I had a discussion the other evening with a counter friend and the subject turned to dealer mistakes in the player's favor. His contention was that the casinos try to screw us at every opportunity and if they make a mistake, we should take full advantage of it. I'm sure that is a popular sentiment, and I'll admit to keeping a few chips paid to me in error over the years, but a scene I witnessed a couple of years ago has stuck with me and I thought I might share it.
I was playing 6D heads up at TI when a pretty Asian girl sat down and began flat betting $5 hands. She continued for a couple of shoes, never raising her bet, until her red was gone. Then she pulled out a black chip and bet it. The dealer had a 10 up and she was dealt a 6 card 22 which the dealer miscounted as a 21. After turning over another 10 for a 20, he paid her $100 and scooped up the cards. She turned to me and said "Didn't I bust?" Not knowing how to respond, I said that I hadn't been paying that much attention. She then insisted that the dealer (over his objection) pull the discards and recheck her hand. With the floor looking on, a recount confirmed that she had busted and the dealer retrieved the casino's black chip as well as her own. The floor, dealer, and I must have had that "are you an idiot?" look on our faces and when she saw it, she shrugged her shoulders, simply said "karma" and walked away.
Now, I can't say whether this young lady actually believed in some form of karmic retribution or whether she was just plain honest. I can say that it has made me stop and think about greed vs. honesty and the direction of my own moral compass. As advantage players, we brag about how we use our brains and our mental discipline to tilt the odds in our favor. We condemn the casinos for calling us "cheaters." My question is: If we keep ill-gotten gains, aren't we actually cheating? Shouldn't we increase our bankrolls by our wits, and not by petty theft? Or should we cater to the greed and "take the money and run"? My friend and I would be interested in your comments.
I was playing 6D heads up at TI when a pretty Asian girl sat down and began flat betting $5 hands. She continued for a couple of shoes, never raising her bet, until her red was gone. Then she pulled out a black chip and bet it. The dealer had a 10 up and she was dealt a 6 card 22 which the dealer miscounted as a 21. After turning over another 10 for a 20, he paid her $100 and scooped up the cards. She turned to me and said "Didn't I bust?" Not knowing how to respond, I said that I hadn't been paying that much attention. She then insisted that the dealer (over his objection) pull the discards and recheck her hand. With the floor looking on, a recount confirmed that she had busted and the dealer retrieved the casino's black chip as well as her own. The floor, dealer, and I must have had that "are you an idiot?" look on our faces and when she saw it, she shrugged her shoulders, simply said "karma" and walked away.
Now, I can't say whether this young lady actually believed in some form of karmic retribution or whether she was just plain honest. I can say that it has made me stop and think about greed vs. honesty and the direction of my own moral compass. As advantage players, we brag about how we use our brains and our mental discipline to tilt the odds in our favor. We condemn the casinos for calling us "cheaters." My question is: If we keep ill-gotten gains, aren't we actually cheating? Shouldn't we increase our bankrolls by our wits, and not by petty theft? Or should we cater to the greed and "take the money and run"? My friend and I would be interested in your comments.