Why are dealers always knocking over stacks of chips?

[DimensionPresident]

I've noticed that dealers are constantly knocking the stacks of chips over. I can understand if the player sloppily throws the chips in, but even sometimes when chips are stacked, and the guy wins the pot, the guy will be going for the stack, and it's like the dealer hurries up and knocks down the stack so the guy has to re-stack his chips.

Is there any real reason for dealers to do this? I think I've noticed it enough times that I've ruled out coinsidence.

[Dynasty]

I blame gravity.

[CrisBrown]

Hi Dimension,

Large stacks of chips can sometimes block a player's view of the board cards. The dealers knock them down to ensure that all players can see.

Cris

[MicroBob]

Perhaps also as a quick little check that someone didn't slip some kind of 'fake' chip into the stack.
Just guessing though.

[DimensionPresident]

I never thought of that, and that's a perfectly good explanation.

One thing though... a number of times I am seeing them do this after the hand is over. For instance, there are two players in the pot. One player raises, say, 3 stacks of his chips... maybe 5 inches in front of him. There the chips stay, stacked, waiting for the other player to fold, call, or raise. The other player ends up folding... boom, hand is done. Now, this is where I am confused. The player has his own chips just a few inches in front of him that he bet with... and he could simply just slide them back... but oh wait, here comes Mr Dealer with the pot... SWOOOOSH... there goes all the neatly stacked chips, tumbling over. WTF? haha.

The weird part about it is, I have never noticed once the player looking up at the dealer with a "what the heck did you do that for?" look on their face.

Maybe it was because they're happy the won the pot and just don't care?

I don't know. I realize how incredibly inane this post is. Just one of those things I've always wondered but would be too embarassed to ask someone in person. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Edit: Now that I think about it, there was a hand like this that Luske was in, and the dealer seemingly just knocked his stack over for no apparent reason after the hand was over... and Luske gave him a weird look and quipped something to the dealer.

[thylacine]

Great question. I've wondered this too. I hope someone answers.

One of these days, the dealer will follow through and just plow some players whole damn stack into his lap! SPLOOSH. How's that for service?

[Deorum]

It is just so that the dealer can get the chips out of the
way so that (s)he can start the next hand. When playing
rounds in timed intervals, it is important to the players
that they get in as many hands as possible during that time.
The only time that the dealers are really concerned with not
knocking over chip stacks is when there is a split pot, so
that there is no confusion or controversy over whether or
not the correct amount was given to each player. Plus,
players like stacking chips - so the dealers let them stack
while they shuffle up and deal the next hand. The only time
I ever say something to a dealer about knocking over a chip
stack of mine is when I have a very good rapport with him or
her, and he or she knows that I am only joking about it. On
a related note of sloppy chip play, I often roll my eyes and
silently scream inside everytime I see some inexperienced
player neatly count out the amount of chips in front of him
that he plans to bet, stacks them all up, and then flings
them into the middle of the table so that they land sprayed
all across the table center, making that chip clacking noise
as the tumble. To me, that is far more annoying than a
dealer knocking over a stack of chips as (s)he pushes me a
pot.

[DimensionPresident]

Yeah... honestly, one of the weird excuses I came up with is that the dealers never want to be accused of a mis count, so they just throw all the chips around so no one can sit there and study them. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

[bigfishead]

Being a dealer, and getting paid the big bucks I do ($5.00hr) I do not care to make sure your chips stay all nice and purty in 4 tall stacks when the hand is over. I need to get another hand out. Players never seem to mind. (split games are naturally different and much slower)
And this is true even in 3000-6000 blinds Pot limit with Doyle, Bobby Baldwin, Chip Reese, Lyle Berrman, etc.

In a tournament it is in the players best interest to get as many hands out per down as possible. The blinds keep climbing, so my saving time on my end gets you more hands per lvl.

[Kipu]

It might be 'easier' for the player to toss a chip or 2 tip out of sloppy pile than tipping a chip off the top of his nice even stacks. This is a guess, but it seems reasonable...

(Just like bartenders will give 5x$1 in change rather than a $5 bill since they want their tip!)