Table talk / collusion -- let it slide?

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
First off you make DAMN SURE that no one sees your hole cards.

Like real estate's first three rules, the first three rules of casino poker are...

protect your hand!
protect your hand!
protect your hand!

Second, it's ONE PLAYER TO A HAND. If this is a common occurrence between an obvious couple then you should say something to the dealer, who should then immediately put a stop to it.

al

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It should also be noted that you don't have to make a big deal out of it when mentioning it. Just do it politely and casually. You could even say it jokingly and with a smile. Don't stop the whole game just to point it out. No reason to be humiliating to the offender more than need be. But you also don't want to come across as a bitter nit and bark at them as I've seen done.

b

[murellus]

although i say do nothing, it doesn't really matter, especially at this limit if you do say something and they end up leaving. as a person i dont really care if they're losing, but it's well justified and probably the more proper thing to do would be to inform the dealer

[octop]

The poker/basketball anology is a poor one. I doubt anyone here who plays sports likes playing in uncompetative games. I wouldnt want to play with somebody so bad he has to dribble with two hands. However in poker I love playing with people who don't know how many cards are in a deck.

[lozen]

Politely inform the person. Today you are getting more and more new people playing. Was at a 3/6 last week guy sat down obviosly new to game bought in for $150 and first hand he shows it to his buddy behind him. Someone politely told him it was not allowed. You have to help the newbies. Most are fish

Thanks to everyone who offered their thoughts.

The main reason I didn't say anything, honestly, was that I was just a little overwhelmed at my first casino game -- having to remember to protect my cards, follow the action, watch people at the table (all the things that don't take nearly as much effort online). Although I did overhear it at the time (you'd be amazed at the other stuff I overheard people whisper to each other, mostly after hands), it didn't register at the time.

I'll be back at the Trump soon, and if it happens again I will most likely comment in a light, good-natured way. Gotta keep the table in high spirits, after all.

[DrewOnTilt]

[ QUOTE ]
I was playing 3/6 at the Trump Indiana last Friday (wonderful loose game, by the way) when the following occurred (for full disclosure, this was my first foray into casino poker):

An older man was sitting directly to my left; his wife was just to his left (on the other side of the dealer). Both bought in for about $50, which seemed quite short.

We were playing a kill pot, and I had raised AJs from middle position and gotten 4 callers (including the wife but not the husband). The flop was Ace-high and rainbow, and I raised an early-position bet from a LAG and still got 3 callers. After my turn bet, I saw the wife lean behind the dealer and mouth to her husband: "Does he have it?" He nodded, and she folded.

This didn't bother me too much until I thought about it later (although I was a lot more careful about how I peeked at my cards just in case). I didn't bother saying anything at the time because both players seemed quite weak; however it later became apparent that the wife almost always called down with any piece of the board or any pocket pair, especially in big pots, so this may or may not have cost me 2 BB (calls for my turn bet and river bet).

Should I have done anything here? Should I have been more willing to let it go to keep them happy and at the table because they seemed beatable? At the very least they were discussing the hand; at the worst he'd seen my holecards. Because I'm a B&M newbie I don't know how to handle this.

Any thoughts?

[/ QUOTE ]

Without having read the many replies here, this is my feedback:

When this happens, BE FRIENDLY AND POLITE but point out to the offending players that they are in violation of an important rule. Handling situations like this in such a manner will usually defuse the problem without taking away from the friendly atmosphere of the game.

If the problem persists (or, if the person responds "[censored] you, we're friends and I'll do what I want, so go [censored] yourself," as once happened to me), then notify the dealer. If the dealer does not handle the situation effectively, then call the floorperson over to put a stop to it.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

I agree. Usually a half-joking "one player to a hand guys" should be plenty, just make sure the dealer hears it. You're not looking to drive away the fish by being a jerk.

Actually, that could lead to a possible new poker definition...

Nits - JERKS who drive away the fish and ruin the game by being super picky about stupid chit, thus making general nuisances of themselves.

al

[MRBAA]

You're playing 3-6. Most folks are there to have fun. You should be too, since you're going to make very little money in the long run at these stakes and with the rake, even if you're the best player at the table.

Many of the other players will be casual about etiquette. Make sure they can't see your cards, play well, don't tolerate deliberate cheating or angle shooting but about this kind of stuff...relax. And remember, anyone who is a long-time regular in this game isn't a very good poker player.

The higher you play, the more stuff like cheating and angleshooting that's calculated and can really hurt you is likely. So it's way more appropriate to be nitty in a 10-20 game than in a 3-6. The kind of thinking in this thread is more appropriate to that game and up.