Electronic Media??

[Special1029@yahoo.com]

I play regularly at Coushatta Casino tournaments and they have made a hard and fast rule about use of certain media.  Cell Phones Ipods etc,  However with the fast changing electronic situation dealers and other players can no longer tell if the gadget in my ear has commication ability or not.

Of secondary interest I am totally amused that players will stick giant headphones on a blind them selves to so much information.  I am not amused when there is a constant delay because a player is zoned out in his noise and has to be waved at several times to get his attention and let him know that it is his time to act.

Games at the tables are even worse.

BAN all electronic media?
Allow for penalty when media matters delay the action [I think this would be my preference]
After all I don't really care if player chooses to not be in the whole game!

[Nick C]

Larry,
I will copy my response to the sunglasses post because they are very similar when it comes to being a distraction and sometimes very annoying to other players.
There are far too many items of clothing, and eyewear, and headphones etc, etc to abolish (IMO). I am in favor, however, of letting players know that there are consequences to wearing anything that might cause them to either; not see cards, or not hear the amount of a bet, or any number of mistakes that could prove very costly. They will also have little defense (if any) when pleading their case. "I couldn't see the cards" or I thought it was my bet" or "I thought he said 100, when I said call, not 1,000,000!!!"

[chet]

Larry:  I am going to copycat Nick and repost part of my response from your Sunglasses question:

"Whether this is right or wrong is beside the point.  The fact remains that the WSOP is pretty much calling the shots.  They adopt the rules they want and they don't adopt the ones they don't.  If there isn't a rule to cover something they make their own, ie., WSOP Rule #89 governing "Accepting the Action".  Trying to get them to change their position is pretty much "spitting into the wind"."

My reason for this has basically to do with the WSOP and TDA rule on electronic devices.  If I remember correctly the WSOP and TDA rules around 2007/2008 banned all forms of electronic communication devices.  Sometime after, the WSOP changed their rule and while still banning cellphones, they allowed players to text messages.  I am convinced this was based on player demand and the EXPLOSION caused by Twitter and such. 

Players have fans and some of them have HUGE fan bases that want to know how so and so is doing.  Todays electronic world pretty much demands instant gratification.  Fans don't want to wait until one of the sites makes a report that may or may not include so and so's results, they want to know NOW!

I don't like electronic media much more than you, Larry, but I think we need to be realistic.  The electronic age is here, it isn't going to go away because we don't like this or that.  As TD's and in some cases players, we need to "get with the program" and come up with solutions.  Personally, I think that the job of monitoring communications is a shared responsibility between the TD's and the players.  I know that if I am sitting next to someone and I think he/she is not following the rule, I will be making sure that someone knows about it.

[Linda Johnson]

I think many cardrooms have come to embrace electronic communication because it brings them some free PR. As Chet said, many people like to follow their "idols" when they are in a tournament. I think there should be a rule that you can't use any form of "outside" communication when you are in the hand, but I don't have a problem with players texting or tweeting when they aren't in a hand.
Linda Johnson

[Skylight]

IMO to keep every player with the same chance in the game, be ethic, every player with the same equipement!

If every player as a personnal electronic device and use it, it's allowed, if one don't use it, it is not allowed then the player is in game.

He/she want to use it ? everybody can leave the table or the room and leave the play at is own choice and this would be correct for everyone.

[Stuart Murray]

I prefer to allow ALL communication devices WHEN NOT IN A HAND, facebooking, tweeting, texting, emailing, etc, if you wish to TALK on the phone you must move at least a tables length away from you seat. I will also remind players if they are in a hand to refrain from using any devices.

Stu

[barts185]

I prefer to allow ALL communication devices WHEN NOT IN A HAND, facebooking, tweeting, texting, emailing, etc, if you wish to TALK on the phone you must move at least a tables length away from you seat. I will also remind players if they are in a hand to refrain from using any devices.

Stu

What is the point of moving a table length away?  So that they can annoy people on another table by talking near their action?  To make sure that they come running back to the table if they see the next hand is in the process of being dealt when they end their phone call and have just enough time to make if back to the table if they run so as not to have a dead hand?


If this is a small card room, and there is nothing else near the tournament tables, so you are really asking that the person move somewhere that their call won't disturb other players, I can understand it, but think that is how it should be worded.  In larger rooms, if the issue is that someone talking on their phone is disturbing, as I said, it just moves the issue from the player's table to another table.

[Stuart Murray]

"At least a tables length away" from their seat to talk on the phone is as most rules, not fully clear, but as with anything, players would be required to initiate some common sense in the matter, I find it works just fine instructing players to do that. The majority have the sense to move to a location that does not interfere with other tables, there are always going to be exceptions to the rules but I do do not see the need to overcomplicate the communication rule any further than I have already.  Common sense usually prevails, and I have not had to speak to anyone yet who is talking on the phone, "moving the issue to another table" has never been an occurrance for me.

Regards
Stuart

[barts185]

I'm not a big fan of relying on common sense (the least common of all senses), but realize there's value in keeping things simple.

Ive seen it be an issue, at a large tournament held annually around this time of year in Las Vegas   Everyone moved away from their table, but seemed drawn to a spot that was convenient other than it was bothering the people at the table near that spot.  Someone at the table eventually asked the floor and was told that since everyone was moving away from their own table, too bad.  But I agree that's the exception so again, can understand keeping it simple.