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The
World Series of Poker is well under way as I write this,
and instead of playing in the handful of events that I would
normally play, I was somehow talked into working at the
WSOP this year as the financial host. This has allowed
me to make and see a wide variety of decisions at the
Texas Holdem
poker tables.
One of
the most interesting decisions was made in the $2,000 buy-in
seven-card stud eight-or-better event. Here is the situation
as it happened:
Three
players were involved in the hand. On fifth street, all
three players received their upcards. Player C bet all in,
and was called by players A and B. The dealer delivered
sixth street to players A and B, but forgot to give a
sixth-street card to player C. There was a bet and a call
between players A and B, and then the dealer delivered
seventh street to players A and B. At this point, someone at
the table realized that player C had not been given his
sixth- and seventh-street cards. Jim Miller, the tournament
co-director, was called to the game to make a decision.
Given the information above, what decision would you make?
Jim
listened to the dealer and the players as they described the
situation, and then ruled that player C's hand was dead, and
he was eliminated from the tournament. That's a pretty harsh
decision, don't you think? After all, this player was being
eliminated from a major tournament without even having a
chance to contest the pot to which he had committed all of
his chips.
For
obvious reasons, player C was upset with the ruling, because
he felt the dealer had made a mistake and he shouldn't have
to pay for that error. But what about the player's
responsibility? If the dealer does make a mistake, shouldn't
the player be paying close enough attention to say something
before it is too late? If I was involved in a pot that was
going to decide my fate in a WSOP tournament, I
surely would make certain that I was getting all of my
cards.
In my
opinion, Jim made the correct decision. Not only was it the
correct decision, it was realistically the only decision
that could be made. Player C had an opportunity to realize
that he didn't get his sixth-street card as soon as the
dealer didn't deliver it. Then, he had time while players A
and B were betting to realize it and call attention to the
mistake. Finally, he could have stopped play before seventh
street was dealt. Had he stopped the action at any point
during sixth street and before seventh street was dealt, he
would have received his sixth-street card and been able to
continue in the hand and contest for the pot.
This is
the type of ruling that any floorperson hates to make. No
one wants to see a player knocked out of a tournament
because of a situation such as this. The bottom line is that
each player is responsible for making sure that his
financial interests in a pot are protected. As a player, you
must pay attention and make sure that you are being dealt
the proper cards and being awarded the proper amount from a
pot. If the situation can be corrected in time, it will, but
once the action moves to the next round of betting, it
cannot be backed up.
It's
unfortunate that this Texas Holdem player was eliminated
from the biggest and best tournament in the world because of
this situation, but it is a lesson from which all
Texas Holdem
players can
learn, and a situation in which I'm sure this particular
Texas Holdem
player won't
find himself again. |
