Early in the week, I went through the shift feeling as if I could no longer function or think. The calculator in my brain was shot, burned wires sticking out through my hair in every direction, my ability to focus had disappeared about the second game I dealt. I was moving on reserve energy only, and the habits and pattern of my dealing, through years of doing the same routine, was the only thing that got me through the shift.

Of course my last down of the night was on Table 1. $100-$200 Blind, Pot Limit Omaha. The cast: Unknown – 1s, Sam F. – 2s, Johnny C. – 4s, Devilfish – 6S, Minh – 8s.

Sam is the King of Chat when he’s playing. He does all kinds of body motion, verbal outbursts, and lots of hand motion while he’s putting chips in the pot…and he does put chips in the pot. There’s a previous post about him when he had tape across his mouth to keep him from saying anything to the dealers. He sent Carmen to find tape for him and all she could find was the Slot Machine Tape that repetitively reads, ‘Out of Order’…how appropriate. Don’t worry, he had it taped across his mouth.

An hour before I went into the game, he was in the 4s. I sat down, briefly, in an empty chair behind him, and said hello, asked where he’d been and why he didn’t come to Aruba. He visited with me for a moment, said there were so many $10,000 buy-in tournaments that he didn’t even care if he played in them anymore and that he’d thought about coming to Aruba, just for fun, but didn’t make it.

A note on Devilfish. When I first started dealing to him, he was really mean acting and made comments that irritated me to death. Of course he didn’t know me and I didn’t know him. Now we get along relatively well and he is always cordial and welcomes me, and I him. Nice to have evolved to this part of the dealer/player relationship.

I entered the game. They were all gambling. Sam would put a little teaser raise on it here and there, then pitch after the flop came and he faced a bet. They all discussed who the winners were because none of them were…except Minh according to the other players. I’m sure Johnny was winning because he was w-a-a-a-y to relaxed not to be.

The 1s went all-in about 10 minutes into my down and lost the hand and left the game. Minh won more than his share of pots while I was dealing. Devilfish snorted that he hated the Shuffle Machine and he was sure that it was a ‘fucking Vietnamese Shuffle Machine…’ that’s why Minh was winning.

They were all laughing at each other and no one seemed to be ready to rip their hair out and break up their cards.

Sam wanted to know who wanted to change seats…no one volunteered. Sam kept commenting on how he would never get even, he was stuck, he couldn’t win a hand…

I’ve been very fortunate with Sam. He seems to get along with me. I know he can be brutal to dealers and I’ve heard stories. He knows exactly what’s in the pot and exactly what’s going on but sometimes, just to ‘stick’ the dealer, he demands, “What’s in the pot?” God forbid the dealer doesn’t know or is off on the amount…

Several times Sam asked, “What’s in the pot…no…never mind, don’t tell me,” and I never ventured. Truthfully my brain was fried and sometimes I knew and sometimes I didn’t.

Time for the explosion! It was 3 a.m., I dealt the last hand of my down, Minh flipped me a few $$ for a tip, the new dealer was behind me, I said, “Thanks, everyone and good night,” and then the dealer was called away by the Shift Supervisor. I had to deal the next hand.

Minh – SB, Sam – BB, Johnny put the live $400 on, Devilfish was the Button.

Devilfish called the $400, so did Minh, Sam raised it to $1,000. Johnny folded, Devilfish teetered around with his thinking and finally raised it to $3,500. Minh raised, he asked me what was in the pot and I told him I had no idea. I really didn’t. Thank you, God…no one was upset me with.

Johnny had been visiting with Perry G. and he turned to the game, looking at the bets and rounded it out to $9,000. Minh raised it $9,000.

Sam did a three second hesitation move, followed with something like, ‘we came to gamble’ or ‘time to gamble’ and put in $8,000 more so fast it would make your head spin.

Devilfish thought and thought about what he wanted to do while Sam goaded him, trying to talk him into calling. He finally folded.

On the Flop, Minh ended up all-in for roughly $60,000 more. The Flop was K-7-2 with two Diamonds.

The chips were still in front of them, I sat with deck in hand, waiting while they talked…argued would be a little more like it. Minh wanted to know if Sam wanted to make a deal. Sam asked, “What do you have?”

Minh told me not to pull the chips into the pot. Sam did a big sweeping motion with his arm and said, “Pull them all into the pot.”

I did.

They talked it up. Minh wanted to run them twice, Sam asked again, “What do you have?”

I could see Minh’s hand. He said he had A-A with the nut flush draw. He held an Ace with the A-3-4- of Diamonds.

Sam went into a, “Well if that’s what you have…if you really have two Aces with the nut flush draw…” long pause “…I have you beat right now!”

Minh asked again, “Run them twice?”

Sam still continued with, “If you really have what you say you have, let me see it! If you really have two aces with the flush draw…don’t throw your hand away.”

Swear to God, all of us burst out laughing except Minh. He was pretty serious and wasn’t sharing any of the humor.

By now the wall of onlookers was about three feet deep and the Floor Person was trying to shoo everyone away. The mound of chips and cash in the center of the table was so big you’d need a day to walk across it and my push was nowhere in sight.

Still Minh and Sam did the verbal tango. Finally…Sam told me to deal. I did. Sam won the pot with 7-2 of Hearts. I don’t even know what his other two cards were, even though he laid the hand down…remember my brain had short circuited hours before.

Minh showed his hand but kept hanging onto the cards, finally Johnny said, “Let’s play another hand.”

As I pushed the pot to Sam, my push showed up, and Devilfish said, “Just think, she wasn’t even supposed to deal that hand. The push didn’t show up.”

I pointed at the Shuffle Master as I stood up and said, “The Machine dealt it.”

Devilfish replied, “Yes, but you cut the cards.”

Sam tipped me, a Black Bird, (YIPPPEEE!!!) and I hit the time clock…the hand took almost 15 minutes.
Out into the fresh night air, home, walk the dog, a glass of wine…hello real world.

But to add to the zany insanity of the game and players, a few nights later, I pushed into Table 2, and sitting at Table 1 was Sam…this time he had a big band aid taped across his mouth.

As I went by I looked back at him and exclaimed, “Sam…NO WAY!”

He smile/laughed through the band aid and shook his head emphatically – ‘yes’.

At the same time, Minh, in the game with Sam, yelled, “To keep him from talking…he talk too much!”

Hysterical! More wine please.