This is it for two weeks at least, maybe closer to threeâ¦the annual, festive, family rendezvous is at hand. I instantly turn into a food grazing, wine drinking, camp slut. No computers, no city lights, no traffic, no noise and confusionâ¦oh myâ¦how will I ever cope? Just hide and watch, my friend, and you’ll see how easy it is to go from the glamour and glitz of Bellagio’s world renowned Poker Room to a plush tent condo, that will sleep about 8, set up under 60 foot pines, light breezes that tease the senses, carrying the drifting aroma of campfires and cooking food, sun filtering through the pines by day and moonlight by night, a small lake a few hundred yards away, a bath house with hot showers and toilets just 50 feet away from the condo, and the rest of the family nestled into seven other campsites around mineâ¦a village filled with family, young and old, bound to each other by blood and brought together by love and friendshipâ¦wah-lah! Magic!!!!
But before I drive off to Wonderland and the Magic, let me give you a teaser to keep you interested until my return.
Marvel of marvels, Sam G., the King of Railbirds, spent most of the night searching and scouting his stomping grounds, looking for the softest touch, the most likely to give him a buy-in into any gameâ¦it took him about six hours but he finally found one. Sam managed to snag a buy-in into the $40-$80 7 Card Stud game I was dealing. He chortled and laughed, talked it up like he didn’t have a care in the world, tried to chummy it up with Kim, AKA The Dragon Lady (yes, I deal to her all the time), she basically ignored him, and when his sponsor walked over, Sam went into, “What’s that game up on top? Maybe we should see about getting into that one, they look easyâ¦.”
He was still in the $40-$80 when I left, his sponsor must not have seen it the same way Sam did.
*****
$15-$30 Stud, short handed. A tourist sat down in the 7s and I asked if he wanted chips. He said he wanted to watch. His English was very poor and I really have no idea what language he spoke. I said, “Ok!”
After five or six hands, I asked if he wanted to play. He shook his head ‘no’ and left the table but returned a few minutes later with $150 and took the 7s. He was, of course, low the first hand. Between myself and the four other players, we explained that he had to put $5 out because he was low.
He watched everyone and everything that was going on. A few hands later, he was low again and opened for $15. He got one caller and they ended up at the River with a few checks and a few bets. He showed down K-7-5C as his starting cards and ended up with K High Zip. He still called a $30 bet on the River even though he couldn’t beat the other player’s board.
It was obvious that he really knew very little about the game and what he was doing but he was damn cheerful and patiently waited while I gave him hand signals and spoke so he knew how much to put out or when it was his turn to throw his hand away. He got the ‘check’ motion figured out pretty fast and wasn’t hard to get along with at all, just NEW.
Finally he ended up heads up with the 1s. The 1s made Aces up and the 7s made a five high straight with two pairâ¦he started with the low card and a pair of deuces, then paired treys and backed into the straight. He was cute. When he turned his hand up, he was very concerned because he didn’t know if the Ace played for high or low or for both. He motioned at his cards, “It’s ok?”
I said, “Yes,” and pushed him the pot.
The 1s started grumbling, “See, I hate to play against people that don’t know what they’re doingâ¦no one else would’ve called me with his handâ¦they beat you every time.”
I turned my head to him, so the 7s wouldn’t hear me and said, “He’s new. It’s obvious he’s just learning the game.”
1s, “That’s what I mean. He shouldn’t have even been in the handâ¦we need to ‘run’ him out of the game.”
I tried the gentle approach, “You’re really supposed to like having him in the game and making those calls.”
1s, “Not when they’re beating me, I don’t want them in the game.”
A few more hands went by and the 1s kept grumbling, rehashing the beat he’d taken. Vinny S. was in the 4s. Vinny was paying attentionâ¦he’s in a post from last year, very good for the game as a stable, solid player. Always easy going, takes his beats with his wins and never whines or has a fit, always friendly and easy to deal toâ¦love that guy.
The 1s looked at Vinny and said, “We need to run him out of the game.”
Vinny looked directly at the 1s and said, “I’d rather you didn’t do that.”
I opened my big mouth and said, “I totally agree with you,” to Vinny.
I got pushed a minute later. I took an extra second to sit in the empty seat by the ‘new’ guy and by spreading my hands ‘up’ for the up cards and ‘down’ for the cards, I managed to explain the Big Bet option when a pair showed in four cards. He was smiley and happy and had won about $250 during my down. He may have given it all back or bought more after I left, I never looked back as the night wore on.
The amazing thing about this whole exchange is that we need new players in the games. They don’t need to be run out of the game just because they won a pot and really didn’t know what they were doing. They don’t need comments about their play or a lecture shoved in their face when they are stacking the pot. They are trying to win also and shouldn’t be expected to ‘mail in a check’ so the regular can winâ¦and by the way, the 1s was not a local.
Also, in a short handed game, under most circumstances, the low card bring in would call a raise if they had a pair so the 7s was never out of line with his play of the hand.
*****
The Archie K. story. Pretty much everyone has heard of the tale of his running $10,000 up into over $34,000,000 and losing it back; buying only a car before he sent the cash on it’s way, back to the sources it came from.
A guy in the 10s of an $8-$16 Holdem game kept telling everyone tales about Archie and stated that he was Archie’s good friend and had been for years. He said a few weeks ago Archie borrowed $10,000 from someone that’s a ‘name brand’â¦been around Vegas a long time, in the finance businessâ¦you get the picture.
Archie took the $10,000 to the Tropicana and ran it into $650,000 shooting craps. He went back to the guy, gave him $300,000 of it and went on his wayâ¦for about 10 hours. Then he was calling the guy back to borrow again because he was BUSTED!
Have no idea how true the story is but having dealt to Archie for years and listening to other tales about him and things he himself has said, I’d believe it really did happen.
On that note, I’m a run away. Take care, stay well and healthy, and rememberâ¦the new guy wants to win too! 🙂