When and how to rathole?

[Bigdaddy]

Just got back from my local store. I played the high-limit pit, where they are a little more concerned with the chip tray than the regular floor games, but they still maintain quite a leisurely and congenial attitude. They know me there whether or not I give them a players card, so I comply. This was one of those nights when everything went right. Most of my max bets paid off. I'm stacking black in 3 or 4 big piles (close to 2 standard deviations on the win side). The thought starts going though my mind - I need to rat-hole some black before I color up.

My sense was that the pit boss seemed a little too concerned about the missing black (I think of her as busy Martha - "Martha, Martha..."). So - not having a good plan in place to rathole, I decided not to improvise. I didn't touch a chip. I cashed out and declared my starting amount to the pit lady. I told her - it's the best luck I've ever had at their tables and they'll get it back from me soon...

Point of the story - when I go back to the high-limit pit (5 tables and two or three roaming pit crew), I need a plan to rathole...feel free to offer suggestions...

[Masterhoudini]

In order to rathole black successfully, there usually needs to be one other player- otherwise it is difficult.

1.) You should rathole as you go along if you play with 2-3 other players. Pocket 2-3 everytime you get a several way split/double hand
2.) If you get a chance, exaggerate your buyins if you lose- so you've pocketed 1-2k black, but when you bust out, don't play with those chips- change more cash.
3.) Ask for conversion to purple when you're betting 500 or more a hand (especially when the pit is not watching)- you can sometimes get away with ratholing purple this way.
4.) Always rathole when the dealer and pit changes shifts or goes on break- they are busy then while they change over. Also always rathole whenever a player comes in with their own chips- it is the best opportunity as the pit is unclear how much in chips they brought.
5.) Most importantly, choose opportunities to rathole successfully- I.e. When another player is colouring up
6.) Finally, take the opportunity to rathole more when there is a ploppy ratholer at the table and make sure to blame it on them. For example, I saw a ploppy rathole many black by giving them to his friend- I would be sure to bring up especially when the pit is watching and listening "don't forget the ones in your buddy's pocket when he's doing laundry etc." make sure to ask whoa how much did that guy win!!?? He had so much with his friend after- and take this opportunity to rathole

It is 2015, black is the new green, rathole away!!

[Three]

They track black chips. If they disappear while you are playing they will know where they went. The dealer is expected as part of his job to tell where all missing tracked chips went. If you must just openly pocket them as they are paid. The only time you might get away with it is at a crowded table with lots of people playing black. Look at the chip rack. If it is sloppily kept they may not pay close attention. If the lammers are all in place the the tray can be counted at a glance by the suit they keep good track of the chips. Every time a suit looks at the table assume he is assessing the chip tray for fluctuation and everyones stack and the chip tray for a total that is at the table. The other way you have a real shot of ratholing black is if someone they have entered in their computer as a ratholer is playing at your table. Once they pegged as a ratholer they credit you with all the missing chips when chips are missing. So you can then rathole and the other who is in the system as a ratholer will likely be credited as having pocketed the missing chips. Later that someone could be you if you aren't careful.

[Three]

In order to rathole black successfully, there usually needs to be one other player- otherwise it is difficult.

1.) You should rathole as you go along if you play with 2-3 other players. Pocket 2-3 everytime you get a several way split/double hand
2.) If you get a chance, exaggerate your buyins if you lose- so you've pocketed 1-2k black, but when you bust out, don't play with those chips- change more cash.
3.) Ask for conversion to purple when you're betting 500 or more a hand (especially when the pit is not watching)- you can sometimes get away with ratholing purple this way.
4.) Always rathole when the dealer and pit changes shifts or goes on break- they are busy then while they change over. Also always rathole whenever a player comes in with their own chips- it is the best opportunity as the pit is unclear how much in chips they brought.
5.) Most importantly, choose opportunities to rathole successfully- I.e. When another player is colouring up
6.) Finally, take the opportunity to rathole more when there is a ploppy ratholer at the table and make sure to blame it on them. For example, I saw a ploppy rathole many black by giving them to his friend- I would be sure to bring up especially when the pit is watching and listening "don't forget the ones in your buddy's pocket when he's doing laundry etc." make sure to ask whoa how much did that guy win!!?? He had so much with his friend after- and take this opportunity to rathole

It is 2015, black is the new green, rathole away!!

I am always amazed that people think they "successfully" rathole chips. How the hell would you know? You got the chips in your pocket but who did the dealer and Floor credit them to? The suit and dealer have a mutual responsibility to assign every missing tracked denomination chip so employee theft can be discovered if it is happening. Once the dealer, who is supposed to be able to remember where the missing tracked chips went, is asked by the Floor where missing chips went they will put their heads together if he can't answer. Casinos take tracking large denomination chips very seriously. If they can't assign the chip to people they aren't doing their job unless a table review reveals the chips were stolen by an employee. The biggest threat to their bottom line is employee theft. The way to limit their exposure to this is to anally track high denomination chips. They couldn't really care less what your win or loss is. They just want the drop/hold and chip buy-in to be accurately recorded and the large denomination chips to be accounted for so they can protect themselves from their employees. This information along with getting people to color up to prevent more fills than necessary and track the larger denomination chips as they leave the table are used to triangulate on employee theft along with a few other things. I have seen the dealer and Floor spend a few minutes after a player they suspected of pocketing chips left counting the chips at the table to assign all the missing chips to the person. I am sure that person felt they successfully ratholed chips as well. The funny part is I had been very openly putting chips in my pocket as I was payed and I think they got credited to him as well. Then when I leave I pull a bunch of chips out of my pocket to color up. I help them correct buy-in errors on their computer. I seem very helpful in their efforts to keep an accurately of everything. That is the way I want to be perceived.

