I believe the "inform them you can see their cards once" rule is
mandatory, particularly if someone is elderly or sight-impaired. I
have taken advantage of card-exposure once a warning has been
issued.
As for ethical questions of telling people, I think it's mandatory as
well. Twice I've grabbed someone away from the poker table and said,
in true .*Anonymous fashion: "I believe you have a gambling problem.
Always remember that I told you this. You should get some help." I
am only inclined to do this when I have witnessed multiple occasions
where the gambling problem is clear.
I would not go so far to say that "whatever is within the rules". Bob Ciaffone can't
write down a sentence to cover every possible situation. There
has to be some sense of what's beyond reason and decency.
I would not, for example, live life saying: "I'll do anything that
isn't explicitly illegal." There are lots of swindles and
exploitations that can't easily be legislated against, but are still
ethically wrong all the same.
I guess I would say that my poker "instinct" would best be called the
"excellence instinct". I always try to do the best job possible at
anything I do in a fashion that is ethical beyond reproach. That's my
approach to poker as well.
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The excellence instinct
Date: 2005-07-19 13:00 (UTC)I believe the "inform them you can see their cards once" rule is mandatory, particularly if someone is elderly or sight-impaired. I have taken advantage of card-exposure once a warning has been issued.
As for ethical questions of telling people, I think it's mandatory as well. Twice I've grabbed someone away from the poker table and said, in true .*Anonymous fashion: "I believe you have a gambling problem. Always remember that I told you this. You should get some help." I am only inclined to do this when I have witnessed multiple occasions where the gambling problem is clear.
I would not go so far to say that "whatever is within the rules". Bob Ciaffone can't write down a sentence to cover every possible situation. There has to be some sense of what's beyond reason and decency.
I would not, for example, live life saying: "I'll do anything that isn't explicitly illegal." There are lots of swindles and exploitations that can't easily be legislated against, but are still ethically wrong all the same.
I guess I would say that my poker "instinct" would best be called the "excellence instinct". I always try to do the best job possible at anything I do in a fashion that is ethical beyond reproach. That's my approach to poker as well.