People are falling off the walls of the room, clinging to the ceilings, stacked under the tables and chairs, and still they come, hour after hour, looking for a seat in a game. We had 29 tables rocking and rolling and would have had more except we didn’t have enough dealers to man the ones that were running. One of our Chip Runners, Robin, dealt during part of the shift and the word is that we’re going to put in 10 more tables…how possible? Maybe the Porters can deal…

I made an extremely embarrassing mistake on Wednesday night. The game was $150-$300, Razz and 7 Card Stud. The players were Steve – 2s, A. J. – 5s, Larry – 7s, and O’Neil – 8s. This game never has any action and it’s a Dealer’s Nightmare, no tokes and lots of shuffling and dealing because any raise sends the Bring-In straight to the Muck.

A. J.’s wife was sitting on his right and the game plaques were in front of her…placed there so a dealer wouldn’t mistakenly deal her in. When I sat down, she pushed them further out, almost into the middle of the table.

I dealt 27 hands in a half an hour, almost in my sleep because it really took no effort to deal, it was just shuffle, deal, shuffle, deal. On the last hand I dealt, Steve and A. J. were heads-up with a lot of action. I dealt 5th Street and A. J. did a, “Now why would you do that?”

I came out of my Dead Game Coma and asked, “What?” I really couldn’t imagine what he was even asking me about.

He said I gave him the first card off the deck and the 2nd one to Steve. Honestly I have no idea if I did but I’ve never known A. J. to pull a shot or say something unless he knew he was right. Steve and A. J. did a small commentary back and forth and I called for a decision. As Carmen approached and I explained to her what A. J. said that I had done, Steve and A. J. agreed to just exchange the cards.

I apologized and finished the hand. A. J. already had Kings Up on 4th Street and won the pot.

I got pushed and Steve jumped up, right in front of me, demanding to know why I changed my story. I was baffled. He said that I had stated that I did deal the hand correctly and changed my statement after Carmen got there. I told him I did not. Carmen walked up behind Steve and gave me the ‘get out of here wave’. I went to the next game as conversation rumbled behind me.

Steve barked at A. J., “Just drop it!”

A. J. told Steve not to talk to him like that…they settled down shortly.

I thought and thought about why or how I would deal to A. J. first. I can almost deal any poker game in my sleep, especially Stud because it always starts with the first player on the left. I came to the conclusion that I was sleeping through the down…I had my eyes open but I wasn’t focused. And I had just came from a $1,000-$2,000 Mixed game in which you deal with and in between all kinds of obstacles, buttons, and plaques. The plaques that were in front of A. J.’s wife fit right into my lull and I dealt in front of them.

I saw A. J. at work tonight. He was waiting for a game and I stopped, “I’m completely embarrassed.”

He replied, “You should be.”

He’s never mean, just curt, cold, and straight to the point. We visited for a moment and he told me about losing a $4,000 pot at the Mirage one time because a dealer made a mistake. He also told me that he had lost a $1,500 pot a few nights ago because he was playing heads-up with O’Neil and they were playing Razz and 7 Card Stud. A. J. had a 7 made and couldn’t figure out why O’Neil raised him. At the end of the hand, it registered that the game was Seven Card Stud and not Razz. O’Neil had a Full House. A. J. said he just wasn’t paying attention either and that’s what happens.

It actually gets funny. My friend, Cal, was in the room tonight playing in the same $40-$80 Stud game with A. J. They were sitting beside each other and A. J. told Cal what I had done last night. Damned if the next dealer didn’t do the same thing, deal backwards.

A. J. and Cal both told me the story when I stopped to visit a moment with Cal. A. J. said he almost fell off of his chair when it happened again tonight.

What are the odds it would happen to A. J. two nights in a row with two different dealers? You know the answer…50 – 50. Either it will or it won’t!