Poker, Poker, Poker! Twenty tables in the pit, 30 in the room, 50 tables jamming and ramming, give or take a few. The tables in the pit are licensed for regular games and it enhances the ‘ring game’ effect. I started in the pit tonight….sounds a little strange, even to me. Poker and the rest of the Casino are two totally different worlds. You might have to be there to get the full, mind boggling effect of it, but the ‘pit’ and ‘poker’ are as different as night and day.

There were only 422 entries in the No Limit Holdem Event. ONLY???? It’s huge! What a turnout.

Amazingly, a few of the players I dealt to tonight, the last time I dealt to them was in Aruba. Barry Shulman was at the final table in Aruba’s Ultimate Bet/WPT Tournament and tonight he made the final table. Sweet! He’s always cordial, easy to get along with, and just comes to play. Charlie is another one. Unfortunately he went to the rail when I was dealing…but that’s poker.

Another side of poker…I always am intrigued by people, why they play, how they feel about it, what their long term goals are with it or if it’s just a way to pass time and share a social structure.

Enter Ayad and Ema, brothers from Cleveland. They are gorgeous, healthy hunks, flashing eyes, well built/kept bodies, anger that can rage in a heart beat and forgiveness that replaces everything in the next few seconds. They light up the tables, no matter what limit they play.

I almost died laughing, about a month ago, when I sat down to deal a $30-$60 Holdem game and Ema was in the 2s. I stated, “Time collection,” He looked at me and went into this dialogue as he paid time, “Linda, I’m going to leave and take a shower, relax and shave, when I come back…I’m going to order wine…” his gaze was fixed on me as if I was the last human on Earth and he wanted me to BE there when he returned.

I went with, “Ok…I’ll wait here.”

It sounded as if he was making a date with me. He wasn’t. He was including/explaining to me what he planned to do.

Sometimes when I’ve sat down to deal, a player will tell me that ‘he’, in reference to Ema, will get mad at me if he loses. I just laugh, “No he won’t.”

He calls me ‘sweetheart’ and I feel the same way about him. He’s wonderful to have in a game and to deal to…action, action, action, and he’s very good to me.

His brother, Ayad, is just like Ema. They love life, they work hard, they play hard when they come to Vegas, and they are too kind.

I sat a Dead Spread in the tournament area and Ayad came to visit with me. He was seriously bummed because he had busted out of the tournament fairly early. He started out strong and won, breaking two players in the same hand and felt that he would win the whole damn thing.

Enter Cowboy! How to describe this person…no teeth is the first thing that comes to mind. A smoker, railbird, plays occasionally when he’s got a windfall or sucker to put him a game…$3-$6 and $4-$8…hangs on anyone’s coat tails that will tolerate him, always looking for a hand out, dealt at Binion’s during the WSOP last year, gives back rubs to players in hopes of getting hand out…yes, he dresses like a cowboy, hat and all. Come on! I didn’t say it made him a bad person. It’s just a portrait of a terminal railbird.

While Ayad is explaining the play of the hand that put him out of the tournament, Cowboy hits him up for $10. Ayad pulls out a $100 bill and gives it to Cowboy, asking him to bring him change. After Cowboy leaves for change, Ayad explains that he always makes sure Cowboy has something to eat…whenever he’s in town that is. Ayad feels bad for Cowboy.

Cowboy returns and gives the change to Ayad…Ayad is telling me of other tales of the kindness of his heart and giving to the degenerates in Vegas and Cowboy throws in a, “Him and his brother sure are good to me.”

I want to puke. My first and last raging thought is get a job, get a life, get the fuck out of here! I have never understood how anyone can mooch, bum, beg, and keep doing it. I would clean toilets and dig ditches before I expected someone to hand me money every time I saw them.

I love the Ayads and the Emas in the respect that they give from the heart…possibly there’s something wrong with my head…anyway, some of these people…I hope I don’t see them there. As in Cowboy!!!!