Drugs in poker

[brummieboy]

I'm going to start taking steroids to increase my aggression at the tables.

[ShatnerPants]

taking it in a public place ( especially a licenced building ) is controllable.

they can't keep drugs out of nightclubs or even prisons, how they gonna keep them out of casinos?

Dunno about prisons - not my bag.

But down here there are several pubs and clubs that have been shutdown at some point over the last 5 years or so because of 'problems' with drugs.

[ShatnerPants]

Let's just concentrate on trying to keep them out of schools.

I believe casinos are a little lower down the list of priorities when you report it to your MP.

Don't the licences come from your local council, or local government office ( I can never work out what we jhave nowadays )

[EvilPie]

It's down to the desire to do it.  It really upsets me when someone like tk suggests there's no point in complaining because nothing will be done.  I'm as guilty as the next man about doing nothing when I should speak out.  I'm just lucky ( unlucky/sexist - whatever your view ) that about the only time I'll speak out is if someone else is affected, especially a woman.  If it's just me, I'll bite the bullet and ignore it - I don't want to get beaten up over someone as unimportant as me.

But all I'm trying to say is drugs in a licenced place is easy.  Sort it, or I'm reporting you ( although I'd put it nicer, and take out any suggested threat, of course )

And this is the reason it shouldn't be tolerated. It's the fact that nobody dares say anything because the person is more likely to become abusive and whack them than if they were not coked out of their f****ng face!!!!!

If anybody has problems with this they should report it to the casino management. If they don't do anything about it they should report it to the police and demand that something is done about it.

The casino will get in to an unbelievable amount of bother if they are seen to tolerate drugs in their club. Just tell the management that you will not accept it and that if nothing is done about it you will inform the authorities that they appear to be turning a blind eye to users of class A drugs within their club.

It is not your job to stop people using drugs in this casino. It is the managements responsibility to ensure that this doesn't happen.

I have known night clubs that have had threats from councils of closure because of drug problems. The next night there are sniffer dogs patrolling the queues.

It is illegal. Simple as that. It should not be tolerated.

Forget morals. It's the law ffs!!!!

[AlrightJack]

If he was taking poppers at the table then there's not a lot that can be done about it, because as someone has already pointed out, they are not illegal. The problem is that you would have to catch them in the act of taking coke to do anything about it. You can't just go about accosting every obnoxious twat and accusing them of being on drugs. There's plenty of obnoxious twats who play poker who are simply obnoxious twats and nothing more.

At the Manchester GUKPT two people were caught snorting coke in the bogs.  A running battle ensued with the door staff. The police were called and they were carted away. I hasten to point out that these were not GUKPT players but locals, although I believe one of them may have been playing in a cash game earlier on.

In the light of this thread, perhaps we should reconsider our idea to allow reeferpoker.com to run GUKPT satellites...

[EvilPie]

I really don't see the problem. Occasionally someone who has taken an illegal substance may behave badly at a poker table.

Alcohol creates problems far more frequently. No one suggests banning alcohol from casinos.

Even more frequently people behave badly with no help from any drug, legal or otherwise.

It's the behavior that's the issue not the drug taking, and often that's a matter of subjective opinion. You can't bar people just because you find their manner irritating.

WTF???

It's the coke that causes the behaviour in the first place. Anybody who is predisposed to be loud and aggressive will have these manners heightened when they take coke.

I can't think of anything worse than trying to play poker with an abusive twat who has obviously been snorting because they're constantly sniffing and twitching.

It's intimidating and it shouldn't be tolerated. I'm 6' 4" and weigh about 17st and I still don't like to confront one of these idiots because of the possible consequences. God knows what it must be like for other people.

The piss heads are just as bad. A few beers is fair enough but when it's clearly drugs or alcohol that has fuelled bad behaviour they should be kicked out. There are places for this sort of behaviour and it is not a card table in a casino.

Send them to a pub or club full of other pissed up coke heads where they can argue, push and shove to their heart's content.

[ShatnerPants]

I really don't see the problem. Occasionally someone who has taken an illegal substance may behave badly at a poker table.

Alcohol creates problems far more frequently. No one suggests banning alcohol from casinos. Alcohol is legal, drugs aren't.  It's that simple

Even more frequently people behave badly with no help from any drug, legal or otherwise.

It's the behavior that's the issue not the drug taking, and often that's a matter of subjective opinion. You can't bar people just because you find their manner irritating.   But behaviour is judged by the opinion of the reasonable man on the Clapham Omnibus.  So if the behaviour is irritating to one, then probably not, but to several , then maybe.  Or many, then yes, you can bar someone.  And I'm not saying bar, as in don't let them back in ever, but remove until they can control themselves, be it ten minutes or 2 days

It comes down to how cleansed you want your poker environment to be, like I said.  If you're happy with a bad boy edge to it, then fine.

But if you want to appeal to the masses and make poker properly mainstream, then it'll have to be taken into consideration.   

Again, like I said elsewhere, I'm not a great live poker player, but I go to casinos for roulette occasionally.  And rarely is abusive behaviour allowed to go unchecked.

[Wardonkey]

If someone's behavior is unacceptable then chuck 'em out and bar them, it doesn't matter if they've been taking coke or eating cake.

[byronkincaid]

If someone's behavior is unacceptable then chuck 'em out and bar them, it doesn't matter if they've been taking coke or eating cake.

