In this particular example, the person being DISADVANTAGED ( i've used this word to forestall any further emotional reaction you might have to the word punishment) is the person who has not made any mistake or sought to get any advantage.
That he has incidentally been handed a slight advantage by the mistakes of others is not a reason to now not only remove that advantage but DISADVANTAGE him further. Yes he gains slightly by having foreknowledge that the three people to his left will fold.
But it is a much bigger disadvantage that he has his raising ability crippled as he is tied to a particular raise or has his hand killed.
THAT's not fair.
more than a slight advantage in a lot of situations-also I agree that initial folder is main problem- but like I said you have a resonsibility to protect your raise. you will not have a problem about having your raise limited if you do this- ie take some responsibility for your own actiion (ie your raise) rather than complaining when you dont and you have price to pay.....
I don't agree that you should have responsibility to police the table whilst making a raise. Why would you? If a fight breaks out during your raise, are you charged with sorting that out? How about it someone fancies a rum and coke during your raise. Toodle over to the bar and get it? Maybe the button has a sore neck during your raise and you could go give them a little soothing massage! Unless it's isabell mercier **** that.
Besides which, even if you ARE charged with policing the table while playing the game, how is it your responsibility if you are UTG, announce "RAISE", start counting out your chips and UTG+1 folds so he can ogle the waitress, UTG+2 who was never playing is only waiting for UTG+1 so he can instantly chuck, and does so, swiftly followed by UTG+3. The domino effect that occurs all the time kicks in before you even have a chance to react.
2 seconds after you have announced raise, you are having to muck your hand/ be restricted to a min raise due to a natural progression of events entirely beyond your control.
This is ugly and unnatural.
And easily open to abuse by the most disorganised group of colluders who are sat close together.
This rule
punishes the raiser for actions largely beyond his control. He has told the table to stop their activities by announcing raise. That is as far as he need to go with table control. If there were some inordinate pause between the word raise and him putting some chips in, then fair enough, there is justification in penalising him for the sake of a smooth flowing game.
To me this is the kind of archaic nonsense that holds poker back and makes it look shabby compared to other sports.
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