Out of town over the weekend and catching up on sleep and a few other things always seems to leave me running on empty when it comes to TIME. No need to waste any more time talking about time so on with the poker world.
$80-$160 Holdem last night. Two $60-$120 Holdem games the night before – the 2nd is a Must Move. A $200-$400 Mixed Game last night that carried over from day shift…Sam G. was in the 8s, being his usual obnoxious self. Drinking wine and having more than his share of the chips definitely puts his mouth into full blown overdrive. This is kind of ‘ugh’ for the dealers because the next few months will find us dealing these kind of games, long, hard, and continuously. There will be so many ‘big’ games throughout the room that we will really cherish the $1-$5 7 Card Stud and $4-$8 Holdem games. The small games have last priority in the room. Tears…heavy sigh!
~~~~~
The ability, or lack of, to reason through poker rule and the reason behind it for some players seems to be impossible. Of course we have to consider the fact that the player is just being a BUTT HEAD, but it’s also possible that they really don’t get it! Get what? Two examples:
1) $4-$8 Holdem. Young, fresh faces. All male. Tao – 6s – is a dealer/player in the room. He plays $4-$8, $15-$30, $30-$60 Holdem and plays more often than deals. He’s an excellent dealer and knows the etiquette and is fine tuned to the ‘dos and don’ts’ of poker.
The 5s is so new to poker that he may know what the best hand is but not likely from what he’s turning over and calling down with. He doesn’t know or understand the blinds, the bet, the limit, or the raising part of it…he just wants to play. Tao is helping him with what the bet is on what street but never instructing him on what to play or how to play. Any idiot that paid attention would know when the 5s is calling down with 8-5 OS and the board is A-K-9-4-2, that the 5s is not getting any help from anyone…and the Super Idiot at the table should love the fact that the 5s is calling down with these hands.
Who’s the Super Idiot? Kevin – 2s – has the unanimous vote for Super Idiot of the year and the next 5 years running, even if you just watched Rounders for the 1st time and know nothing about poker, you would vote for him too.
Kevin wins a huge pot, in which the 5s called with out a pair or a hand that was even related to the board, and in a two or three hand lull, the 5s converses quietly with the Tao. The next hand starts with the Kevin raising and the 5s calling the raise pre-flop. Don’t worry, Kevin looks at Tao and spouts off with, “No helping him during the hand!”
Tao is taken completely off guard by the statement because he has never said a word to anyone after the cards are dealt. He responds, “I’m not helping him.”
“Yes you are! Stop telling him what to do!”
I looked directly at the 2s and state, “He’s not getting any help with the play of the hand.”
“Yes he is. He keeps telling him what to do.”
I replied, “No HE isn’t. No one is helping him.”
Naturally Kevin wins another huge pot which is loaded up with extra chips just because the 5s has no idea what he’s doing.
I asked the 5s if he’s ever played Holdem before. His reply is ‘no’. I asked him if he’s ever played 7 Card Stud before. His reply is ‘no’.
Another hand starts, with mass action again, with the 5s folding. The 1s and the 9s end up heads up and Kevin leans to the 1s and whispers something to him.
Flames here! I bluntly query to the 2s, “What are you doing? You just had a fit with someone else because you thought they were talking during a hand.”
Kevin ignores me but stops talking…he won’t even give me eye contact. The hand finishes and I look directly at him and state, “Conversation during a hand with a player that has cards is not allowed.”
He finally looks at me and asks, “What difference does it make? I didn’t see his hole cards.”
This kid must’ve jumped off of an intergalactic potato boat where they played Indian Poker on their breaks. He really believed that he was right.
I finished up with, “You could be telling him what you threw away or what you think the other player held. The rule is one player to a hand.”
I return to the 5s and ask him if he might be more comfortable playing 7 Card Stud because each player receives individual cards and it’s easier to understand what they can make vs. your own cards. He’s cute and really wants to learn to play but he doesn’t need a bad time while he’s learning, especially not from another player that’s taking his chips.
He leaves the game just before the end of my down…only to find another $4-$8 Holdem game. I pass him on my break and he’s having fun, gave me a big smile and thanks me for the help…he just wants to play poker.
2) Omaha 8 or Better, $20-$40 with a half kill. 4s raises, mass action from half the table. 4s is the Bettor/raiser throughout the hand except on the River which is four way action.
The River, the 4s checks, 6s checks, 1s bets, 2s calls. The 4s holds his cards, opened up in his right hand…right where the 6s can see all four of them.
I tell the 4s that he’s exposing his cards. He says it doesn’t make any difference. I respond with, “Of course it does! The 6s has a hand and hasn’t acted yet.”
The 6s says it doesn’t make any difference.
Wow! Where are these two guys from?
I respond with, “Yes it does! It gives you an advantage and you haven’t acted on your hand yet.”
They both tell me it doesn’t make any difference, the 6s following up with, “I’m not calling anyway.”
I respond, “He doesn’t know that you’re not calling.”
The 4s states that he didn’t open his hand.
I still persist, “Yes you did!”
The 4s says he didn’t open his hand and wants to know what you want him to do.
I give up. “Ok, I’m out of line. Just doing my job!”
No one at the table jumps in to give me any defense and I’m irritated with the ‘I just got a big hand/draw beat and want to show my hand’ mentality. I run into in this situation with no regard to poker etiquette from people that play every day. So go ahead boys…it’s your nightmare.
*****
This post is done by Chanzes – during the time period that I took a break from posting in the Diary.