Are players entitled to know the stack sizes of other players?

Tracid said:

I don't think the question as to whether players are entitled to a chip count has been conclusively answered.. :/

People seem to have mostly deviated to the 'big chips out front' discussion which wasn't really the question..

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They can ask you how much you have but it's up to you if you tell them or not. As long as your chips are visible so they can get a rough estimate then it's fine. The dealer can do a chip count if requested although if you're playing live, you should be able to work out a rough estimate of someones stack by looking.

Tracid said:

I don't think the question as to whether players are entitled to a chip count has been conclusively answered.. :/

People seem to have mostly deviated to the 'big chips out front' discussion which wasn't really the question..

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Yes. It has. It all depends on where you are playing. Playing in vegas and playing at my local casinos , unless it was calling an all in , players had no right to a count.

There was a recent case on the EPT (Monaco, I think) where a player went all in and another player asked for a count. The all-in player did not count it for him , but did not stop the other player from counting. The dealer ended up counting it, but miss-counted causing the player to call and there was a bit of an uproar when it was about 30k more than the dealer called.

The upshot was that you're allowed to ask for a count, the player does not HAVE to give you a count, or can give an approximation, but it is the responsibility of the CALLER to know how much they are calling. If there is a miss-count or you have not seen all their chips (high value chips should be out front and clearly visible) then your call is still a call and you must match the value of his all-in.

Millie232 said:

I host a weekly poker tournament at my university where I deal (the Students' Union has forbidden me from playing as a professional player, which I think is fair since I'm also the president of the society, so it'd be iffy) in low stakes tournaments of about £1-5, where prize pools are usually £25-100 per week. The situation arose where one player asked how many chips another had and the player who was asked refused to give a count. I, as the dealer, leant over and started counting their chips, at which point the player in question told me they didn't want the other player to know.

This player is not a newbie, they are a solid poker player with much live tournament experience in real casinos, which is why I was a bit confused when I was told that he thought that he was allowed to obscure his chip count from other players. I insisted that other players are allowed, and the player eventually agreed. My assumption (and experience) is that, if asked, the chip counts of any player should be made available to other players upon request. Is this the case?

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I've been playing full time for many years and from my travels and experience it is definitely not a requirement you definitely are allowed to see the full chip count of all players with large chips visible near the front but the player himself doesn't have to count or even respond if asked for a count..usually the dealer will count if needed

Millie232 said:

I host a weekly poker tournament at my university where I deal (the Students' Union has forbidden me from playing as a professional player, which I think is fair since I'm also the president of the society, so it'd be iffy) in low stakes tournaments of about £1-5, where prize pools are usually £25-100 per week. The situation arose where one player asked how many chips another had and the player who was asked refused to give a count. I, as the dealer, leant over and started counting their chips, at which point the player in question told me they didn't want the other player to know.

This player is not a newbie, they are a solid poker player with much live tournament experience in real casinos, which is why I was a bit confused when I was told that he thought that he was allowed to obscure his chip count from other players. I insisted that other players are allowed, and the player eventually agreed. My assumption (and experience) is that, if asked, the chip counts of any player should be made available to other players upon request. Is this the case?

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In general, the player can know the approximate number of chips. Or you can ask a dealer:captain:

If asked they should give you an estimate what you got behind or some such
Always best to ask in certain tourneys with dubious players who hide chips.

The most important part though is knowing how many chips you have ..

Doyle Brunson will never say, but he always says, there they are, if you care to count them. The chips and the players can't leave the table during a hand, if they are in it.

but if a player asked a player to move his stacks around so he can do the math from his seat, the player has to move his chip stacks so the other player can see them. That's how it is in any Casino". and it should be the same in your home games as well. but home games do have home rules, so it's all up to you. but I would suggest keeping the rules of a Casino, that way everyone will be on the same page. and it will reduce a lot of tension with games to come.

kacca said:

In general, the player can know the approximate number of chips. Or you can ask a dealer:captain:

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Number of chips anyone has is one example of information that I see as "common knowledge" and anyone should get a truthful answer if asked. How many chips someone has is the same "common knowledge" as who has the button and what the current blinds are. Of course, counting chips is the most asked because it isn't always so clear exactly how many someone has - although close estimates are usually enough I find.

I know a lot of players only ask to get a live read on you, but you are still obligated to respond I feel. Of course, there is nothing stopping you from:
a) politely asking the dealer to count the exact amount or
b) glancing at your stack and giving the truthful answer

If you don't want to give away tells, then ask the dealer to count them or keeping your stacks organized efficiently and glancing is what I would do. Just stating the number of chips you have doesn't give them much information to go on. What gives them a ton of information is someone handling stacks of chips to get a count: this is why they should be neat enough to glance at to come up with a number quickly.

Example:
Villain: [asks for how many chips I have]
Me: [glance to do the math] "1,210" (or whatever the exact number is).
This doesn't give them much information to work with - other than the chip amount. Anything that is not "common knowledge" of the game (like chip count) then I have the right to ignore them or answer as I see fit.