My week went like this, I dealt and they played. Just kidding…yes it did go like that but with some variables and interesting points. Friday night, the high limit was filled with ‘pros’. Larry Flint was at Table One, Lyle Berman, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Chip Reese, Johnny Chan, Gus Hanson, Renee, and a host of others played $2,000-$4,000 7 Card Stud. I never ventured into the High Limit Section to visit anyone or to deal, and from all the bodies milling around, I’m glad I didn’t have to be there.
On Monday night, I made more mistakes than I’ve made in the last year of dealing. I hit the $1,000-$2,000 Mixed game and started right there. In a hand of High Low Regular, the chips almost bounced off the ceiling after hitting the felt and the pot. Action! Action! Action! The pot started with five way action, max raises, and David G. put in the last raise. I missed it. He picked up $500 chips with both hands and slapped them into the mess of chips in front of him that were his bet/call/raise chips. No one placed their chips in an orderly fashion, they just slapped or slammed them onto the table and the chip piles in front of each player were a jumble. I reached to pull in the bets and David did a, “YOU have got to pay attention, Linda! I raised.”
Everyone else called before he got the last words out of his mouth.
I said, “I’m sorry, I missed it.”
He continued, “You’ve got to pay attention.”
I replied, “You have no idea how hard I’m trying to.”
Someone else told him to forget it. I pulled in the chips, and dealt the next card. More action and slamming until 7th Street. It ended up being David, Doyle, and Jennifer. David had a Full House and I could’ve sworn that Doyle had the best low…idiot that I am…I took Jennifer’s hand and mucked it, pushed a $5,000 chip towards Doyle and five $1,000 chips to David. They set me straight…not in an unkindly manner but I knew that I was going to have a hell of a night. I just didn’t see Jennifer’s low.
When I hit Table 3, they were playing $80-$160 Holdem. Eli B. was in the 2s and down to a few $1,000 chips…$20 chips are the norm in this game. He got involved in a hand with Ming, in the 8s, just before I got pushed. Eli threw out a $1,000, to bet and I left Ming’s bets/calls in front of Ming to designate what Eli owed on the chip.
On the River, I got side tracked by a Floor Person asking me a question. When I looked at the bets, Ming had put out another $160 and Eli had mucked his hand. Now I wasn’t sure if Ming bet and Eli called or if Ming bet and Eli didn’t call or if Ming checked, Eli bet, and Ming called…arghhh! I asked Ming, if Eli had called the additional $160 and he gave me an exasperated, “Come on, Linda.”
So difficult for someone to just answer the damn question sometimes.
He did and I counted out the change coming to Eli and pushed it to him. Yup, another mistake on my part.
By now I felt that I was in total brain lock and would never make it through the night. I did. It wasn’t easy, I really had a difficult time focusing on anything and once I make a mistake, it’s worse, I’m totally on edge and worrying that I will make more. It eased up the following night and I was back to normal. Normal? What’s that?
*****
Something happened in a $30-$60 Holdem game that brought about one of those unique experiences that I’d never seen before and had to call for a decision. The 5s called $30, ($10 chips are used in this limit), the 6 and 7s folded, the 8s had cards and before he could act, the 9s, holding six chips in her hand, threw out three of them, as everyone stopped her because she acted out of turn. She never pulled her hand back or reached for her chips, just waited until the 7s called and then released the other three chips with, “I raise.”
The 5s had a little tiz and said she couldn’t raise. I had no intention of ever getting involved in it and I called for a decision. Boba made the decision that she could raise. I was flabbergasted by the decision because our house rule has always been that action out of turn is action. The only way she should have been able to change her action was if the 7s raised in front of her. I never said a word, just dealt the game. BTW, the 5s then re-raised the 7s’s raise.
I queried some of the Floor People as to what their decision would have been in this circumstance; Kamell and Carmen agreed with Boba. Suzie and Pete agreed with me. Tough to get a ruling that everyone agrees on sometimes.
*****
The following is part of the chat during a tournament I played in on Empire. I found it to be quite humorous. Maybe I’m just a little sicko and it’s not that funny but it seemed hysterical at the time…and right now. My handle is ‘PokerWorks’…what else.
Hello PokerWorks, You requested a transcript of Tournament #1302925.
Summary Played on 08 November 2003 09:15 AM
On Card Room Table 598
Game Type: Texas Holdem Buy-In: $50 Fee + $5
You finished in position 8
1st place – duffy2211 – $250
2nd place – greenfee -$150
3rd place – ADent – $100
Bossman: Yawn
BILL_HICKOCK: that was me earlier today Bossman: they need to reset the server, for the last 3 months ive been winning big, they reset the server a few days a go , ive lost about $800 in 3 days , im going to wait untill they reset it again , im sure they do it to let the bad players win to keep them at the site
PokerWorks: hysterical!
duffy2211: at me its the same boss….
PokerWorks: How do they know you’re a bad player?
PokerWorks: Do you have a tag?
Bossman: what is so funny , i have alot of freinds that play here for a living , ive recieved 4 e-mails this morning about it
PokerWorks: U really believe that?
ADent: i lost also 27 trips last two days in stud
ADent: unreal run of bad beats
Bossman: i know that , ive played here since the site started.
PokerWorks: so? law of averages…it all works out.
ADent: me too, and i made good money every month
PokerWorks: Thank you both. Please play in all games I’m in.
ADent: got some good places in multis
ADent: but cashgame was unbelievable
ADent: but i cant really believe, that they can control so many games
PokerWorks: so if you win 20 days in a row, and lose 9, somethings wrong somewhere?
Bossman: they reset servers early hours of the morning , if you play here alot , you get to know what hands will win , its not as random as you think
PokerWorks: really, that’s one I’ll have to put in my book…news flash, internet poker games make too much money, need to keep lives ones coming back.
PokerWorks: how do they know you’re ‘live’ or ‘loose’?
Bossman: to much information is bad for you , play here long enough and figure it out
PokerWorks: really? This is a need to know thing and I can’t handle ‘knowing’ if you tell me?
Bossman: sorry , ask ADent
Bossman: i spent $15000 here in the first 3 months of the site opening
PokerWorks: You’ve both been very helpful, thank you and I won’t take any more of your time. Good luck.
BILL_HICKOCK: well i play here alot and im may be up 2k over 6mos and thats because of a 2nd and a 3rd in the 50 multis everynight and thats depositing aroung 20k
BILL_HICKOCK: some days it does’nt matter waht you play you can’t win other you can play anything and win.
Bossman: i dont play multis often, came 1st in one the other day $30 limit got $3030, the time they take, you can play a few $50 and $100 and win more
****
I can’t wait to play with these guys every day…oh…well, not if they reset the server, of course. hah..hahhhh…ha.hahh…bwahhh…hahh…
*****
I was part of this project. Sweet!
Howard Lederer’s ‘Secrets of No Limit Holdem’