Sunday, October 23, 2005

Damn pocket nines! Or is it damn the Card Fairy? Or maybe it’s both. I was cruising along in PokerStars Inaugural Blogger Championship – intermittently picking up 9-9 – raising it, going all-in against someone that had fewer chips than I did, and I lost with them, four – COUNT THEM – four damn times. The last hand sent me to the rail. I raised pre-flop…who the hell can remember how much and what the blinds were? $100-200 I think. I raised – around $600 (another I think), got raised for the same amount. Flop 10-8-6. Queen-queen, as I found out a moment later, bet and I raised all-in…somewhere around $3,???. Of course I got called, no help, out in 884th place.

C U PokerWorks. It’s ok though…I enjoyed the online experience and the opportunity that PokerStars gave to the Blogging Community of the world. One thousand-four hundred-seventy three of us were seated and slugging it out…may the best player win. Obviously I’m not stating ‘may the best blogger’ win because there are so many great blogs out there, it would be hard to judge…besides, this tournament is about playing poker, not writing.

Vivienne (friend, late night walking buddette, pan/card playing pal) made it to 586th place. Greg P is still in. (Another pan/card playing friend, hiking bud, new dealer at Bellagio). I’m watching his table and scanning all the chatters as fast as I can while I write. There are currently 263 players left – they are falling like locusts from the sky at harvest time. Blinds are $300-600 and antes are $50.

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I didn’t see Sam Grizzle anywhere during Bellagio’s Festa al Lago. What the hell happened there? I just can’t imagine Sam not being in…watching the action…coercing someone for a buy-in…or playing. Somehow it just doesn’t seem right. Maybe someone will send me an email if he’s spotted. Consider this a ‘Sam Grizzle Watch’.

Daniel Negreanu was playing Bobby’s Room Thursday night. Now the question has to surface…what happened at Wynn? Not my question but the world’s question. Because for months, every since remodel in April, the word has been out around all the tables that Daniel had a contract with Wynn and could only play tournaments in other rooms, all of his live play had to be at Wynn. I don’t have any answers because I haven’t been that curious. He’s always a welcome addition to any game I deal. J

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Ouch! Greg just took a beat with – you guessed it – 9-9. Up against A-K. He still has over $7,000 in chips and he plays well…I’m rooting for him. GO GREG!

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I dealt a $40-80 Mixed the other night. Eli B. was in the 7s and Freddie was sweating him. This Freddie used to be the ‘major’ food runner for the high limit players. It was such a great job, I even thought about quitting mine just to run food for them. They gave me a $100 tip more than once when I went to CPK at The Mirage for them. And more one time when I went to Smith & Wolinsky. Well…anyway…back to the original story. Eli has thrown cards into me more than once and we’ve had words at the table…of course we get along away from the table. Go figure!

Eli said that all the dealers were lazy now because of the shuffle masters and dealers didn’t know how to shuffle anymore…as he looked at me…even though he was supposedly talking to another player.

I lipped off – in good humor – and said something about dealing.. He, in turn, made some sarcastic comment about ‘old dealers know how to shuffle’.

Freddie started laughing and said, “Linda was dealing before poker was invented.”

I cracked up. And I had to agree with him. That’s how I feel sometimes – I was the beginning. *laughing*.

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There are 160 players left in the Blogger Tourney. Blinds are $400-800 – $50 ante. Greg has $11,178 in chips…time for a hand. Come on Card Fairy…shine on my friend.

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I had to work six whole hours on Thursday night. Unbelievable…and I was second on the E/O list. The final table – Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship was going to be my next game when I got tapped out for the E/O. It was the final seven battling down to the final six. When they reached the final six, it would have stopped for the night and resumed the following day in Fontana with the WPT Crew filming away.

The dealer following me may have meant well and may have been having a great time but I seriously thought about setting the deck down, capping it with chips from the pot, and ‘pimp slapping’ him.

He was on a break. I was dealing $30-60 H. My next game would be the ‘final table’ on Table 40. He walked up behind me, hand on my chair, “Linda, don’t break anyone on the Final Table. That way I can deal it.”

I asked for ‘time’ and started to push my chair back. The Dealer was gone. WTF???? Does he know I was dealing a hand? And involved in running the game? Not to worry, he came back again, about a minute later, and chatted into my ear again, same topic…’don’t break anyone’…then walked off again.

This time I turned around and looked for him to see if he was there to ‘push’. Sam was in the 3s and he said the dealer must really like me because he had to keep coming up to talk to me.

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Blinds are now $600-1200 – $75 ante. Greg has $9,303 and hasn’t danced since he got moved to the new table. Just blinds and antes.

Now the Blinds are $1,000-2,000 – Antes $100. Greg and ‘easy-wind’ just held A-K all-in vs. StiffKing’s 3-3. StiffKing was short chips, side pot split left Greg with around $8,000. Man – he needs a rush.

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The Dealer interrupted me twice in about two minutes just to tell me to not to break anyone on Table 40. He was finally – really – ready to push. When he tapped me out of the game, he repeated the repeat, “Don’t break anyone…”

I got the E/O. I don’t know if Erika broke anyone or if the Dealer got to deal Table 40. I hit the Time Clock.

Michael was in the room, playing $15-30 H. We had a ‘hug’ and a short visit. His newly beloved, Michelle, was at another casino and we have yet to meet. They just returned from a Hawaiian Honeymoon. *wishes and congrats*

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Crap! Greg just went BUST! His 8-8 vs. A-K bit the dust! He finished in 98th place. Great showing but no fun.

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I was such a lucky girl. Pete asked me on Tuesday if I wanted Friday off. Hell YES! I’m on the three-day weekend. Yippeee!!! The weather’s great, life is good, and I have the answer…’if poker is only a game, why do we play so hard?’ but you need to figure it out for yourself.