[Tarzan]

There is only one way to rathole black chips and that is to be at a table where a couple of people are slinging around stacks of black and purple, passing chips back and forth between them, etc. and you coordinate when you're leaving the table. As soon as someone is leaving the table the pit will quickly try to assess exactly what's visible in black. If that is a little "confused" they will pick a candidate out of whoever was at the table but they have to account for black chips. Their notes have to add up and balance out. I've had occasion to rathole black chips when playing next to wild and crazy players slugging around stacks of black and purple, babbling away at each other in an Asian language, table hopping and passing lots of chips and cash back and forth between them. It takes a unique situations such as this to rathole black chips but most of the time it's impossible.

[Masterhoudini]

LOL quite easily actually tbh. I had the opportunity to see very detailed inside info at several casinos and their numbers were more than 40k off because of my rathole. Other instances hosts will just tell you how much you won or lost. You'd be surprised.

I am always amazed that people think they "successfully" rathole chips. How the hell would you know? You got the chips in your pocket but who did the dealer and Floor credit them to? The suit and dealer have a mutual responsibility to assign every missing tracked denomination chip so employee theft can be discovered if it is happening. Once the dealer, who is supposed to be able to remember where the missing tracked chips went, is asked by the Floor where missing chips went they will put their heads together if he can't answer. Casinos take tracking large denomination chips very seriously. If they can't assign the chip to people they aren't doing their job unless a table review reveals the chips were stolen by an employee. The biggest threat to their bottom line is employee theft. The way to limit their exposure to this is to anally track high denomination chips. They couldn't really care less what your win or loss is. They just want the drop/hold and chip buy-in to be accurately recorded and the large denomination chips to be accounted for so they can protect themselves from their employees. This information along with getting people to color up to prevent more fills than necessary and track the larger denomination chips as they leave the table are used to triangulate on employee theft along with a few other things. I have seen the dealer and Floor spend a few minutes after a player they suspected of pocketing chips left counting the chips at the table to assign all the missing chips to the person. I am sure that person felt they successfully ratholed chips as well. The funny part is I had been very openly putting chips in my pocket as I was payed and I think they got credited to him as well. Then when I leave I pull a bunch of chips out of my pocket to color up. I help them correct buy-in errors on their computer. I seem very helpful in their efforts to keep an accurately of everything. That is the way I want to be perceived.

[Three]

I had the opportunity to see very detailed inside info at several casinos and their numbers were more than 40k off because of my rathole.

That is definitely one way to know you did it. LOL

[biggg]

Yeah I mean win/loss statements will let you know if it worked. Rat holing black is tough but green is a joke at most places. I once played with a guy who would rathole green as a matter of course and he would really go overboard, sometimes to the point he could barely walk due to all the green in his pants. At the end of the year he showed up as a 15k loser at a casino he had booked a net win at.

The approach this guy had was, "yeah they are going to assign these chips to me a lot of the time, but not every time. So if I rathole 5x my EV I'll show up as a slight loser over a year counting the times I get assigned correctly."

Amazingly one year I ended up with a 1k loss at a casino i had never played before (part of a larger chain) so it's hardly like these places are infallible.

[bigplayer]

Best time is when other players come to the table with chips or when players color up and put chips in their pocket or purse and take them out for double downs. Best time to rathole a hundred or so in green is when you go to the bathroom or wong out.

[ZenMaster_Flash]

A point most often ignored, is that if you are at a store that you often play at; and they have notated your player account
re: "going south" with chips; you are already on their sh*t-list, and when the pit critter is assessing the dealer's bank, the
missing chips will be assigned to you, even if you have all of your chips in sight. I call that "shooting yourself in the foot."

[moo321]

Coloring up in round denominations can help. Example: a red chipper has $227.50. Only color up the $200. Just push that forward. They often don't notice the $27.50, and if they do, it's not like you're trying to hide anything, you're just coloring up what can actually be colored up. If your hourly EV is $20, you just ratholed more than an hour.

[Three]

Coloring up in round denominations can help. Example: a red chipper has $227.50. Only color up the $200. Just push that forward. They often don't notice the $27.50, and if they do, it's not like you're trying to hide anything, you're just coloring up what can actually be colored up. If your hourly EV is $20, you just ratholed more than an hour.

x2

[WABJ11]

A point most often ignored, is that if you are at a store that you often play at; and they have notated your player account
re: "going south" with chips; you are already on their sh*t-list, and when the pit critter is assessing the dealer's bank, the
missing chips will be assigned to you, even if you have all of your chips in sight. I call that "shooting yourself in the foot."

Ratholing is NOT to be done unless you want unwanted attention.