When a Dealer Plays at Your Table

He sat down two places to my right and immediately began talking. He didn't stop talking until the table broke about an hour later. I noticed he was a dealer at the casino, off duty and looking to kill some time.

It's not unusual to find dealers playing at the casino in which they work. In Las Vegas, especially in the old days, playing at the table was part of their regular shift as dealers. They filled in the empty seats to keep live ones in the seats. The dealers would play until they were needed for work, or if business was slow, they would play awhile and then go home.

So when this dealer-talker sat down in the one seat it wasn't an issue. I must admit I feel a little uncomfortable about it, being naturally suspicious about cheating and collusion. Will the dealer be treated to some nice cards by his pal who is currently dealing the game? Does the dealer/player have an edge over the regulars at the table because he has seen them play for months, even years, and thus knows their tendencies and style?

When a dealer sits down to play, my radar goes up. I become more attentive to his play and if I get a sense that he has killed what was once a good table, then I'll get up and leave or change tables. It would be rare and very unusual for any collusion between dealers, but it's always a possibility. For the most part, casinos don't care about me--I have to look out for myself. So if I get any hint of collusion or cheating, I'll simple get up and leave.

In this particular case, the dealer was a big mouth. He would give running commentary after every hand, commenting on his reasoning for the plays he made. To make matters worse, he got on a rush and won numerous hands in a row. In one span, he showed AA, AQ, KQ, KK, QQ, flopped a straight and two-pair, and almost doubled his money in about 20 minutes. It wasn't long before the players at the table left, one after one, until there were only three of us left alone with this dealer-talker.

I was the next one to leave, then the table busted. Looking back on it, it was pretty obvious this guy destroyed the nice game we had going. I'm not saying he was cheating. More than likely, he got lucky. And since he was an employee at the casino, a dealer, and a big mouth, I understand why the players abandoned the table.

As I move up to the higher limits, when more money is at stake, these kinds of issues are going to become more important. Part of my education as a poker player is to consider more than the cards I play. I must also evaluate the players and the "texture" and "environment" of the game.

He sat down next to me, on the left, though I would have preferred him on my right side.

Bald, tall, young, and rude. "Service," he barked out to no one in particular. I could tell I wasn't going to like this guy. I detest arrogance in most forms, and this guy was drooling in it. His entire routine at the table was a cry to everyone there, "Watch out, I'm here now, so don't mess with me." One thing he would do which is really annoying: splash chips. Some players like to toss their chips into the pot from on-high, tossing them into the air with a flurry, having them drop with a splashy noise as they hit the felt. Of course, most of the time the chips roll and skip all over the table making the dealer chase after them.

After two hands he immediately requested a seat change. Why? Who knows. When a girl from the kitchen finally arrived he ordered three waters, not one or two. Everything this guy did was over the top. After getting beat by a bad river card, he chastised the winner by saying "Nice catch, buddy" in such a way it made you squirm. Of course, minutes later he beat me in a hand by catching a gut shot on the turn. I was tempted to say "Nice catch, buddy", but did not. He couldn't just win, though. He had to add a comment while turning over his winning cards, "You won't like it, buddy, but I've got the nuts."

Some players at the table will just rub you the wrong way. This kind of player grinds on me like sand paper. I usually don't mind it though, because in the long run I get their money. I've learned that poker is a game of playing people, too, not just cards.

I'm trying to become better at reading people, and gathering information from them. I had no problem tagging the player above as an aggressive, loose, asshole (ALA, is my term). An ALA is easy to read most of the time. Their personalities give them away. I'm going to call an ALA more times than not, because they will play any two cards and raise with a wide range of hands. I'll try to ignore their antics and abusive comments, which usually drives them crazy. Online poker has produced a million ALA's, and when they come to a live game it can be entertaining.

Something else I will always attempt to do: talk to players around me and find out everything I can about them. Is that guy an engineer? He's probably a tight, cautious, player and will only play good cards. He'll over-analyze the game and rarely bluff. I had one player tell me he liked to play 5-7 because it was his birthday. I used that information against him later by adding that hand to his range of possible hands on a flop of 7-7-K. Sure enough, he had the 5-7 for a set. I try to be talkative without giving out any personal information. I'm pretty good at speaking BS without saying anything of substance. I will almost never talk about hand strategy or about what cards I like to play. I try to remain a mystery. Of course, if they read my blog, the gig is up.

Poker is about people. It is a social game. That's why I hate playing online. Sure, online you have the chat function which allows you to make comments while playing. And some players will get on the phone with other players during a game...which is a possible collusion problem. So, I will never play online for any real money. I prefer to see the players in front of me, at the table, with all of their antics, and their willingness to provide me with information I can use to make more money.