Why is it customary for the dealer to mix the chips in a pot? (2 Viewers)

[InBobWeTrust]

As the title states, why do dealers mix all the chips in a pot instead of leaving them in nice countable stacks?

I take turns hosting with a buddy of mine who is very new to hosting, and he let me know it drives him nuts that I collect all the chips after each betting round, and mix them into the main pot.

We played at his house last night, and he kept all of the stacks intact. Everyone greatly prefered it since they weren't wasting a lot of time stacking and sorting chips. It feels wrong, but I couldn't find any official rule outside of simple tradition.

Is there any rule I can cite?

 

[RocAFella1]

Invariably you might end up blocking the view of the players seated behind the stacks and between the board.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

You mean they have their bets from previous streets in front of them? The rule is there so that people don't feel like they can reach out and grab their chips back. Its also psychological: those chips are no longer theirs, they are part of the pot. I know we all trust our players but having their bets so close to their stacks might lead to more angles or cheats where people short the bet, when I sweep bets in as a dealer I'm also ensuring the number is correct.

Edit: misunderstood, ty

 

[InBobWeTrust]

You mean they have their bets from previous streets in front of them? The rule is there so that people don't feel like they can reach out and grab their chips back. Its also psychological: those chips are no longer theirs, they are part of the pot. I know we all trust our players but having their bets so close to their stacks might lead to more angles or cheats where people short the bet, when I sweep bets in as a dealer I'm also ensuring the number is correct.

The chips were still collected and brought to the center, but in nice neat stacks, instead of knocking the stacks over and having a pile in the center.

 

[TheOffalo]

Isn’t there some rule in no-limit where you’re not supposed to be able to get an easy count of what’s in the pot?

 

[Natskule]

As the title states, why do dealers mix all the chips in a pot instead of leaving them in nice countable stacks?

I take turns hosting with a buddy of mine who is very new to hosting, and he let me know it drives him nuts that I collect all the chips after each betting round, and mix them into the main pot.

We played at his house last night, and he kept all of the stacks intact. Everyone greatly prefered it since they weren't wasting a lot of time stacking and sorting chips. It feels wrong, but I couldn't find any official rule outside of simple tradition.

Is there any rule I can cite?

Don't know, but have wondered myself.

 

[BPTDirector]

It seems more efficient to have the chips in the pot but in stacks.

 

[BPTDirector]

Isn’t there some rule in no-limit where you’re not supposed to be able to get an easy count of what’s in the pot?

I have never heard of this rule. I know you can ask for a count. If you know the hand well enough you should already know what’s in the pot.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

I have never heard of this rule. I know you can ask for a count. If you know the hand well enough you should already know what’s in the pot.

In most NLHE games you cannot ask for a count. As a dealer, I'm allowed to spread the pot for you but I will never announce the amount that's in it.

and @InBobWeTrust ah, makes more sense, ignore that. I personally like how all the chips look in big piles and as someone that keeps track of the amount in the pot I do think it gives me an advantage, knowing how much is in the pile. As a dealer I don't want to be responsible for stacking the chips at all, I want to sweep them into a pot, declare a winner and shove the chips her way, time is money.

 

[ekricket]

I’m glad when they do it, I love stacking chips that I just won!

There is nothing efficient about a poker game, and the laws of the poker universe will conspire against you if you do try anything efficient.

 

[TheOffalo]

I have never heard of this rule. I know you can ask for a count. If you know the hand well enough you should already know what’s in the pot.

https://www.pokertda.com/forum/index.php?topic=291.0

This discussion thread is pretty old but it does mention both tournament and cash rules and brings up RRoP as well which I know some people like over TDA rules for cash.

Confirmed what I vaguely recalled about not being able to ask about the pot size in NL (and that a “pot” bet in NL is not technically a legal bet).

 

[BPTDirector]

I learned something today.

 

[Coyote]

Players are required to keep their stacks neat and countable, rightly so.
The same should be required for the pot. NO salad pots please.

 

[RocAFella1]

Also think about dealers themselves. They have to hold the stub so they can drag pots with either hand but usually not both. It’s easier to just drag chips into a pile rather than organizing them into stacks.

 

[InBobWeTrust]

Also think about dealers themselves. They have to hold the stub so they can drag pots with either hand but usually not both. It’s easier to just drag chips into a pile rather than organizing them into stacks.

I brought this up with some other friends, and they came to this same conclusion.

 

[doublebooyah85]

dealers will keep them nice and stacked during bomb pots bc they have it ready for split

 

[mdt11]

dealers will keep them nice and stacked during bomb pots bc they have it ready for split

When I deal, the chips get splashed, except during bomb pots, where they stay chopped the whole time.

 

[drdr]

At my game I've noticed when bets are small pots are splashed. As bets get larger (mostly tournaments) pots are order and mostly stay in stacks. That happened organically, no instruction. Tendency toward what is easier.

For other games my suspicion is the 'is how it's always been done'. Seems most cash games used to be limit. Not much chip stacking per bet in limit so sweeping/scooping bets to centre would be easier. That just became normal.

 

[Deucekies]

I remember the question of "Can you ask for a count?" coming up on High Stakes Poker once. One player seemed to object, but the whole table, including Daniel Negreanu, said it was allowed.

 

[upNdown]

I like that the chips are mixed into a random pile. I've never seen No Limit done any other way, and I've never seen a dealer give a count in No Limit.
If you can't take like 20 or 30 seconds to go back over each street and know exactly how much is in the pot, then you're not paying attention. And I'll admit that there are nights where I've been drinking or whatever and sometimes I can't recall the preflop action, but that's just a shame on me situation.

 

[Machine]

The chips were still collected and brought to the center, but in nice neat stacks, instead of knocking the stacks over and having a pile in the center.

In no limit holdem you can't ask for a count, and its there so you can't count it. I heard poker was a game of observation. Cash is different than Tourney and you can ask for a count in Tourneys

It can entice action, and it shouldn't be stacked. In PLO you can ask for a count.

 

[ekricket]

I remember the question of "Can you ask for a count?" coming up on High Stakes Poker once. One player seemed to object, but the whole table, including Daniel Negreanu, said it was allowed.

I remember Daniel Negreanu saying that taking more money off of the table during play was better for the game