Interesting Situation

[CMangano]

I usually don't play live games, but I had a couple hours to kill tonight and being about 10 minutes from the casino I decided to play. A 2/4 game had one seat available so I elected to take it. The table was the loosest, most passive table I have ever sat on, but something very strange happened.

I am UTG with K7s. I call as do 6 others (9 handed game). Flop comes x77. SB bets (from what I can tell he is new to the game of hold'em. FORESHADOWING: Earlier he mucked 99 which I thought would have given him a fh, but some other lady had a smaller fh and won the pot. I tried to say something but the lady had the chips and the hands were mucked. I may have been wrong and he may have been beaten, but I swore he wasn't. Ok, enough rambling.) I just call the SB's bet since no one folds on the flop for any amount of money at this table. Everyone calls.

Turn brings a 6 for 6x77r. SB bets again and this time I raise, everyone folds to the SB who calls. River is some rag, SB checks to me, I bet, he calls. I show my 3 7's and he throws his cards into the muck.

As I am stacking my chips he says "wait, I had 66." Obviously it was too late as the dealer was already shuffling for the next hand. I still felt bad though. I wasn't really sure what to do. I felt like I won a pot I didn't deserve to win. Naturally everybody at the table said to the guy that he should never just muck, and that there was nothing he could do now. But that still didn't change the way I felt about it. I actually contemplated splitting the pot with him. What does everyone think about this? Would it have been a good move to split the pot with him? Or did he just pay for a very valuable lesson?

[Bob T.]

If it really bothers you, you could give him back his last bet. I've mucked winners, and I bet that almost everyone who has played live has. It is a valuable lessone that he has to learn. When I did it, I just sucked it up, and continued playing. That is what he has to do now.

[elindauer]

I don't think you are morally obligated to give back any money... the guy may have been lying (been known to happen at a poker table).

That said, it would be a stand-up thing to do.

-Eric

PS Even if you *knew* the guy had mucked a winner, you still would not be morally obligated... part of the skill of the game is reading your own hand, and deciding when to show your cards and when not to. New players make any number of mistakes when they play, and the better player is not obligated to compensate them for their losses.

[Ed Miller]

I actually contemplated splitting the pot with him.

Strangely enough, I had 66 that exact same hand. Send me a PM and I'll give you my Paypal info so you can send me my share of the pot.

[bernie]

"Earlier he mucked 99 which I thought would have given him a fh, but some other lady had a smaller fh and won the pot. I tried to say something but the lady had the chips and the hands were mucked."

1 player to a hand, sir. unless he tables his hand, you dont say anything. if he does table the hand, then by all means...

i may have just called the turn in your hand. lots of players that may overcall. no reason to strong move the pot here. unless you think theyll call. no reason to protect your hand. theyre making a mistake if they call with an overpair anyways by calling the initial turn bet.

i would never split this pot with him. and i wouldnt geel a bit guilty about it. not to mention, you dont know for sure if he had 66. he couldve had 69. he learned a lesson if he did muck it. i wouldnt expect anyone to split a pot with me if i folded the winner. which i have done before.

there's no question as to what to do. you stack the chips offereing condolences if you wish to.

b

[Mike]

In that rare occurance when I get quads I would like to loudly proclaim my bad beat for all to see. Perhaps he was telling the truth, perhaps it was an angle shot. Either way you won, he lost. If he chose to muck his 66 it was his fault not yours.

When I started playing in a casino I used to feel bad about taking money from people who really had no business at the table. Too old to play correctly, flashing their hands, misreading their hands. After enough times watching others greedily take their money when I went home with my tail between my legs broke again, I got over it.

Moral of the story: You won the pot, if it was his baby's food money that is his problem not yours. No one forced him to the table, no one forced him to play, no one forced him to muck. Such is life. Nice hand, nice win, you deserved it.

[bernie]

just wondering

"When I started playing in a casino I used to feel bad about taking money from people who really had no business at the table."

what does it take to have business on the table? ive never really understood this thinking.

b

[Schmed]

I am interested to read what other wrote but in my opinion there is no way I split the pot. You can't trust anyone at those places. I wouldn't feel bad about it at all. You had a "real" hand......(by the way..watching the WPT I am starting to wonder at what point a 44 became a real hand)

The only time I ever split a pot with anyone that mucked was, I forget the exact hand, essentially it came down to I was in the bb with a something like a 73s. Flop hit my 7 and because I was running over the table I bet out, I had one caller. I checked the turn and the river he checked both. At showdown he takes his hand face up and throws it into the muck and says, "I know you got me". It was a 74s. Before I could even say anything the dealer put the cards into the muck. I didn't even have to show. I showed and told him I would split it with him. I did it as much because he was an extremely live player and I was killing him at the time.

[Homer]

I just call the SB's bet since no one folds on the flop for any amount of money at this table.

That would be a good reason to raise. Also, you won't be setting yourself up to raise SB's turn bet, which would knock everyone else out. Instead, you'd lead the turn and let them all call a single bet. Maybe you'll get lucky and someone will raise with a weaker 7 and you can trap everybody in the middle.

As I am stacking my chips he says "wait, I had 66." Obviously it was too late as the dealer was already shuffling for the next hand.

Just ignore the situation and stack your chips. Let the other players at the table explain the situation to him.

-- Homer

[CMangano]

Hahaha!