A common problem that I encounter in ring games is the use and misuse of the missed button. It has really hit home lately when not one player, but two of them, decide that they want to leave the table to go eat dinner. As the rule stands right now a player is allowed to receive two buttons plus 15 minutes before he is picked up. It really needs to be changed. It really is unfair for all of the other players. First off, if I wanted to play shorthanded then I would search for a short handed game. Allowing two buddies to leave the table to eat at the same time makes the game shorthanded for the length of time they are gone.
This becomes even more of a problem when a game is spread 9 handed. In addition, a number of poker rooms also have a 3rd man walking rule. This rule was implemented to stop 3 players from being gone for any length of time. What happens though when two players leave to go eat? Everyone else in the game is forced to run to the bathroom one at a time or else they end up losing their seat. Of course you can always leave this game and I have been utilizing this "right" at times. The problem that I frequently encounter though is that there is usually only one or two games spread that I want to play in based on the limits I like to play. This is really an unfortunate rule that was implemented by poker rooms and it really needs to be reevaluated. There is no reason for a player to be gone for more than 30 minutes from a table. Either he/she is there to play poker or they are there to socialize, go eat supper, or even go play black jack at the pit if that is what they really want to do. How many times have we all seen a player lose his buy in and leave the poker game to go play craps or black jack in a vain attempt to win back a bankroll so that he can continue to play poker? It is time to stop allowing people to tie up a seat and deny patrons on the waiting list from playing in the game. Even allowing someone to play "over" a patron who has left does not improve the situation for me. I just do not like to invest my time in a temporary situation and then have to get up just when I have figured out the table composition.
I use the first round or two getting a feel for the game and assess where the weak players are and what hands are playable based on the game conditions. No way is playing over another player's position worth my time and investment. It is time to implement a gone to dinner list.
When they are done eating they sign back in with the floor/registration desk and become the first player to receive the next available seat in the same sized game they had left. Record the time they leave their seat and allow them an hour and 30 minutes. If they are not back in time then they lose the first one back in privilege. This is the fairest way for everyone. Stop wasting my time and all of the other players who came to play poker. It is time to stop letting people go eat for an extended period of time. Giving someone some time away from the table is fine. Giving them an hour or longer is not!
