The power of the written word…once it is written, it is focused in the mind of the reader…and the writer. Good thing that a lot of people playing poker haven’t learned this ancient technique…but they have watched the WPT. Don’t think it’s only low limit games…it’s happening everywhere in the room.

A prime example would be a $30-$60 Holdem game I dealt tonight. If the 9 and 10s had ever played poker in a casino, I’d like to know which one. They both ended up going bust about 10 minutes apart and left the game. Too bad because they were young and eager to play. I can’t help but wonder why they would pick a $30-$60 limit over a $4-$8 Limit. Of course if they went on a rush, what a story to tell the guys back home.

In this same game, a new player (not new to poker but new to me) lectured me. Hard to believe ain’t it? A hand came down to three way action and the 9s being first to act, just folded. I told him it was a courtesy to check. The new player went into a little fit. He told me that I couldn’t tell the players how to play, etc. I said I wasn’t.

Several other players jumped in and explained to the 9s that he should check because it gives up another player’s protection. The new player kept ranting. He told me it wasn’t my job to say anything. I disagreed with him. My experience with people like this is that they run their own games at home and really can’t manage being in a card room with rules.

Yes…kids, you can fold when it’s your turn to act…but you are not only running a major tell on yourself, you are giving up protection for another player and someday you may be the one that is stuck looking at a bet because another ‘idjit’ folded instead of checking.

*****

I dealt the $1,000-$2,000 Mixed game on Table 1. Not really the usual crew.

Phil I. had been playing there earlier in the night. He left the game when I was on Table 30, the Bellagio WPT $2-$4 Blind NLH game. One of the players commented, “There goes Phil I.”

Another player asked where he came from and someone else asked what limit he was playing. Another player chimed in, “Probably $400-$800.”

Yeah, right! Best to leave some comments alone. Another little goofy thing…in a game earlier…someone mentioned that we ran a game ‘upstairs’. Meaning that we dealt a game in another room, away from the poker room. NOT!

Nothing strange or crazy happened on Table 1…Thank you, God!

There are a lot of nightmare stories lately…not mine but things I’ve heard circulating around the room. They aren’t always a player incident, some of them are dealer error and other problems. Hope I can swerve around all that and stay under the radar.

*****
I was part of this project. Sweet!
Howard Lederer’s ‘Secrets of No Limit Holdem’