A “set up” refers to the two decks of cards that are used at a poker table. One deck is in the auto-shuffler while the other deck is being used. Players are allowed to ask for a new set up during the 10 minute window between 5 before and 5 after the hour. If a player wants a set up at any other time, they usually just damage a card. These people are absolute savages.
Usually a player asks for a set up when they lose with AA or some other big hand. They typically get unlucky on the river and thus must blame the cards. As irrational as that is, it is understandable on some level. “I was winning but then on the last card I lost. I was supposed to win. I got unlucky. It must be the cards. We need new cards. Set up!!!!”
Today I saw a guy ask for a set up after the following hand….
A player raises in early position, Mr. SetUp calls in the SB, I fold the BB. The flop is QQ5 with 3 different suits. Mr. SetUp bets out, the raiser calls. The turn is a 6. He bets again, she calls again. The river is an 8. He bets again and she calls. He turns his hand over. He has KT, for king high. Nothing. He bet nothing on all 3 streets. She sees this and turns her hand over. She has AJ, for ace high. She also has nothing, but her nothing is better than his nothing. He got completely owned in this pot. He was not the victim of horrible luck, but rather was completely tortured by a better player who gave him the rope to hang himself. He was never winning, and bluffed 3 streets into a player who knew he was bluffing. He then immediately called for a set up. I was tempted to ask why he called for a set up. “Sir, I understand that you (and the many nutjobs like you who frequent the Commerce Casino) think a set up will change your luck, but you didn’t get unlucky there, you simply got wrecked. Do you think that a set up will not only change your luck, but will also make you stop being horrible at poker? I suspect it won’t.” I (thankfully) have a large dose of my mother in me, so I instead just sat there and giggled to myself.