How To Play Someone Else's Seat At The Poker Table

So I was playing at Mandalay Bay last night and while I was sitting around watching other people play poker, I (as well as the rest of the room) took notice of a big commotion taking place a few tables over. I couldn't tell exactly what was happening, but I would request a table change a bit afterwards and wind up there. I would later on be debriefed by the players that were still in the game after "the incident". Here is what apparently went down:

Some well tanned, middle aged, zoot-suited and drunken fellow with a younger tattooed rocker chick in a very demure and lady-like dress in tow, walks towards the table. As said drunk approaches, the player in seat 10 (who only has about $30 in chips) gets up for a bathroom break and the drunk greets him as if he knows him and says hello. The seat 10 player does not know him and has never met him, but figures he'll appease the drunk and return the salutation. As the player walks away, the drunk plops himself down in seat 10 and scatters a bunch of chips in the spot, with some black ($100 chips) in the mix.

The dealer apparently didn't notice that this was not the player that was supposed to be there and that this random drunk was about to play someone else's seat and their chips. This is exactly what happens. Not only that, it winds up being a four way all-in pot, with the drunk's chips and the original players' chips in the middle! The rocker chick is now sitting in a wheel chair that the player in seat 9 has stationed next to him and she is dropping F-bombs that can be heard in the Luxor poker room.

During the river betting round the original and rightful seat 10 player comes back from the bathroom and sees that this random guy is playing his seat and his chips and vigorously makes this known. He is apparently not happy and he is in the right. The floor is called and I think what happens is that the action stands, and the original seat 10 player will be given whatever chips he says he had in the seat back to him by the drunk guy.

One of the players who lost the hand argues for about five minutes with the floor that he should get his bets back and the hand should not stand, because of the drunken guy's shenanigans. His argument falls on deaf ears. He surely would not have made the argument had he won the pot. Essentially, the action in the hand was pure (no collusion, no cheating), it was just that this random drunk had improperly assumed and played seat 10. The drunk hadn't even won the pot. (I do not know if the ruling would have been the same had there been heads up action and the drunk had won the pot).

During that argument with the floor, the drunk guy is telling everyone to fuck off and is being downright belligerent to everyone, especially the floor. He had even been yelling at the original seat 10 player for getting involved (making it known that it was in fact not the drunk's seat to play) during the hand! (You can't make this stuff up). His rocker chick in tow, spills her drink onto the cards and into the shuffle machine. So, it has to be replaced by the staff, while she tells everyone to check her myspace page.

Now, here is where some very smart people instantly assess the situation and react in some very deliberate and profitable ways. Nine times out of ten, the drunk would have been thrown out for his behavior, but a couple of quick thinking players and the floorman realized that this guy had money and would spew it onto the table and into the room, in a projectile like fashion, for as long as he was there. Maybe the floor also felt he should assume a little bit of responsibility for the debacle, since it was one of his dealers that allowed this guy to sit and play the seat. In any event, the floor was uncharacteristically patient with this particular drunk.

The player whose wheelchair was being accessed had a great disposition and realized the positive value of keeping these two clowns around. His attitude, was roll around all you want, just stick around and play. The player that had his seat hijacked, who was initially incensed, calmed down and agreed to let the drunk keep seat 10 if he would stay and the original seat 10 player moved to seat 1.

And after all that tomfoolery, everyone settled down somewhat. The drunk apologized for being so belligerent as he was allowed to stay and the fishing began. As is usually the case, the drunk guy would donate to the table until he was out of cash and as the two most colorful people in the room left, the lesson to be learned apparently was that everyone should check out his rocker chick's myspace page, whatever it is, because "that's how they roll".