Blue Chip
No, I didn't watch a Nick Nolte movie; I went to Blue Chip casino in Michigan City, IN, for the reopening of their poker room.
What. A. Joke. This place was being run like hoodrat: poor and sloppy. Most of the dealers didn't know the rules, and at least half couldn't pitch a card to save her life. The pitbosses were either stupid, incompetent, or flat-out mean, with many being some combination of the 3. For example:
I'd been playing limit for a few hours, and finally my table broke up. I had a few racks of checks in front of me, and decided to go sit with my friend and play some no limit at the only other table running. When I sat down, I bought in for the max, but had plenty of chips left over. I wanted to toss them into my pocket instead of leaving them on the table behind me, since I was all drunk and bound to forget them, or at least knock them onto the floor. Keep in mind there are 12 people in the ENTIRE ROOM, including the dealer, pitboss, and receptionist/secretary.
Wang: "Excuse me? Sir? Hi, I just moved tables. I was wondering if you'd see if you could get some of these chips colored up for me so I can put them away?"
PitBoss: "No." (walks away)
Wang: "Did he just say no?"
Dealer: (horrified) "Uh, yeah, I think he did..."
Wang: "EXCUSE ME? Sir? Yeah, I was just wondering if you could get some bigger chips I could exchange for these smaller chips. Because I don't want all my chips hanging around, and I'm playing. In your new poker room. And paying to do so."
PitBoss: "Do it yourself. I'm not walking out of this room. I'm not going to the cashier for you. It's not my job." (walks away)
Wang: "What? You are the worst pit boss ever."
PitBoss: "..."
Wang: "I'm serious. You're ridiculous."
I'm not sure how I wasn't kicked out. Maybe it had something to do that my friend and I made up 25% of the card room...
A little later, I left to get a meal. I took my extra racks of chips and told the dealer I was going to put them on the table so I didn't have to keep them under my chair.
I come back a while later, and reach to move my excess rack of chips from the table.
NewBoss: "Excuse me, sir? Sir??"
Wang: (slurring, surely) "Ya?"
NewBoss: "You can't take money off the table."
Wang: "Oh, it's not on the table. I just put it there to keep track of it while I went to get breakfast."
NewBoss: "Yeah, but you're taking it off the table. It was clearly on the table."
Wang: "Yeah, it was on the table, but it wasn't ON THE TABLE."
NewBoss: "The rules are rules."
Wang: "No, you just don't understand. Those chips weren't in play."
NewBoss: "Were they on the table?"
Wang: "Yes, techni-"
NewBoss: "Then they're in play, and can't be taken off the table."
Wang: "Do you understand that 'on the table' is used metaphorically, to represent chips that are- or have been at some point- at stake? That's what 'table stakes' means. Chips that are at any point at risk- or that one acquires via other chips- must remain at risk, or the player must leave his seat, usually for a predetermined period of time, and then he may buy in for no more than the previously enforced maximum."
NewBoss: (blinks dumbly, points) "Yeah, but those chips were on the table."
At this point I breathed deeply, took the chips off the table, and put them under my chair. I then turned, stared, and tilted my head as if to say, "Okay. So do something about it." She waved her hand at me disgustedly.
Little stuff like this happened all night. There were 2 limit games, and a smallish waiting list most of the night. For some reason, the guy running the card room made the brilliant decision to make one game the MAIN game, and the other a MUST-MOVE game. So, of course, it was absolute fucking chaos. Every 10 minutes, he'd walk over and read a list of names off. If your name wasn't called (?) you were supposed to go to the main game. When I got moved, there wasn't a seat at the main game for me, and my seat at the must-move had already been filled. It took me at least 10 minutes to get reseated. By that time, 4 seats had already opened in the main game. It took at least another 15 minutes for anyone to be moved. By the time I finally got situated at my MainTable, I noticed we were only 7 handed. I preferred it that way, but when I asked what was going on, everyone replyed, "Oh, yeah. We've been pretty short all night." There's a fucking must-move game- for no reason!- and the main game is short?
Just a joke. I made sure everybody associated with the room knew how I felt, and I made as many suggestions- fucking tanked as I obviously was- to help improve the room, since it's easily the closest room to my house and I want it to run well. With absolutely no experience, I could have taken over that room and made it twice as efficient, and three times as friendly to players. Immediately.
