Casino employees in the game, wierd situation

[Lepton]

Last night at the casino a very strange situation developed in the wee hours. At our casino if a table becomes short handed one of the casino employees will sit in at the table and play to keep the game going. They play with their own money, and they are not allowed to check raise.

This situation developed around 3:00 am at the $4/$8 table. A very nice employee sat to my immediate left in the #9 seat. Soon I was in the SB and the employee was in the BB. Five of us saw a flop of Qh9h5h. I was holding Ah9c and I led out the betting. The employee in the BB called, and a gentleman in the #2 seat (UTG +1) raised. It was folded around to me and I called with my nut flush draw and the employee called.

The turn brought 7c. I checked, the employee in the BB checked, and #2 seat bet. I called and the BB called.

The river brought a 9s. I missed my nut flush and I checked. The employee in the BB bet, the #2 seat gentleman raised, I folded, and the employee in the BB called.

The gentleman in #2 seat showed Kh8h for a flush. The employee in the BB turned over pocket 5's for a full house (the board paired the 9's on the river and he had flopped a set of 5's).

At that point the gentleman in the #2 seat started talking angrily about employees of the casino playing in a game and taking his money. It escalated to the point he walked out, then soon returned in a rather aggravated condition, security was called and the casino night shift General Manager was called. The gentleman threatened to sue the casino, but the GM (in rather abrupt terms) told him that not only would it be impossible to sue an Indian casino, but what was he going to sue for? Losing at a casino?

We had a rather good laugh about this at the table after the gentleman was escorted to the door by security.

How do you feel about casino employees playing in a game? Personally I find nothing wrong about it, especially as they are not allowed to check raise and play with their own money. It keeps the game going. In this situation I think the gentleman in question played the hand as best he could, flopping a flush, but certainly should not have raised once the board paired on the river and the employee in the BB bet into him. This is all part of the game of poker IMHO and the gentleman should have taken it as an adult.

[niin]

Card rooms in Vegas have signs all over if they allow prop players like this. Also, any prop players must say they are props if asked, and the dealer/pit boss has to point out props if you ask.

I don't really see anything wrong with it since they're playing with their own money. There's no way other than through skill to get an 'edge' in poker, so it isn't like the casino player has any unfair advantage.

[nsidestrate]

They might not be prop players, they may just be employees blowing off steam. Dealers often play in Vegas and AC after their shift. Curiously, they are usually poor players.

[niin]

Yeah; just the way he phrased the story made me think it was a prop player, since they only sat down when the table got short.

[Lepton]

There is a very nice gentleman at the casino that is a true prop player. He is paid an hourly wage and plays his own money. When not playing he sits quietly reading a book and at the first sign that a table is getting short handed he is called into action, from $2/$4 to $15/$30 or NL tables.

When he plays he plays very tight and very quietly. No flash, but he makes steady money over time and keeps a small ledger in his pocket to track his progress for tax purposes.

Being a prop player for some folks would seem to be a very good way to have a steady diet of poker. In some cases you get benefits plus your hourly wages, and you get to play a variety of games. The down side is that you are constantly moved from table to table and game to game. You need to be able to play Stud, Omaha, Limit Holdem, and NL Holdem to make money at the tables...and making money at the tables is the key to your success.

As for that gentleman that had a problem with a prop player at the table, well he needs to gain a tad more maturity. He got beat on a hand. Big deal! I'm sure one or more of us has been beat on the river when we flopped a flush. It doesn't matter WHO beat you. In his case he added insult to injury by raising after the board paired and the BB bet into him. If the BB WASN'T a prop player he would have been allowed to reraise him and take MORE money, so he should be thankful for that.

[niin]

[Harley54]

At my local casino in Tacoma I love when the employees play. They usually play pretty solidly, but not skillfully. I mean they know not to get involved in too many hands, but from what I've seen, they aren't that tricky. They usually don't lose a lot of money, but they do spread it aroudn a bit.