Each daily tournament starts at noon and plays down until there are eight (stud) and nine (holdem-omaha) players remaining. They leave for the night and return the following day to play off for the championship. They really aren’t leaving for the night. They play until three to four a.m. and even later. Makes for a hellerly long day for them and the tournament directors, and (sob, cry, sniff) me. I can barely keep my eyes open to post the events after the stats are faxed to me by the poker office. So please…if you find an error in name spelling, amounts, anything, on the Bellagio Tournament info, please notify me in an email.

Monday night found me dealing all live games, no tournament or satellite. My first game was a $60-$120 with a 1/4 Kill Omaha 8 or Better game. J.C.P. was in the 4s.

He lost the first few hands and made his standard comments, “I’m sure saving a lot of $$$. I’ll never tip another dealer!”

Add a little bit of Southern drawl to that so it comes out ‘Ah’ll’ instead of ‘I’ll’, swirl it with disgusting whining, throw in big handfuls of hatred popping out of the eyes, and you have what’s known as the J.C.P. Trill.

A few hands later, J.C.P. scooped a big pot. I gently pushed the stacks over to him and danced around more of the J.C.P. Trill.

He continued to lose. I listened to more Trilling. Does this make me happy? No! I’m not concerned with any player’s win or loss unless I make a mistake and cause the problem. You’re on your own when I’m dealing, it’s your choice to be there. I didn’t drag you in and force you to play.

The final hand of my down was multi-way action. J.C.P. got quartered, he held a low. The 6s won the high and held the same low as J.C.P. The 6s was also left of the button, meaning he would get any odd chip when it came to the low or high half of the pot.

The chips were separated in four even stacks leaving three chips, one chip went to the low and one chip went to the high, leaving one odd chip. It went to the high. Of course the odd chip made the high half stacks even. Although the stacks were set up, side by side, and everyone could clearly see how they were split, as soon as I started to push the high half to the 6s, J.C.P. bluster, flustered, “Now bring them back and do it right.”

I pulled them back, side by side again, displayed the odd chip, and Mark G. told J.C.P. the pot was right. I pushed the high half to the 6s and split the low, giving the odd chip to the 6s. J.C.P. was still trilling. I was getting pushed and Mark explained to J.C.P. that he was out of position to receive any odd chip. I mouthed a ‘thank you’ at Mark.

I’ve posted many times about J.C.P.’s attitude towards dealers and the disgusting comments he makes to dealers, and my attitude towards him. Of course I have no win with him. That’s not meant in the ‘tip zone’. I just have no win with him. But then again, he has none with me.

I refuse to act like an idiot and slam the pot at him when he wins, or change the speed of my deal and game handling, just because he’s in the game. But he is a blight on the horizon when I’m approaching a table that he’s in. I’ve even walked through the room and happened to see him staring buckets of hate at me. Of course if I continue to stare back at him, he’ll look away.

He really should give up poker. He had a heart attack last year and in general looks like his health is poor. His blood pressure must sky rocket as soon as he enters the poker room and definitely as soon as he loses his first pot with any dealer.

He is a lesson to me. I don’t want to be like him when I grow up.