First, I need to explain something.

Non-Indian card rooms like Commerce are required to NOT derive financial benefit from the results of any game played. That is, they need to make the same amount of money whether players win or lose.

In poker, that's easy. They just collect a rake or time charge.

In their "Calfornia pit games" section, with games like Pai Gow and Blackjack, it's not quite so simple.

Since these game are player-versus-house, Commerce and other card rooms need to charge a separate rake per hand, and then allow a player to volunteer to act as the house. This assures Commerce makes money on every hand, but does not benefit or lose based upon the result of the hand.

Since players don't always want to be banker, due to the high variance and risk of ruin, the cardrooms hire what's known as a "corporation" to bank these games. The corporation's role is to either bank these games when no player wants to, or to cover part of the action when the player banking does not have the proper roll to do so.

Commerce and other card rooms are supposed to give players the opportunity to bank if they want to. However, it is being alleged that Commerce no longer allows this, but rather expects the corporation will always be banking. If a player tries to object to this, he claims, he will be banned from Commerce entirely.



This video is more than 1.5 years old, and it is not clear what has happened since then.

The player, who appears to be hiding his identity, said in the video he was filing a class action lawsuit, and wants affected parties to contact him at commerceplayerbankers@gmail.com.

He said that he was banking games at Commerce, making "good money", and then banned.

These claims are not verified in any way, but I think I probably believe them, at least to some degree.