It’s beyond raining. There are attempts to build an Arc in Vegas. The animals are lining up two by two and the poker players are playing the final tournament round to see who gets to take their family and friends on the newly built Arc. Ok…ok…I’m drinking wine and imagining the downfall of the city of sin. But it is raining like hell and has been since sometime yesterday. The streets are filled with rivers and walking anywhere is totally out of the question…driving should be for some of these fools but they persist.

On a special interest note (probably only to me), when we have 25 additional tournament tables in the pit, I usually draw to deal in the middle of the room – meaning I’m never dealing tournament, I’m dealing high limit in almost every game because it’s spread throughout the room. But since we have no tournament, I draw Table 27, 28, 29, or 30, which guarantees I’m dealing high limit anyway. I got no win. Cardz is at work again…damn it!

I started on 29. One game of $4-8 holdem, the next game $8-16 holdem then off to Wonderland. Wonderland? Wondering why in the hell I’m there.

But before I leave the $8-16 game behind…I was ready to throw up for the 2s. He flopped a set of 10’s – made a full house – a King on the River gave his opponent a bigger full house, multiple raises went in here…sure the Kings had the best hand to begin with but it’s painful. Then he had the big over pair and his opponent caught a 10 on the River to make a set…ouch! He took it well and I got involved in table conversation…slap my mouth.

The 4s was a woman that went to Aruba for the Ultimate Bet Tournament. We talked it up. This was nothing like the game I dealt there last night with Mark in the 4s. BTW – I looked for him tonight. Sure…you’re thinking it was because of that hard, smooth body right? Wrong! I wanted to tell him that being a professional wrestler, he should blow the crowd away by being articulate and using the English language to express himself rather than falling into the ‘I’m a muscle bound freak and can’t talk unless I can swear’ but he was nowhere to be found. Instead of being a trend setter, he could be ‘a trend’.

I had to leave this friendly little $8-16 behind and hit the $2,000-4,000 mixed game on table 1. It ended up being pretty damn funny. Ralph P. – 1s, Renee – 2s, Minh – 3s, Jeff L. – 4s, Phil I. – 7s, Eli E. – 8s.

Eli can be pretty comical at times, horrid at other times, but lately he’s pretty funny. He likes to involve me in the table conversation. Whether I like it or not, I’m in.

Last week he was playing a $1,000-2,000 in the 1s and Ralph P. was drinking a beer with a straw in it. The conversation started with Eli inviting Ralph to drink. Ralph said he drank more than Eli. Eli made a comment about the straw in the beer and finished with, “I bet Linda knows why he’s drinking it through a straw.”

I said, “Because it puts more air into the drink.”

Amir was in the game, a Dr., and he was telling Eli the same thing as I was making my statment. After I got pushed out of the game, I turned to Eli and said, “The fastest way to get drunk – Gator Aid and vodka.”

He thought that was wonderful news. Don’t ask me why because I don’t think he ever takes anything with alcohol in it but it adds to my image that ‘Linda knows’.

Tonight he was carrying on about a lot of things. One was dealers that can’t handle the high limit players and their attitudes. He told me that I take it very well, “When I’m upset and I throw the cards on you…”

I dryly said, “Yeah, I think you’re a jerk.”

Jeff got involved. They did a dissertation about dealers that shouldn’t be in the that job, they just aren’t ‘feet’ for it (Eli’s version meant fit).

Eli lost a hand and exclaimed, “That’s why I hate this dealer!”

I roared. He started laughing too. (He’s the one that pulled my hair one time when I was dealing because he’d heard one of the dealers wore a wig. If that’s not another post in the Diary Past, it should be).

Eli took off on what would happen when Wynn opens and how he felt the majority of the high limit would stay at Bellagio because of Bobby Baldwin. He asked me if a lot of dealers were leaving. I said, “Yes! But I’m staying here so I can deal to you for the rest of your life.”

He thought that was damn funny too. I don’t. If it weren’t for him and Renee, I would make nothing for dealing that half hour. Renee is the best, always tips, never mean or nasty in a win or loss. The high limit kids could learn a lot from him.

I told Eli I remembered how much fun he used to be at The Mirage. He said he still was but it was easier than because he played $150-$300. Amazing how high limit has jumped through all of these levels in such a short time span.

*****

A duck just swam past the window! I’d better get another glass of wine.