I dealt to A.A., commonly known as ‘Double A’, in a $10-$20 Half Kill Omaha 8 or Better game. He asked me if I had a story picked out to write today.

I told him yes.

He smiled and said, “A story every day. Do you take notes or just remember?”

I told him I had it all logged in my head and he asked me if it was a high limit story, to which I replied, “Mid-limit…$40-$80 7 Card Stud.”

Hey…in most parts of the world $40-$80 would be considered high limit but when I’m dealing $500-$1,000 and $2,000-$4,000 and even higher, I feel it’s a mid-limit game.

A few days ago I pushed into a game he was in and he mentioned that he hadn’t seen me at all in the card room. He said he’d seen me more on the Internet than at Bellagio. He meant he’d visited this page but another player took it to mean that I had pictures up on the net…umhhh! That took a moment to explain!

I really like A. A. He’s always quiet until someone barks at him for playing a bad hand and winning or when he’s defending a cause he feels is just. His spiritual presence is wonderful and his smile shows his heart. Nice!

So…on to the story. The $40-$80 7 Card Stud game is eight handed. A few regulars but mostly tourists, although the tourists know how to play poker and aren’t there to be hooked and gaffed for dinner.

Michelle is in the 6s, a long time regular. While this may sound cruel, it’s simply a description. She appears to be almost comatose, as if the 60’s were really good to her and she’s never made the move into the year 2000. Her expression never changes, her eyes never light up, each move is deliberate, as if she has to focus on each step of the journey one step at a time or she’ll lose the objective. Her speech is always measured and deliberately precise and totally monotone.

The game sucked. Very little action and mostly low card open, a raise, and everyone folded or if someone called the bring-in amount, they would then check, check, check…this was the perfect game for a speeder that can stay under radar and outplay the game police.

One hand came down with the 4s, 5s, and Michelle. The low card brought in the bet, the other two called. On 5th Street, Michelle made open 5’s. The 5s had an Ace up, no pair, and even though I called the pair of 5’s, the 5s checked as if he held the high hand. Michelle checked and so did the 4s.

On 6th street, I again called the pair of 5’s as high. The 5s checked again. I told him he wasn’t high, the pair of 5’s was high. Michelle checked and so did the 4s.

On 7th street, I again called the pair of 5’s. Michelle bet $80, the 4s raised, the 5s folded, and so did Michelle. At this point, we all realized the 4s had open 7’s showing. Did he have them on 6th? I don’t know. I did not see the pair. No one at the table saw the pair. There were eight other pairs of eyes at the table yet no one saw the pair of 7’s.

Now Michelle started her slack jawed, vacant stare, monotone, “I didn’t know he had a pair. I wouldn’t have bet.”

I had already pushed the pot because she folded her hand. I said I was sorry, I didn’t see the pair either. Hell…she was never going to be happy with that one. She insisted she should get her $80 back and I should call for a decision. Fine! I did.

Boba came over and made the decision that it was too late, she’d already folded. She still wasn’t happy and wanted her $80 back. Suzie was going to be called to the table.

The 4s offered to give back the $80 but “NO!” let’s wait and see if the house will pay it to her.

The worst of it is that the 4s said he knew he had a pair of 7’s showing but he just wasn’t thinking when I called the pair of 5’s as the high hand. How bad is that? He knew he had the 7’s but didn’t stop the action. He just raised it instead. That’s taking a shot in my book.

Suzie came over, situation explained, and I cut $80 out of the rack and gave it to Michelle. They all mumble jumbled over that one for a few minutes and I said, “The next time I miss a pair showing, someone please tell me.”

The 5s said it was the first time he’d ever seen me make a mistake. I said I hated to make mistakes and I’d take help if someone thought I was going to make one.

I did make a mistake, in that hand, but my feeling is the 4s made the biggest one. He took a shot and got away with it.