 minutes dealing to us that there were about 4 total calling station types who were finding reasons to play and call to the river with almost everything. He played well and helped out a lot of the younger dealers, some who had never dealt the game before. He and I were the big winners that night [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]