Jopke
What. A. Joke. This place was being run like hoodrat: poor and sloppy. Most of the dealers didn't know the rules, and at least half couldn't pitch a card to save her life. The pitbosses were either stupid, incompetent, or flat-out mean, with many being some combination of the 3. For example:
I'd been playing limit for a few hours, and finally my table broke up. I had a few racks of checks in front of me, and decided to go sit with my friend and play some no limit at the only other table running. When I sat down, I bought in for the max, but had plenty of chips left over. I wanted to toss them into my pocket instead of leaving them on the table behind me, since I was all drunk and bound to forget them, or at least knock them onto the floor. Keep in mind there are 12 people in the ENTIRE ROOM, including the dealer, pitboss, and receptionist/secretary.
Wang: "Excuse me? Sir? Hi, I just moved tables. I was wondering if you'd see if you could get some of these chips colored up for me so I can put them away?"
PitBoss: "No." (walks away)
Wang: "Did he just say no?"
Dealer: (horrified) "Uh, yeah, I think he did..."
Wang: "EXCUSE ME? Sir? Yeah, I was just wondering if you could get some bigger chips I could exchange for these smaller chips. Because I don't want all my chips hanging around, and I'm playing. In your new poker room. And paying to do so."
PitBoss: "Do it yourself. I'm not walking out of this room. I'm not going to the cashier for you. It's not my job." (walks away)
Wang: "What? You are the worst pit boss ever."
PitBoss: "..."
Wang: "I'm serious. You're ridiculous."
I'm not sure how I wasn't kicked out. Maybe it had something to do that my friend and I made up 25% of the card room...
A little later, I left to get a meal. I took my extra racks of chips and told the dealer I was going to put them on the table so I didn't have to keep them under my chair.
I come back a while later, and reach to move my excess rack of chips from the table.
NewBoss: "Excuse me, sir? Sir??"
Wang: (slurring, surely) "Ya?"
NewBoss: "You can't take money off the table."
Wang: "Oh, it's not on the table. I just put it there to keep track of it while I went to get breakfast."
NewBoss: "Yeah, but you're taking it off the table. It was clearly on the table."
Wang: "Yeah, it was on the table, but it wasn't ON THE TABLE."
NewBoss: "The rules are rules."
Wang: "No, you just don't understand. Those chips weren't in play."
NewBoss: "Were they on the table?"
Wang: "Yes, techni-"
NewBoss: "Then they're in play, and can't be taken off the table."
Wang: "Do you understand that 'on the table' is used metaphorically, to represent chips that are- or have been at some point- at stake? That's what 'table stakes' means. Chips that are at any point at risk- or that one acquires via other chips- must remain at risk, or the player must leave his seat, usually for a predetermined period of time, and then he may buy in for no more than the previously enforced maximum."
NewBoss: (blinks dumbly, points) "Yeah, but those chips were on the table."
At this point I breathed deeply, took the chips off the table, and put them under my chair. I then turned, stared, and tilted my head as if to say, "Okay. So do something about it." She waved her hand at me disgustedly.
Little stuff like this happened all night. There were 2 limit games, and a smallish waiting list most of the night. For some reason, the guy running the card room made the brilliant decision to make one game the MAIN game, and the other a MUST-MOVE game. So, of course, it was absolute fucking chaos. Every 10 minutes, he'd walk over and read a list of names off. If your name wasn't called (?) you were supposed to go to the main game. When I got moved, there wasn't a seat at the main game for me, and my seat at the must-move had already been filled. It took me at least 10 minutes to get reseated. By that time, 4 seats had already opened in the main game. It took at least another 15 minutes for anyone to be moved. By the time I finally got situated at my MainTable, I noticed we were only 7 handed. I preferred it that way, but when I asked what was going on, everyone replyed, "Oh, yeah. We've been pretty short all night." There's a fucking must-move game- for no reason!- and the main game is short?
Just a joke. I made sure everybody associated with the room knew how I felt, and I made as many suggestions- fucking tanked as I obviously was- to help improve the room, since it's easily the closest room to my house and I want it to run well. With absolutely no experience, I could have taken over that room and made it twice as efficient, and three times as friendly to players. Immediately.
Jopke
posted by Derek at 5:52 PM
2 Comments:
Good times. My favorite part:
Wang: "Excuse me? Sir? Hi, I just moved tables. I was wondering if you'd see if you could get some of these chips colored up for me so I can put them away?"
PitBoss: "No." (walks away)
Wang: "Did he just say no?"
Dealer: (horrified) "Uh, yeah, I think he did..."
I don't know what it is about these moments, but I love it when people ask a seemingly simple question totally expecting a certain answer and then get the exact opposite answer.
"Hey, Miss? You think you could get me a refill on this coffee?"
"I will punch you in the MOUTH!"
It's visualizing moments like these that keep me alive day-to-day.
That and the PACT thread. Priceless, Joey. Priceless.
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