Rock and roll baby! The high limit players are out of town, the room has settled into heaven for the dealer. Only one high mixed game last night – $150-300 on table 2. I dealt it and headed right into $10-20 Blind NLH – a strange incident here and one I can say that has never happened before. It went like this:

Mark was in the 6s and started singing to me when I sat down “Through the years, you’ve never let me down…” He finished with something like, “I sing like shit, don’t I?”

I replied, “It’s always so wonderful to be greeted with song when I come into a game.” *smiles*

The 7s had a ‘sweater’ behind him, she was cute and giving him a rub up and down the head and neck every few minutes – and a few other places…made me wonder what they hell they were doing at the poker table. Well…maybe they were crowd pleasers…that thought ran through my head. He liked to put chips in the pot although he could fold repeatedly also, I’d dealt to him last week and he barely slowed down whether he won the pot or lost it.

The game went into a slow lull and then a little rage of betting between the SB (2s)- BB (3s) and the 7s after the Flop, checked on the Turn, and a $100 bet by the SB on the River. BB and the 7s called. The board was K-Q-8-?-8.

The SB turned over one card – Queen, the BB turned over one card – King, the 7s turned over one card – 4H. As the 7s started to turn over his other card, it did a slight pop – apparantly everyone but me saw the card – and it lit face down. I just turned over the 4H and slipped them both to the muck. As I started to push the pot to the 3s, I got the ‘hey, hey, I had three 8s’ thing. Mark and the players on that end of the table said he did. His cards were laying right on the edge of the muck and I picked them and turned them over. YUP! He did – 8-4 of hearts.

I apologized with, “I’m sorry but you have to turn your cards up for this dealer,” as I redirected the pot to the 7s. He was fine with all of it…everyone else was too because he’s obviously one of the live ones.

I was lost in the gray matter shuffle of what the hell happened there. A few hands later, I mouthed to Mark, “Am I imagining this or did that card pop over and upside down?” I really wondered if I’d fallen asleep in the middle of the hand. Mark said it might be my nightmare. He also said it did pop but it might have only been viewable by his side of the table but he had definitely seen the ‘8’.

A few hours later, I ran into the 7s out in the casino. I stopped him and asked him about it. He said he had only shown the one card because the person who did it first was a friend of his and yes it did pop…followed with how it was not a problem between him and me and the Card Fairy (ok…I’m adding the Card Fairy for additional effect). I felt a little better after that – not that I can’t get lost somewhere while dealing a hand.

Mostly the games were $30-60, $15-30, $4-8 limit holdem and a couple of $2-5 blind NLH games, with the exception of an $80-$160 that was hip-hopping, jump starting, lock and load, get your chips in the pot with action, action, action.

I had three days off and it was hard to come back to slipping into the groove of dealing poker. The mechanical skills are there but at times the mind wanders – hey…mine does anyway.

I have a few young lads that appear at my house (not what you’re thinking so get over it) on Sundays and are learning to deal…thankfully my “PAN” group all play poker too so we are the players while they deal and play. It’s been a lot of fun and gives one a new perspective on the game. Josh, one of the posters on the forum was in attendance this last Sunday. What a riot! He has the makings of a good dealer…we just need to figure out how to tape his mouth shut. If you read any of his posts, you know he’s young and ready to leap and kick…add a quick wit and over active mouth to that. Joshie…you know we loved you! Just zip it, Bud!

The shower awaits…so does POKER, POKER, POKER! See you there.