Dealt a $300-600 mixed game. The game was full – eight players. One player in particular stayed in my thoughts after I left the table. Sam Grizzle. He won a pot in 7 Stud 8 or Better that was huge and he was the underdog, with three way action and max raises all the way to the River. Of course he gloated and bragged about being the best player while he stacked chips for five minutes.

I’ve dealt to him for at least 10 years off and on. He comes and goes, always brags about how good he plays and how everyone’s afraid to play him ‘heads up’ but he’s always broke and always looking for someone to stake him. Strange that he’s always broke? No, what’s really strange is that he always talks someone into staking him in a high limit game. Twisted!

The reason he stayed in my thoughts? He’s the only player that I ever knowingly allowed to put more chips in the pot than he was supposed to and I never corrected him.

Oh come on…you may think that tarnishes me as a professional but you would have to have been there to appreciate the whole effect. He verbally berates and abuses everyone except the person he’s shining up to for a stake in a game. He was unbearably offensive until he was 86’d from the Mirage about four years ago and wasn’t allowed to play on Mirage Resort Properties for two years.

Now? Noisy, irritating, mildly amusing in a sick way, and still looking for someone to stake him…but back to the meat of the story.

Approximately five years ago, I sat down to deal $200 – 400 Holdem and $300 – 600 Stud, the game changed every eight hands and it was ‘heads up’. One of the players was, of course, the subject of this writing.

As soon as my tush hit the chair, Sam started in with, “Bet you can’t deal this down without saying a word. Bet you can’t just shut up and deal. Dealers always think they have to say something. They can’t just shut their mouths.” etc., etc., etc.

I didn’t say a word, shuffled up and dealt the last few hands of stud. The game changed to Holdem and with the change, the limit also changed. The 1st hand out, he bet $300 on the Flop – should have been $200. On the Turn, he bet $600 – should have been $400. He got raised and then threw his hand away.

For some reason on the next hand, the bet was in order and nothing was ever said about the bet on the previous hand.

I knew he put too much money in the pot…I didn’t feel that I was getting even with him or punishing him. Under any other circumstance, I would have straightened out the bet, regardless of who the player is or my personal feeling about them.

He’s always so determined to put everyone in their place and categorize the world into a little caste system that makes him feel superior…so be it!