[AlrightJack]

Unacceptable behaviour is very subjective though. Where does one draw the line? Somebody may simply be having an off day. After all, how often have you heard people defend someone's bad behaviour by saying 'it was out of character.' I don't think we should have a one strike and your out rule. Having said that, someone who consistently behaves aggressively; or someone who causes actual bodily harm should be ejected/barred.

[EvilPie]

If someone's behavior is unacceptable then chuck 'em out and bar them, it doesn't matter if they've been taking coke or eating cake.

That's where it gets difficult. If someone has done nothing wrong other than acting in a manner which some people don't like then it is difficult to bar them. It becomes subjective and whilst some don't like it others might not mind.

As long as they are not physically or mentally abusing anyone then it is a matter of opinion as to whether someone's behaviour is unacceptable.

If however that person has been taking drugs then it is no longer a matter of opinion, it is a matter of law.

It is not difficult to prove that someone has coke. I'm sure that if they have taken it at some point that evening they are going to be taking it again. Therefore there will be some in their pocket. If they have class A drugs in their pocket they get arrested simple as that.

If someone is currently doing something bad enough to get arrested (possessing class A drugs) surely they shouldn't be sat at a poker table?

[AlrightJack]

It may not be diffucult to prove someon is in possession of drugs, but to go about searching everyone who behaves slightly badly is going to cause a whole heap of problems.

[ShatnerPants]

It may not be diffucult to prove someon is in possession of drugs, but to go about searching everyone who behaves slightly badly is going to cause a whole heap of problems.

This is where responsible management comes into play.

If some little sod has had the damned cheek to hit his runner runner, and you go squealing to the TD accusing him of rape, pillage , murder and abuse, I would hope he wouldn't take it too far.

But if 5 people sitting round a table have a word with the dealer, who calls over the TD, who can see chappy as flying high as a kite.  Then it should be quite easily to take chappy to one side and have a word.  If at the end of it it means chappy has to go, then so be it.  But if it just means he needs to cool it for 10 minutes, before returning to the table, then that's all to the good.

[MANTIS01]

Drugs only heighten predisposed characteristics. They don't force you to behave like a knob. You will behave like a knob if you were basically a knob in the first place. The fact that this guy is getting the horn looking at page 3 suggests he is yet to have full sex in his life. His bad language and grammar tell us he is poorly educated and possibly from a deprived background. He is playing poker by truthfully telling his oppos what hand he has, so stands no chance of winning, and escaping the estate. Everyone in the room is cringing at him and it's clear to see his life is a mess. Poor sod probably needs drugs to soften the blow.

Being socially inept doesn't aggravate me when playing poker, whether that be drug-induced or not. If he was being violent or abusive that would be different. But his twatiness wouldn't bother me at all. When playing poker getting unnerved or agitated by someone else's behaviour is detrimental to you. Make a complaint if you wish but don't let anyone get to you. You get moody poker sometimes and I quite like the test. All quarters of society will sit at your poker table and I personally think poker is a time to deal with your own character.

But I do think if he gets violent we should get him.

[Dingdell]

This is a great debate.

The reasons I sat there and said nothing to anyone of consequence is;

I've never played with this guy before, I have no idea what he has done if anything. He could just be a complete cock away from poker too and this is how he his. Who am I to police his action? If I played with him all the time and experienced his behaviour all the time then I probably would say something but it would have been seen by others at various times too and the anecdotal evidence would speak for itself. The nature of tournament poker means that you continually come across new players who you may not see again for months.

As a woman in a mainly male environment (what were there - 2 or 3 women playing in a field of nearly 200?) how pathetic does it look going to complain about someones behaviour? I hate using the female card but it's how it is in this instance. It's a real difficult one - I thought that the woman who complained about someone smoking on the railway station this week was an interfering busybody (although she shouldn't have been thrown on the railway line for asking them to stop smoking!) and I don't want to emulate her behaviour or consequences.  

As Alrightjack said unacceptable behaviour is subjective, and who would cast the first stone? I couldn't.

If someone's behavior is unacceptable then chuck 'em out and bar them, it doesn't matter if they've been taking coke or eating cake.

That's where it gets difficult. If someone has done nothing wrong other than acting in a manner which some people don't like then it is difficult to bar them. It becomes subjective and whilst some don't like it others might not mind.

As long as they are not physically or mentally abusing anyone then it is a matter of opinion as to whether someone's behaviour is unacceptable.

If however that person has been taking drugs then it is no longer a matter of opinion, it is a matter of law.

It is not difficult to prove that someone has coke. I'm sure that if they have taken it at some point that evening they are going to be taking it again. Therefore there will be some in their pocket. If they have class A drugs in their pocket they get arrested simple as that.
If someone is currently doing something bad enough to get arrested (possessing class A drugs) surely they shouldn't be sat at a poker table?

Not neccesarily, lots of friends around, poppers in your pocket to keep it going at the table, you never have to have anything in your posession. I don't disagree with your sentiments but it would be impossible to police something like this in a casino environment and maintain the good relationship with punters where they are happy to stay, have a good time and spend their money.

I wonder if the ones with the drugs are more predisposed to spend more money within a gambling environment?

For the record I would have found his behaviour amusing and funny as Flushy did if I came to the table for a few hours, but next door to me and for 10 hours was a bit taxing....