July 1, 2000

$4-8 holdem had me trapped in the Twilight Zone. Four hours into the game left me down $100.00 and never finding a playable hand. The game was full, lots of action, just none of it in my little section of green felt.

A new player sat down, one seat away, on my left. He was quiet the first half hour, then it was nonstop. He’d played at the Stardust years ago. Made between $500 and $1,000 every day. Knew everyone in poker, but had no idea what their name was, as in ‘the kid with the short hair on top, long hair in the back, oriental, wears gold around his neck’. My guess would be Scotty Nguyen. Then it’s ‘the guy that writes and sells real estate’. Guessing again, I’d think it’s Roy Cooke, but who knows? This guy is a name dropper without the names.

I played 9-7D one off the button and flopped top pair and a 4 flush, turned the flush and won the hand. He couldn’t wait to explain to everyone how that was a bad hand to play because I didn’t have correct pot odds, etc.

The next round of the table, he called a raise with 7-4D, right behind the raiser and only the two blinds in the hand, they folded under the raise. The flop was J-9-3, rainbow. The Raiser bet, the Name Dropper called. The turn was a 4, same action. River card, the Raiser checked, so did the Name Dropper. Needless to say a pair of 4’s won the pot. This action is after the big lecture on pot odds…wonder how the hell he knew a 4 was coming on the turn and that it was good????

A few minutes later, a player next to me asked how far it was to Yellowstone National Park. I said around 10 hours, the Name Dropper took off with it was about eight hours to the Golden Gate Bridge. I asked him what the connection was…between Yellowstone and Golden Gate…he said they’re about the same distance. I asked if he was aware where Yellowstone was, he brought up the Red Woods in Sequoia National Park, I asked if he knew where Montana was, he kept babbling.

I gave up. After eight hours I was down $100 and he was up $300 after two hours. I went home. Go Figure.