I just can’t get past sad news and more bad news. Mike – a guy that lives in Montana and is well known by my sis, Vickie, due to her association with Mike’s mom – is the subject of a post here a few years ago. Mike has my vote for the positive thinker of the year.

Mike’s had all kinds of problems due to diabetes. He’s blind, has kidney failure and receives dialysis three times a week. He lost one of his legs due to problems with diabetes a few years ago and just a few days ago, had the other leg amputated. Mike received an artificial leg after his first amputation and learned to walk with it.

I can’t imagine it. My thoughts twist off into a silent scream even trying to reckon with it. One of my brothers had kidney failure and I clearly remember the dialysis routine and how hard it is on the body. It’s repetitive punishment just to survive and the process in itself can kill you.

Mike had to have dialysis first and then go into surgery. His healing process is complicated even more so by the fact that his kidneys aren’t functioning and cleaning his system. This guy is 51 years old. His will to live and survive is incredible. My sis cuts his hair and he told her that by his birthday this year – he will be walking. Good God! Would that we all could overcome ourselves to think like that.

Closer to home, Frank Raymond, one of the people we called friend and worked with – one of our dealers – just died. He was diagnosed with cancer and died on the 20th. Frank was at work with us a few weeks ago. It was quite sudden for most of us although Frank may have known about it for quite some time, we didn’t. He’ll be missed.

*****

The skies in Vegas remain overcast and shedding tears. Maybe it’s Mother Nature feeling the desolation and destruction of the Earth. Maybe it’s a natural cycle of replenishment. Whatever the reason, it’s sure screwing with my backyard project. But…of course we need the water.

*****

Many times over the years when I sat down in a game, a player that was stacking chips would look up and ask if I dealt the last hand to them or throw me $$$ and tell me that was for the last pot. I took the $$$ and told them I didn’t deal it but I would make sure the last dealer got it. I always have made sure they got it. I even force the dealer to come back around and tell the player “thank you”.

I had this startling thought tonight – I may be the only dealer that does that. I certainly hope not – I’d like to think there are ethics involved in tipping from the dealer side of it.

*****

It’s almost funny that tonight the higest limit game I dealt was $20-40 Stud. My next highest game was $8-16 Holdem…everything from there on was lower…three $2-5 NLH…and all the rest were the fantasy land of $4-8 Holdem where most of the players have no idea why they are there but they are determined. Determined to do what? Play every hand of course. One player made the comment that he didn’t know how to play but he’d watched TV. That says it all…that’s why they are determined.

One of the $4-8 games had the right half drinking, laughing their butts off, and gambling. The 5s and the 10s were brothers from Canada. The 10s started making comments like “pussy” and a few other condescending terms for weakness until I chastised him. I told him to choose “Wus, Sally, Suzie, Chicken, or something along those lines.”

He thought Sally was hysterical and used it a few times. He chased one hand to the River with over cards, caught one to win the pot and checked like everyone else. I called him a Chicken Susie. He went ballistic, laughing and carrying on that I would call him that (keep in mind that he showed me every hand he threw away and wanted my opinion on everything and he’d been drinking!!!).

I told him I couldn’t figure out how he chased until he made his hand and then checked. I then asked him what Boutique he shopped at and the right half of the table went into gales of laughter. It was one of those over the top kind of things where I received monetary tokes from some of them for coming up with that.

He left the table for a break a few minutes later and his brother made almost the same kind of hand with the same kind of play – on the River. I asked him if he shopped at the same Boutique as his brother. Shit! I thought they were going to roll out of their chairs onto the floor. Except for the left half of the table…they were carved out of stone and didn’t know why they were there. I left them – had to move to the next game.

I had a short interlude of insanity in this one…not on my part but one of our players that has been in the room for the last few months was ready to have a ‘brain implosion’. She’s cute, Asian, plays almost every hand and likes to make comments with broken English that imply that her opponents are idiots. Even if they have completely legitimate hands and draws, not counting pot odds or the fact that they just came to play, she wants to let them know they are jackasses for calling her bets and raises.

This particular game found half of the players acting out of turn and I cautioned them at least four times, “Come on, everyone. Wait for the player in front of you to act before you do anything.”

She’s always guilty of acting out of turn and this time she got caught. Three way action, the 1s checked, she’s in the 5s and checked. The 6s bet $8 and before the 1s did anything, she cut off eight chips.

I said, “Wait a minute.”

The 1s called and she took back her $8 and pushed her hand away.

I said, “No. The $8 has to stay.”

She fired at me, “No! I don’t play.”

I countered, “Action out of turn is action. The eight stays.”

“No!” and she started to pick up her chips to leave the game.

I cautioned, “Don’t do that.”

The guy in the 3s told her to take back her cards.

I called for a decision. Leslie arrived, I explained, Leslie told her the $8 had to stay.

She put the $8 back out, the River came. The 1s checked, she checked, the 6s bet, the 1s folded, and she showed 8-8 and fired the mega hate look at me as she picked up her chips and left.

What the hell. Play the damn game. That shot taking crap is for babies. And those hate looks? Most of the time it’s all I can do to keep from exploding in a fit of laughter. Get over it! If you can’t stand the heat get out of the Poker Pit, Baby!