Champion of Poker

I was at the final table of a tournament with four players left. A player in the small blind moved all-in with Ac-Jd and was called by the big blind holding Ac-Ks. The big blind only had the small blind covered by a small amount. The board ran out Kd-6s-Ad-2d-3d. After the flop, the small blind player shook the big blind players hand and started walking towards the floor to get a payout. After the river card was dealt, the dealer started to push the pot to the big blind, but I pointed out that there was a flush. The floor was called and the dealer was instructed to push the pot to the small blind.

The big blind then erupted and claimed that I had no right to interfere, claiming that there was a “one player to a hand rule.” The other players were saying that cards speak and that it didn’t matter. The floor then stated that his ruling stood and told me to not say anything further during hands I was not a part of. The big blind player was left with less than the big blind and was eliminated the next hand. He then told me he was going to wait for me to finish, insinuating that he wanted to fight.

Well, we ended up chopping about 15 minutes later and sure enough the guy was still there waiting. Nothing happened as I had two friends railing me and they left with me. They are quite large men and he just ran away like a little girl.

However, it does beg the question as to whether I was supposed to say anything during the tournament when the dealer made the mistake. I thought that cards spoke. What should have happened here.

Tony

Tony,

You have a scenario here where the player was trying to angle shoot for the pot after realizing he was sucked out on. Once a player is all-in, cards must be shown and cards do indeed speak. In the event of a dealer miscalling the hand, TDA rules clearly state that other players may assist the dealer in correctly calling the hands. In other words, you were entirely within your rights to point that out.

The player that claimed “one player to a hand” misunderstood the rule. One player to a hand involves someone giving advice on how to play a hand while action is still occurring. After someone is all-in and called, action is complete.

I am a little concerned that the floor manager told you to keep your mouth shut after the incident. He may have done that to keep peace. However, I would have still spoke up if the dealer made a mistake again.

I am also surprised that you did not have security called on the player that threatened you. You should have definitely taken up for yourself here and had him thrown out of the building. While that is your decision, it is one that I would have made without hesitation.

Cards speak means that a player cannot be penalized for miscalling his hand. If they do so, the dealer can make the correction. When the situation arises where the dealer is in error, it is your responsibility to help them. You would want the same done for you if you were in that spot. Another thing this does is that is shows you are an honest player. Annie Duke last year at the WSOP was all-in and had lost at the river to an opponent’s straight. The dealer miscalled the hand and her opponent did not notice it. Annie pointed out the dealer’s error and then packed up her stuff and exited the area. That was a case where her correcting the dealer cost her, but it was the right thing to do.