Even though the room is fairly quiet around 7 p.m. when my shift starts, new games start throughout the night. More middle and low limit games are running right now which never hurts any dealer’s feelings.

Bellagio is starting a weekly tournament beginning July 12, 2002. It’s called ‘Five O’Clock Fridays at Bellagio’.

A recap…the room is quiet but George (the Isle of Crete) is still here. Someone said he bought a house in Vegas. I have a friend that plays Pot Limit Omaha in London all the time and we chat online. My friend told me that George had been playing a lot in London and bought a house there too. All in all, I hope he goes somewhere soon. I dealt to him a few nights ago and he muttered and mumbled at me and gave me the look until the end of my down when I pushed him several large pots but don’t worry, he didn’t give me credit when he won…only when he loses. Good job, George!

Tonight I dealt a three handed game on Table 1, $1,000-$2,000 mixed games with Jennifer, Eli E., and Gustavo AKA Gus, (winner of the First World Poker Tour Tournament hosted by Bellagio). At the very end of my down, Todd B., and Freddie AKA Kassem, (3rd place in the World Poker Tour Tournament), came skipping up from Table 4, where they had been playing with George, and joined the game. They both stated that George told them they were cheating.

Of course they broke the game on Table 4 when they left and George had no choice but to join them later if he wanted to play…and he did. Poor George, being cheated and all that and then having to put up with us bad dealers that deal the cards right off the top of the deck. Hell…what that poor man goes through just to play poker.

*****

A few nights ago I dealt $4-$8 H and the player in the 3s was convinced that everything was my fault. He won a huge pot with a set of Queens and I guess I was ‘OK’ then but I lost my status in the next few hands. He flopped Kings and 4’s with K-4 OFF and lost it because the board paired on the River and the real hand, A-A, won the pot. He did the ‘she put up the God Damned pair and cost me the pot’ over and over as he gestured wildly at me.

It was his small blind and he sat back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, and glared at me. I asked for his small blind and he continued to glare. I said, “Glaring won’t change a thing, it’s still your small blind.”

He said, “I’m not looking at you, I’m looking at him,” as he pointed down the table.

Yeah right, Buddy.

He threw in the $2 and then sat back in his chair again with his cards up against his chips. When the action returned to him, I waited a moment and then asked, “Sir, would you like to call?”

He sat there, resolute in his insanity that I had really put a bad beat on him. The player next to him asked him if he wanted to call. He sat there.
I said, “Please push your cards in if you’re not going to call.”

He flicked them 1/4 of an inch and sat there. The 3,4,7, and 8 are the hardest seats to reach in a Holdem game.

I said, “When I deal, I deliver your cards to you. When you fold, you push them into me.”

I smiled right at him as I said it. In a huff and with exasperation, he pushed them at me.

Still looking at him, I said, “The only one that you’re making look bad here is you, so settle down and play the game.”

He did. Damn, I don’t know why I don’t get paid extra for babysitting and psychology lessons.

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.