My first game was $4-$8 H and Earl was playing in the 9s – although he was walking when I sat down. His chips were in general disarray, as if he’d pulled in a huge pot and just walked off, so when he came back a few minutes later, I looked at him and demanded, “Earl, clean that mess up!”

Everyone laughed.

Earl is a very different poker personality. I’ve never seen him sober so I have no idea what he’s like in that state. He’s funny. He never cries or has a fit when he loses; he just gambles like crazy. I’ve dealt to him in $20-$40 and $3-$6 H at the Mirage and he just never changes. He uses the term “doink”. When he says “doink ’em”, he’s raising. He slows the game down a little because he likes center stage when he plays, but as a dealer, he’s a refreshing treat.

Everyone in this game seemed to enjoy having him there.

He made some comments about women players and a youngster named Damon, tackled him in mid-sentence. Damon told Earl that women should be shown the respect they deserve and should be left alone and allowed to play poker. Damon was cute and stood his ground. Even though Earl tried a quick rebuttal, he couldn’t win. Damon was too quick for him. Everyone at the table laughed at the verbal duel. Damon and Earl ended up going out to the bar to have a drink together.

There were 2 women in the game, Tootsie, a woman I’ve dealt to since Bellagio opened – she was having a lot of fun in this game, and a new found friend, Christine.

About 10 minutes into my down, Christine looked at my name tag and asked, “Are you Linda G.”

I said, “Yes.”

She said, “I know you.”

She reads this page. I got out of the line-up to play after that down so we spent some time visiting…it was great.

We walked over to watch a few minutes of the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Impressive, the seating for the audience, the stage, lighting, and the cameras showing the player’s faces and the board cards during the hand. There were three players left when we were there, John, Gus, and Kassem. Kassem took 3rd place while we watched.

Christine’s intelligent, has a very spicy personality, and warmth. Nice addition to the world of poker and my collection of friends.