Tournament coverage Poker

Show some respect

Written by Ben Blaschke

I had the privilege of covering the inaugural Asian Poker Tour Sydney event over the weekend, en event which is certain to become one of the most significant on the annual tournament calendar for those in the Asia-Pacific region.

With a record field of 648 players – not only the biggest for the APT but also the biggest main event ever held in Sydney – there is no doubt it holds a very bright future. But a few small incidents I witnessed during the course of the four days got me thinking.

My gripe? The manner in which poker players speak to dealers. Let me first qualify this by saying that this is a problem that takes place in every poker tournament in every city in the world – players get frustrated when they’re being dealt trash or cop a few bad beats and decide it is the dealer rather than the fluctuations of the cards that are to blame.

But seeing it happen in person again and again this week was food for thought. Sometimes a dealer misdeals. With so many hands being dealt across 34 poker tables, the occasional mistake is inevitable. But there is no need for a player to yell at the dealer or call them an idiot – berating them as if they had just shot their mother.

On one occasion, a player of some note lost consecutive races to see his once formidable chip stack dwindle to nothing. As he stood up after being eliminated, he patted the dealer on the back and sarcastically thanked them for what had just taken place.

This is truly shameful behavior in my opinion. I understand that in tournaments of this magnitude, the stakes are high. Tempers can fray. Let’s face it, for many people the money on offer is potentially life changing. That’s no excuse to lose your grip on rationality.

Dealers are human. Occasionally they make mistakes. More importantly, they have no control over the cards that are dealt, or how they run out on the board. It’s time players started treating them with more respect. And for others at the table to put people in their place should they decide to give the dealer a hard time.

Alas, I fear we’re fighting a losing battle.