Worst time for a fire alarm in a casino

[alwayssplitaces]

Last night I was playing poker at Caesars in Atlantic City. I get dealt pocket kings and make a $25 preflop raise and get 3 callers. The flop is dealt with 3 low cards. Then the fire alarm goes off, and the floorperson makes everyone pull their bets back out of the pot, we all had to take our chips and go outside. Someone who called my preflop raise told me that he had pocket jacks before the fire alarm (so he's lucky in a sense that I didn't take his stack). I wish they just treated this like a disconnect online -- everyone is treated as all-in for the chips they put in the pot and the hand is played to the river with no more bets to determine a winner, it wouldn't kill us if we saw the turn and the river.

The dealer tried to keep everyone at our poker table together outside, but we lost 4 players. We were outside for over 30 minutes. After the all clear, there were about half as many people in the poker room, and my formerly juicy table was no longer so. The fire alarm killed the action in the entire room.

This fire alarm is a good analogy to the shutdown of PokerStars and Full Tilt in the US, the action was killed.

 

[Gamblor]

Got to take a positive from this, get an acquaintance to start a fire alarm when your drawing dead, or if you have a big bet out in BJ and get a 16 v 10

Reminds me of school and starting fire alarms before a big test.

 

[Automatic Monkey]

Got to take a positive from this, get an acquaintance to start a fire alarm when your drawing dead, or if you have a big bet out in BJ and get a 16 v 10

Reminds me of school and starting fire alarms before a big test.

Probably everyone has thought about this, and there is a near 100% chance of felony charges and jail time if you do, plus a civil suit if anyone gets hurt in the evacuation (and if you have any assets, someone will.)

It might be better to actually start a fire. Accomplice #1 throws a cigar in a trash can, accomplice #2 reacts to the smoke by pulling the fire alarm. If there's smoke and you pull the alarm, it's not a false alarm.

Another physically more dangerous but easier to control scheme would be to rig a cigarette lighter to leak and catch fire in accomplice #1's hand (who has practiced this so he doesn't get burned) and accomplice #2 sees him drop a ball of flame and pulls the fire alarm. This is something that can be pulled off in seconds. Downside: if they can prove you rigged a lighter you're getting arson and possible terrorism charges too, but that would be hard to prove.

This is not the kind of thing you want to do for a small payout. I want a hell of a lot of EV before I play with fire or fire alarms in a casino.

 

[zoomie]

Last night I was playing poker at Caesars in Atlantic City. I get dealt pocket kings and make a $25 preflop raise and get 3 callers. The flop is dealt with 3 low cards. Then the fire alarm goes off, [ . . .]

I was in a casino with a fire alarm also, but had not sat down yet. The customers dutifully went outside, much as reported by the OP. What are the dealers supposed to do? Guard the chip tray no matter what? I wonder what the employee handbook says.

 

[moo321]

I was in a casino with a fire alarm also, but had not sat down yet. The customers dutifully went outside, much as reported by the OP. What are the dealers supposed to do? Guard the chip tray no matter what? I wonder what the employee handbook says.

Cover the tray, lock it and leave.


Also, that poker hand was mis-handled. It should have been continued at the end of the alarm. I played once at a place where the power went out. They had emergency lights, but they got out flashlights to finish the current hands.

 

[Gamblor]

Probably everyone has thought about this, and there is a near 100% chance of felony charges and jail time if you do, plus a civil suit if anyone gets hurt in the evacuation (and if you have any assets, someone will.)

It might be better to actually start a fire. Accomplice #1 throws a cigar in a trash can, accomplice #2 reacts to the smoke by pulling the fire alarm. If there's smoke and you pull the alarm, it's not a false alarm.

Another physically more dangerous but easier to control scheme would be to rig a cigarette lighter to leak and catch fire in accomplice #1's hand (who has practiced this so he doesn't get burned) and accomplice #2 sees him drop a ball of flame and pulls the fire alarm. This is something that can be pulled off in seconds. Downside: if they can prove you rigged a lighter you're getting arson and possible terrorism charges too, but that would be hard to prove.

This is not the kind of thing you want to do for a small payout. I want a hell of a lot of EV before I play with fire or fire alarms in a casino.

Right, was joking with my post. Wouldn't recommend anyone actually do anything illegal, especially something dangerous.

Hmm, also there are no cameras in a bathroom

 

[Gamblor]

Cover the tray, lock it and leave.


Also, that poker hand was mis-handled. It should have been continued at the end of the alarm. I played once at a place where the power went out. They had emergency lights, but they got out flashlights to finish the current hands.

Would be nice if there was a way to also knockout the backup generator. Does anyone make hand held EMP bombs? :laugh:

If I find one, I'll be the guy at the casino with the empty money bags right before it goes dark

 

[Automatic Monkey]

Right, was joking with my post. Wouldn't recommend anyone actually do anything illegal, especially something dangerous.

Do damage in a casino- yes I would, for enough money. Hurt people- no.

Hmm, also there are no cameras in a bathroom

Right, which is why casinos are one of the last places with washroom attendants. Oddly, they are mostly non-smoking in the restrooms now too, maybe the intent of that is to prevent the old fire-in-the-restroom trick.

 

[alwayssplitaces]

Cover the tray, lock it and leave.


Also, that poker hand was mis-handled. It should have been continued at the end of the alarm. I played once at a place where the power went out. They had emergency lights, but they got out flashlights to finish the current hands.

We didn't know how long the alarm would last. I guess it's not fair if someone's forced to lose the money they put in the pot if the alarm lasted 2 hours and they had to leave. The fairest would have been the "all-in disconnect" that happens online when a player is disconnected in the middle of a hand.