“Prop players” are commonplace in poker rooms in California, but they’re regulated. The casino pays an hourly fee to the prop, who agrees to sit at whatever table the cardroom wants them in, within a specified range of stakes and game types. The prop plays on their own money and keeps their own wins and losses. The house has no stake in their results, and the props are required to identify themselves to everyone else at the table.
I’m unfamiliar with jurisdictions where it’s legal and commonplace for the house to hire someone to play and have a stake in their results. That seems like a horrible idea. Where have you heard of this?
(For those wondering why the house would pay money for this service… props are generally sent to games that are just starting up, or that have lost a few players, as many recreational players dislike playing at a shorthanded table. Better to cut in to your profit by paying someone a few bucks for an hour than to have the game break up and not generate income at all. Meanwhile, the prop is generally a pro player who’d be playing there anyway, and who considers it a worthwhile trade to get an additional hourly income in exchange for not being able to choose which game they play in.)
