Situation: Low-stakes pub game sit-and-go
On the turn:
3 players in the hand.
SB and BB are both very short stacked
Hero in cutoff is chip lead, and the turn pairs his hand.
SB: check
BB: check
Hero: says "yea" as reaches for a tall stack of chips and puts it in. Easily enough to cover the other players.
Dealer says the bet doesn't count because I said "yea" first, and he took this to mean "check".
I can see his point of view, but it felt harsh.
I wasn't deliberately angle shooting. There was no hesitation or time passing between the verbal and the physical.
I was looking down at my chips so didn't see any other players reactions.
All my previous checks had been the standard "Check" or table-rap.
The dealer had not made any move to deal the river.
My internal dialogue in my head I meant "yea I'm going to bet now".
I think it was perfectly clear to everyone what my intension was, and the other players in the hand agreed. But the dealer put his foot-down.
The dealer also says that I should have said "Raise". I dispute this because it was the opening bet, not raising.
The dealer also says that he is putting his foot-down because it would put the other players all-in. I dispute this because it because it just not relevant. The rules can't swap from casual/friendly/pub/drinking game to strict/casino-style rulings mid-hand.
How would you rule on this?
A: I was entitled to play the way I did / "yea" does not mean "check".
B: You think it was boarder-line. I should make my actions clear in future, but might be happy to allow the bet to stand.
C: Dealer was entirely correct and you would not allow the bet.