"Table Stakes" rule in a B&M

[Analyst]

[ QUOTE ]

They shouldn't let you do that. If you're just changing tables, you can't cash any of your stacks out. Otherwise there's nothing to stop someone from changing tables for one hand and then bouncing back to the original table.

Last night I moved from holdem to an O/8 table and was a little surprised that they said I didn't have to take all my chips because it was a different game.

[/ QUOTE ]

At least one of the local cardrooms (with a notoriously bad must-move policy) does allow you to partially cash out when you're must-moved - as much as you want, as long as you have the minimum buy-in at the next table.

[Cazz]

I don't think anyone on this thread has mentioned the
reason for the "no rat holing" rule. It is the
same reason that they have a minimum buy in:
to prevent a player from taking unfair advantage
of the all-in rule.

For an example take a 7 stud game with a
$1 ante and all bets at $5. I sit down
at a table with 6 other players and pull
out $1. If I am allowed to do this then
it will be profitable to me. I will get
to the showdown on every hand. I should
have the best hand 1/7 of the time. However,
since some players will fold before the showdown
when they would have made a better hand than me,
I am going to win more than 1 of 7 showdowns.
Clearly this is a +EV situation for me.

If I can put $6 in my pocket (rat hole) when I win
and pull out $1 when I lose, I can do this
on every hand. If I have $5 (or $10) in front of
me instead of $1, I still have an advantage but it is
usually not quite as large. I will have to decide
which hands are worth playing, but once I get
all in, I will get the advantage of other players
folding to betting on the side.

OK, now add a minimum buy-in of $50 and
only let me take money off the table
to get down to $50 and no less.
I can still abuse the all-in rule. Every
time I win, I cut my stack back to $50. When
I lose I let the stack stay small. By
doing this I will create more short stack
all-in situtations for me, which I think
I have shown is +EV.

When everyone else catches on that this is
a profittable play, then they should follow
suit to counteract my edge. The result will
be that the game will die. On average, everyone
will have about $25 in front of them (less when
you consider the rake) and no one will have
more than $50.

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
what if you have 2 blacks and some reds, and run out of reds, then have to call a river bet? you can't "go all in", you must call with a black, and get change.

[/ QUOTE ]

Precisely; I would point this out if I were in the hand and someone tried to go all-in. I'm the guy demanding that they throw in the loose change half-dollars they've got on the table!

I'm surprised everyone is so adamant that "most cardrooms" don't allow you to take money off at a table change or a leave-and-come-back, but all I can say is Foxwoods does a lot of things differently so this certainly isn't the first oddity there.

Anyone want to buy the button?