Big Blind won't post. Cheap angle shoot or legitimate protest?

Just thinking about a situation that went down at a $2/$5 table at Foxwoods the other night. Just as the dealer started to deal out a hand, the player who would have been the BB stood up to take a phone call. He got dealt in and and leaned over to look at his cards as he was talking but never posted his blind. When the action came around to him he said "No man, I'm sitting out this hand. You saw me stand up." He refused to post his blind and the floor was called over. How do you rule this?

There shouldn't have to be a ruling. The dealer has no business dealing before the blinds are posted.

Arjonius said:

There shouldn't have to be a ruling. The dealer has no business dealing before the blinds are posted.

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True. By the books he's also not supposed deal anyone in who's not seated at the table. That said it's still pretty standard and the player in question never said "deal me out". And he did look at his cards while he was talking. Pretty hard to imagine he wouldn't have played the hand if there had been Aces there.

Both? Id officially put the blame on the dealer but that person would of posted if his hand was sick lol

IMO, once you look at your cards you're in the hand. That's the way the floor ruled too. The guy bitched a while and told me to mind my own business when I mentioned that he shouldn't have looked at his hand but he did eventually post.

"significant action" took place, ie every single person got to act before he decides not to post. Its pretty straightfoward if i was the floor. He posts. Dealer screwed up though.

What I have seen here in L.A. is that the BB position, whether there or not is in the hand and has to post, there is no 'sitting out', unless it was stated before the hand was dealt, and a Sit-Out placard (like the All-In placard) is placed on the table at that position. If not, that player has to post. If he sat out, he would have to buy-in to the next hand with a bb and possibly the sb if it was a short call. Or he could wait till the next bb.

But because he was dealt cards, and looked at them, I would rule him out of the hand even if he wanted to be in the hand and he owed the BB. He took the phone call. That put him out of the hand and owing the bb.

I haven't looked lately, but I sort of doubt whether Roberts Rules covers cell phones.......

If he's sitting out, he shouldn't of looked at his cards and just told the dealer he was gonna sit out. Seems pretty cheap to me. As for the ruling, I think he would be able to get away with this but the dealer should put in the "missed bb" button and when he wants to play he has to pay the bb or get dealth on next bb.

I think he has to be posted as well why look at his cards if he legitimately is going to sit out the only way I can see him making any case at all is if he thought he was UTG which is highly unlikely since he would of had to act first tohugh the dealer should not deal before blinds are posted I've been raking in chips or off in make believe land or talking to another player at the table when it was my BB and forgot to post the dealers always make it known I need to post before they deal.