I called in for first break tonight, as I was trying to figure out how the maniacs on the freeways ever make it home alive, and managed to make it into the room with a few minutes to spare…just before 7 p.m.

I started on 30B. That’s the ‘aghhh, shit, hell’ of Poker Dealer World because that means I’m heading straight up into ‘no man’s land’, the place we don’t make much money and the games are huge, the place that everyone that plays low limit goes home and tells their friends and families about it and no one believes it.

The game was $2,000-$4,000 Mixed. The players: David G. – 1s, Gus H. – 2s, Phil I, – 3s, Doyle B., – 4s, Chip R, – 7s, Minh, – 8s. A little and a lot of gambling going on. Chip had missed his blind for the Board Games and had an Orange Button in front of him, only problem was…he was on his cell phone and had his arm laying over the Button. I managed to deal him out, several hands, but he kept putting his hand out as if he expected to be dealt in.

I finally laughed and said, “You’re trying to bluff me, aren’t you?”

He looked at me…around his cell phone conversation.

I said, “I know you have a Missed Blind button but you have it hidden and you keep reaching for a card each time I deal.”

He chuckled and replied, “I think I’m supposed to be dealt in,” as he pushed the Orange Button out in front of him.

Gus and Phil did most of the ramming and jamming during the first part of my down and then the game moved to multi-way action during the last few minutes I was at the table.

Of course the Shuffle Master ‘burped and spit’ the last hand I dealt. It does a little ‘blip/burp’ kind of thing and the lid jumps, then it sets there until someone opens it, cleans out it’s belly, and puts the cards back in the ‘shuffle side’. It’s momentary but it always slows the game down a little.

My next game was Table 3, a $60-$120 Holdem game. The 1s worked for the Siegfried and Roy Show, as a stage person, and the 6s had gone to the final performance, the one where the Tiger took Roy off the stage. The whole conversation was interesting and spooky for me…not something I would ever want to watch.
I hit the $10-$20 Omaha 8 or Better with a Half Kill within the next two hours.

Amazing as it may seem, this game also picks up quite a few new players. Omaha 8 or Better is not your average, run of the mill game, especially in a limit over $2-$4 or $6-$12, so it’s interesting to find new faces.

The 10s has been playing for close to a week, he’s from Florida. He called a River bet that left him with no playable chips…he had a few $1 and $5 chips but no $10 chips in front of him. He pulled out $200 and I quietly informed him that $200 was a short buy-in for the game and he was allowed one.

I got a little flack from the 6 and 7s. They went with, “It’s all right!”

I said, “No…It isn’t all right, just let me do my job.”

The 10s was a little blustery and did a small trip on ‘not short of money but short on brains’.

I believe he’d been buying short all along and no one had said anything to him. My intent was to inform him that he could have one short buy-in for that limit, so he would know what to expect, not to embarrass or harass him. Our rule is one short buy-in in an eight-hour period. No short buy-ins in games under $10-$20 Limit.

I honestly feel that if the local players would just be quiet, the visitor would never have a problem with house rule. And what if someone else at the table has a problem with the visitor buying in short for the limit and I, as the dealer, don’t make a statement? I have no win here, but at least let me do what I’m supposed to do. Let me make a mistake before you jump in and correct me…PUH…LEASE!!!!

I got through this down and a few more. Then I dealt the dullest, deadest, most horrible, ‘watch paint dry’ for a half hour, $1-$5 Seven Card Stud game that I’ve ever seen at Bellagio.

The only good part of it was that they were watching Table 1 for ‘The Stars’.