Sooner or later it was bound to happen. Often I share doubles and splits with civilians at the table and these plays have been very profitable for me, but recently I ran into a crook and it cost me EV.
There was an older Chinese woman sitting next to me, and she was dealt 77 vs. 5. She didn't have enough money to double, so being that's a nice offensive split I volunteered to take half of it with her and she agreed. I got to double my half. The dealer busts and she hands me back my original two bets.
"Uh, what about the rest?" I asked her.
"I borrow your money. I borrow now I give it back, see?"
"No, that's not the way it works. What would have happened if it lost, would you have paid me back? You couldn't have, you have no money left."
Then she starts pretending she doesn't speak English. What a jerk. In this place I could have called the PC over who would have intimidated her into giving me my money, but I thought the better of it given my role in this casino and didn't. But I did tell her exactly what I thought of her, using language such that no one would have mistaken me for Dr. Albert Schweitzer.
Things were in balance that night, for on the next table I played I was the beneficiary of a dealer error that almost exactly made up for the amount I got screwed out of, and I really killed the casino that night. Up 100 units.
Just one more thing to watch out for- playing other people's hands is very profitable but can also end up like this or even worse- she could have tried to keep my original bets.
There was an older Chinese woman sitting next to me, and she was dealt 77 vs. 5. She didn't have enough money to double, so being that's a nice offensive split I volunteered to take half of it with her and she agreed. I got to double my half. The dealer busts and she hands me back my original two bets.
"Uh, what about the rest?" I asked her.
"I borrow your money. I borrow now I give it back, see?"
"No, that's not the way it works. What would have happened if it lost, would you have paid me back? You couldn't have, you have no money left."
Then she starts pretending she doesn't speak English. What a jerk. In this place I could have called the PC over who would have intimidated her into giving me my money, but I thought the better of it given my role in this casino and didn't. But I did tell her exactly what I thought of her, using language such that no one would have mistaken me for Dr. Albert Schweitzer.
Things were in balance that night, for on the next table I played I was the beneficiary of a dealer error that almost exactly made up for the amount I got screwed out of, and I really killed the casino that night. Up 100 units.
Just one more thing to watch out for- playing other people's hands is very profitable but can also end up like this or even worse- she could have tried to keep my original bets.
