Hilarity Ensues on Table 328
The hour is late, the day has been long, and players, media and staff are starting to tire. It is inevitable that some mistakes will crop up. Table 328 just experienced what we'll politely call "a doozy".
It seems that at the conclusion of a hand, the dealer forgot to move the button. For the next hand, the dealer button remained with Lee Grove, Chip Jett remained in the small blind, and Allen Kessler (to the direct left of the dealer in the 1-seat) remained the big blind. Cards were dealt and there was some action around to the blinds before the table realized what happened.
The dealer immediately compounded his error by declaring a misdeal, then grabbing Kessler's cards (which Kessler had not yet looked at) and mucking them. The table protested that it couldn't be a misdeal because there had already been action. Kessler was fine with that, but he wanted his cards back.
A floor supervisor was summoned, with most of the table claiming that they were fairly certain the top four cards in the muck were Kessler's. The dealer said he wasn't 100% sure. The floor supervisor was willing to give the top four back but he wanted Kessler to whisper what the cards were first.
"I don't know what the cards were," Kessler said. "I haven't looked."
The solution crafted was that, on 100% of the agreement of the table (which was received), the dealer would return the top four muck cards to Kessler. One problem solved. But once the hand played out, the problem remained of what to do with the button. Kessler protested that he had already paid two big blinds and should not be made to pay a small blind on top of that. The floor was willing to double-move the button until Chip Jett noted that he was short-stacked, had just paid three blinds (a big and two smalls) and wasn't even going to get to play his button.
After some debate, Jett relented. "You know what? F*** it," he said. "I don't care." They double-moved the button to Kessler and play carried on from there.