How much is in the pot...?

What seriously used to annoy me as a dealer (it happened more frequently when I was sent out to provincial festivals) was players asking me not to bring the bets into the middle pre-flop in pot limit games, which is the correct way to deal in order to speed up the action and be fully alert on where the action is as soon as you've dealt the flop.

It's no good stacking it all in one big mess, not having a clue how much is in the middle, then fumbling about and looking lke a complete muppet when the first to act post-flop says "Pot..." Which I used to cring at watching so many dealers do. This was far more evident in cash games, especially Omaha where few people retain the ability to lay down a hand pre-flop.

(Yes, this means you)

I was more than proficient to work out what a pot raise was when it came around to them. It's not rocket science. 3.5 times the big blind + any flat calls. But no.. It always came out "But I need to know who's called and how much they are in for blah blah blah" Ask me then you sponge! OK, if the action gets heated and there's going to be a side pot, it's simple to just put the players bets back in front of them to ensure transparency.