Blow Up

We had a player go off on another last week at the big game. To be fair the offee had done something he really should not have; he exchanged small chips for bigger ones out of a pot he was not involved in. It is regular for one of us to make change for smaller chips so we can ante on our deal, but to exchange chips just for the purpose of making your stack look better is pretty much a no-no everywhere, right?

The player who won the pot didn't see the full exchange of chips and claims he only saw two white go in and three blacks come out. He immediately started yelling and cursing at the change consolidator. A few others verified he had made an even exchange but continued on to tell him he had made a jerk move. The offended player just couldn't let it go though and continued for three or four minutes, even while he was dealing the next hand. I folded and walked out of the room. I am there to win money, not mediate disputes. At our home game, I would have attempted to defuse the situation and move the parties to a resolution. Here, I was just tired of hearing them argue.

I have thought of quitting this game for a variety of reasons. I continue to play though and will be there tonight. The one who blew up often asks me how it can be fun for me to sit there ad fold hand after hand. I always reply, "I count my chips at the end of the night, and if I have more than I started with, it was fun."