Third man walking rule....

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Local nits like the ones you describe are too common. That's why I like having to work off your absent buttons. But if you're not going to make them work off their time, then the floors need to take steps against these nits, particularly not allowing them any comps, and in some cases picking them up anytime they are abusing the rules regardless of how long they've been gone.

al

[benfranklin]

One problem is that it unfairly treats the 3rd man differently, just because the first 2 are being inconsiderate. I have never understood letting the first 2 guys take off for hours at a time when there is a waiting list. (Of course, in the hyper world of online poker, I think that letting someone sit out for 25 hands before yanking them is way too soft. If you miss your blinds twice online, you should be gone.)

Long absences are bad for waiting players, bad for the house (the waiting players think the house is incompetent, plus potential lost rake due to short pots), bad for dealer tips, and bad for those at the table who think that more players equals more dead money. Again, online I really resent people who sit out a long time when another live one could be in that seat.

I see no rational for letting someone tie up a seat for an hour or more. If someone plays for 3-4 hours and wants to take a meal break, make it a standard practice that he leaves the game and goes to the top of the list when he comes back. If everyone is aware of the rules, there should be no gripes about someone coming back and going to the head of the wait list. Otherwise, half an hour is long enough to go grab a sandwich. Make the rule that if a seat is empty when a dealer starts his down, it gets picked up at the end of the down. This would be equitable for all, giving the 3rd man walking the same treatment as the first.

[youtalkfunny]

You'd have to hire someone fulltime whose sole responsibility is pick-ups. And the more pickups you do, the more likely it is that one will get disputed, or screwed up, or some scammer will try to claim a stack of chips that isn't his, or some other non-sense.

[10-20Jerome]

A littile of subject here but I dont mind people playing over me when Im at dinner.

[midas]

ACJ

The last time I played at the Bellagio (4-8) there were two local retired rocks who would play one hand leave for an hr come back then do it again and again. Over 4 hrs they played about ten hands. I complained to the floor and they did nothing. Never been back to the Bellagio (for poker).

Mandalay Bay bound 9/29 - 10/2

[Bukem_]

[ QUOTE ]
One of the biggest problems in vegas seems to be people abusing the rule to continually go away for an hour at a time while playing 5-10 hands when they finally come back before they take off yet again. So you basically can never get lunch or dinner and keep your seat because you always end up as the 3rd man walking since two local nits are always gone from your table. The rule ends up penalizing the tourists while letting the locals keep their seat forever.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah I was playing at a table where one guy had been playing 24 hours straight and wanted to get dinner, but coudln't.

But they other guys who were up had been at the table a total of 5 hours combined, and maybe played 25-30 hands inbetween the two of them in this time.

Floor refused to make an exception for him.(This was reno hilton around wpt time, not foxwoods)

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]


The last time I played at the Bellagio (4-8) there were two local retired rocks who would play one hand leave for an hr come back then do it again and again. Over 4 hrs they played about ten hands. I complained to the floor and they did nothing.

[/ QUOTE ]

I apparently don't know enough about LV poker to understand why the locals do this. Are they earning comps while "sitting" at the table? Why would the casino want them there, unless they are leaking big time at craps or 21 while they are gone? Are they trying to keep the seat for when the game gets good later in the evening? If they are locals, they are obviously not whales on a junket.

[anduril]

[ QUOTE ]
can u explain the rule please?

[/ QUOTE ]

at Foxwoods the rule is that if you leave the table, the next dealer puts an absent button in front of your chips. If you're still not back and another dealer comes, you get a second button. When the third dealer comes if you're not there they pick you up. If you're the third person to get up the dealer informs you you have 10 minutes to return to your seat or else you'll be picked up. Plenty of time to go to the bathroom or go get something to eat and bring it back to the table. Like I said in the Wynn post and to agree with Joe, better to keep the bad players (whether local or not) happy. Bad players don't like to play shorthanded and if the table breaks it's a giant pain in the ass to get onto another one.

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Joe:

I've never been to Foxwoods and I think you miss my point. My understanding is that at Foxwoods the poker is very seperated from the rest of the casino, so that might be why the "third man rule" works there. But in the major Las Vegas casinos it's my opinion that poker room management is just asking to have major friction with other areas of the casino if they enforce this rule.

Best wishes,
Mason

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Al:

It can be even worse if that tourist happens to be some sort of very high roller out in the casino. Now he complains to his host who passes the complaint up to top management who now will have a major problem with the poker room and the management of the poker room.

Notice that in many locations this sort of thing just can't happen. But it can easily happen at some of the billion dollar mega-resorts here in Las Vegas.

Best wishes,
Mason