ON THE STREET!

I see them everywhere, young and old, male and female, standing at the corners and on the medians of major cross streets. Holding their signs which explain their plight, unkempt and dirty – their eyes search for me through my windshield or side window as they walk slowly past the cars – hoping I will have mercy on them and send them a spare dollar.

At times I refuse to even look at them. I don’t want to be reminded of how hard life can be by staring at it on the street corner everytime I venture across town.
Continue reading Wednesday, March 30, 2005 →

An update for all of you tournament buffs. Bellagio will begin daily tournaments on Friday, April 22nd, at 2 p.m. Sunday through Thursday the buy-in is $540. Friday and Saturday the buy-in is $1060. Satellites begin at 9 a.m. every day.

Onward and upward. Continuing with ‘post-poned’. During the course of the night, I hit a $4-8 H game in which a youngster named Chad was in the 1s. Chad was barely able to sit in his seat, having the time of his life, gamb-o-ling to the max, and definitely had too much to drink. He kept sticking his face into my left arm and talking to me…it was funny then – and now. He had several friends in the game and they had their own game going on but it wasn’t interfering with the play of poker.
Continue reading Sunday, March 27, 2005 →

I had two sessions with Sam G. – one was the Wednesdays Tournament. When I slipped into the Box, it was the final table. Sam was in the 1s, Ross J. was in the 2s, Kim was in the 8s, Dave was in the 9s. Sam was in the jabberwockying mode of his life. He would give himself a run for the money on past events of talk-a-thons. He was jabbing at everyone…referring to Ross as ‘the man from across the pond’ – Kim as The Cat Woman’ and tripping through his own wonderland.
Continue reading Friday, March 25, 2005 →

It seems that once I have a problem with a player, everytime I deal to them (and my line-up is a guaranteed road map through the land mine zone they are playing in) it’s going into blastoff – prepare the launch pad – begin ignition- anyone wishing to survive the heat, please move back. I can’t move back because I’m locked into the Box.

So it is with Jimmy T. – $10-20 NLH player that had fits with me last week. It was a much bigger fit this week. It went like this:
Continue reading Thursday, March 24, 2005 →

On the fun side of poker, Steve S., a reader here, came by a game I was dealing last week and introduced himself…he did it perfectly – just like I’ve instructed people to do – walked right up behind the 5 and 6s, I looked up, he told me who he was and said, “HI!” Love it! Thanks Steve.

Robert Wayman, another reader here, made it into the room Friday night. The room was a screamer, noise, confusion, people to the max, and we got to visit for a few seconds before I started work. It’s so great to meet people that read me…almost like an intimate relationship…most of them can figure out what’s going on in my head just by reading. Either you love me or you hate me. I can take it either way. But…remember I get a kick out of you coming in to say ‘hi’. So please do.
Continue reading Wednesday, March 23, 2005 →

Of late, I’ve parked in employee parking and walked into the building and out after shift. Sylvia, co-worker, and I have decided we are going to burn off our baby fat and get our girlish figures back – without surgery – and most nights we exit the building together for our walk up ‘heart attack hill’ and out to employee parking. So…I’ve beefed up the exercise and cut down on the food. With the schedule I keep, I’m exhausted most of the time but I haven’t figured out how to do the slowdown and get ready to die thing, nor do I want to. I sometimes feel that even though my brain is running at half speed when I’m tired, it’s still running 1,000 MPH faster than most of the people I’m around at work. Sarcastic? Egotistical? Perhaps. Maybe you’d have to be there. Back to the real world.
Continue reading Tuesday, March 22, 2005 →

All dressed up and nowhere to go on Saturday at 7 a.m. Heh-heh-heh! Hiking! One of my favorite things in all the world to do, was on my agenda. Wayne, God bless his heart and every move he makes through life for agreeing to go with me at that hour, showed up right on time and we headed off to Red Rock Canyon. We stopped at Lost Creek and trekked in to see the waterfall – short hike, anyone can do it so get up, get moving, and visit the place before the waterfall disappears.
Continue reading Sunday, March 20, 2005 →

I dealt to Vinny again – first game of the night. $400-800 Mixed, O’Neil and Billy Baxter. Vinny was complaining – to the air – that he hadn’t won a pot and had the facially stressed look that made me feel my down with him was going to be HELL! It didn’t turn out that way. For the first time in my dealing career with him, he ended up winning. Good for him! I know I didn’t have anything to do with it but thankfully I didn’t have to listen to how I bad beat him when I deal to him…sure it’s my fault when he loses.
Continue reading Thursday, March 17, 2005 →

*continuation from previous post*

I landed in a $30-60 H game, in which the 2s was the entertainer of the year. He made more noise than a nursery full of newborns at feeding time. The game was about him, nonstop talk and backpatting – hell, he may have needed a splint for his arm just from patting himself on the back. He got Q-Q busted off in a huge pot…it was busted on the Turn…but he kept calling and making all kinds of noise.
Continue reading Wednesday, March 16, 2005 →

I kicked myself in the gray matter, took disciplinary action against me, and decided I would work my full shifts this week, at least until Friday…then I want to allow myself the option of the E/O.

Something strange happens when I take a week or two of E/O’s or vacation or whatever it is that draws me away from sitting in the Box. Right now I’m trying to sort through it and figure out if it’s just me or if it’s something that happens in general. What the hell am I talking about? The players are all doing things they know they aren’t supposed to do and acting as if it’s a natural thing. I’m trying to figure out if they are like that all the time and it isn’t so irritating or noticeable because I’m dealing all the time and now I notice it because my butt hasn’t been glued to the chair or if they just got away with it with other dealers and got carried away with it – or what the hell!
Continue reading Monday, March 14, 2005 →