This really isn’t funny – but yet…
The night before Christmas Eve. $4,000-8,000 mixed limit games with one little single draw Deuce to 7, no limit with a $100,000 cap and $1,000 ante from each player, $1,000-$2,000 Blind. That’s a mouthful ain’t it?
The game was four handed, Lyle B. – 1s, Chau – 2s, Doyle – 4s, Phil – 7s. They were playing single draw Deuce when I sat down. The first thing that happened was Phil turned over three face cards and Lyle and Doyle threw him two or three $5,000 chips. Proposition bets. There were so many big chips flying around (sniff…none of them flew to me…sniff) and everyone, except Chau (he wasn’t in the proposition thing), was turning over their hole cards without calling a bet or raise, that it was hard to figure out if the hand was over or if I was supposed to be giving change somewhere.
Doyle and Phil seemed to have a little exchange that belonged only to them (heard they’d been playing for over 24 hours) – they took turns bantering at the other about being ‘the luckiest player…’
In general it was like watching a chip war and no one was going to win. They threw more money across the table in ‘Prop’ bets than I could make in four years. The dealer in front of me, a good, solid, no mistake making dealer, made zip/zero/nothing out of the game. For handling all of those massive amounts of money and doing it well, he got paid minimum wage by the house. Around $3.00 for his time in the box.
I seldom find myself feeling disgruntled over tipping but this leaves me with a giant black spot in my head for the player that always thinks they should have the best of it – comps, great dealers, etc., when they can’t give up anything on behalf of the person that works for tips…especially at Christmas.
I got really lucky, I made $20. From the talk around the room, it’s been more the zip/zero thing for everyone. Maybe I’m just blessed… don’t think I don’t appreciate it, I do.
*****
I hit the $10-$20 blind NLH game to find an old friend from Montana in the 4s. We dealt and played poker together another lifetime ago. He said hello, so did I, he went into a thing about how his girl was in the box and things were looking up. Yup! It worked exactly like that. NOT!
The first hand I dealt him was A-A. He raised it, got called by Q-9 spades. The Flop was 9-little-little. He bet the Flop, got called, Bet $800 on the Turn and got raised – it put him all-in for about $700 more, and a cute little 9 slipped off on the River.
It was pretty much a gagger although he never flinched or made any comments. I wanted to throw up for him. He didn’t clam up or go ‘all stoney’ on me which was really great on his part. He bad played another hand about fifteen minutes later and that cost him a chunk. When I got pushed, I looked at him and said, “Just like old times!”
I was below his game, waiting for the dealer to finish the hand in my next table and got to visit with him for a minute. He’s coming for Christmas dinner – hell, that’s today!
I have to run. I have a date with a little sweetie that’s eight months old…his mom and dad are coming too. I’m the chief cooker, taxi woman, and grandma of the year so I’d better get a few hours sleep before the whirlwind begins. Merry Christmas!