Several books are coming out that I’ve been asked to review, the first, The Professor, The Banker, and The Suicide King by Michael Craig is THE book to read if you want information about the biggest limit game ever played. It’s a great read, I recommend it for everyone that wants an insight into high limit poker. (Remember, in order to view a hyperlink – and there is one – you must click on the date/title of this post to bring the post into ‘full view’ and the hyperlink will be live. To return to the page with the ‘categories menu’ just click on “Table Tango” at the top).

The second book is One of a Kind and gives the reader a view of the life of Stuey Ungar. I’m just getting into it and have no review at this time but more later on that…the book is not out yet it either. I have a cold spot in my heart for Stuey…remember I dealt to him…but I won’t let it prejudice my read.

I also received The Poker Pack, for The Girl’s Night Out. It’s a cute, little, pink box filled with everything to start the newbie poker player on their way. Truthfully, the book that comes with ‘the pack’ is the best part of the whole deal and worth the money. Sorry, I don’t have a URL on purchasing it as this was sent to me as a perc, unrequested, but appreciated.

Back to the world I live in….

When my night started, I was thinking how easy it had been to work the room. Everyone was in good spirits, very little going on with player/dealer problems (from my street anyway) and I was getting a kick out of work…love it when it goes that way. But out of nowhere, along comes a hidden tree stump in the wooded glade I was jogging through. BOOM! I went down for the count and ended up shaking my head over all the insanities of the night…the Twilight Zone had hit the poker room.

I hit Table 4, again…what are the odds on that? Same place I started on Monday night, same start on Tuesday night. Hello, High Limit! Table 4 was $400-800 Limit H and $50-100 PLH. The game change was by dealer, my session was Limit Holdem. Three players, the 2s was unknown to me, Peter – 6s, Mimi – 8s. Mimi and Peter were at war in every hand during the first few minutes of my down and she ran over him with cards and stacked a lot of his chips…the hands all went to showdown.

The 2s finally got involved and won a huge pot from Peter. Peter had Q-Q, the 2s had J-2 Suited, flopped deuces and never slowed down…hit a Jack on the River. Peter took it all well…no flinching, card zinging, swearing, or agony, just ‘get the mother on’.

Here’s where it all gets crazy. Lee S. walks up, looks at the game and goes for chips. He returns to take the 1s. David O. was playing on Table 5, he sat down in the 5s on Table 4 to visit with Lee. They were talking real estate and prices in Vegas over the slamming of chips in the game.

The cocktail server came by and took orders.

Peter and the 2s went to war again, amazing raises pre-flop, 6-6-8 on the Flop. More raises. The Turn was a deuce. The raising war barely slowed down. The River hit with a straight card and they put in at least 12 bets. The 2s showed A-A, Peter showed K-K.

David stood up, threw a $5 chip into my hand, apologized, but was asking for change for the cocktail server. I gave it to him. He moved, with his hot coffee that had just been delivered, towards Table 5.

Peter jumped up, with his chips, and ran into David and his coffee, spilling most of it onto David’s hands. David didn’t say anything but it was as if Peter didn’t even know he’d hit someone…he dove into a chair between Lee and the 2s, setting his chips down and posting $400 between the Button and the Blind. Lee had the Button.

Lee asked Peter if he was really going to set there when there was no room for his chair. Peter said yes. I told Mimi it was her big blind. She set it out. I dealt the first three cards and she yelled, “Wait a minute,” and grabbed her blind back.

She wanted to know what was going on. Everyone explained that Peter was posting. She wanted to know if he was buying the Button…no, he’s posting…she set her blind back out and the chip wars went on.

Lee moved to the 4s, pushing his chips across the table while Peter and the 2s were in a raising war. Two of Lee’s chips rolled from his stacks. I threw my hands over the pot to keep any chips from falling into it and managed to grab both escaped chips and return them to Lee, he questioned it though. Nate was standing there and witnessed all of it so thankfully I didn’t have to count the pot down.

They decided to raise the PLH to $100-200 Blind. I notified Nate and got a new limit plaque.

Lee raised the next hand, Peter asked, “How are you, Lee?” as he fired back with a raise.

Lee replied, “Where have you been?” as he reraised.

The game never slowed down. I got pushed.

Table 5 was $400-800 Mixed. The game was semi-active but much easier to deal than Table 4 because everyone was paying attention. Almost the last hand I dealt, John E. returned to the table and started with rolled up 4’s in 7 Stud 8 or Better. He got it beat by 8’s full of Aces. Ugh!!! He thanked me…no he didn’t really mean it…and threw me a tip as he left the table in total disgust. Poker is painful at times.

Just when I hit a game that should have been stress free and fun, I ran into the $2-5 NLH Grinch. The game was playing nine handed, one seat open, and everyone was pretty relaxed and comfy, even though we were playing on a small table. We got our 10th player and I asked the right hand side of the table to shift a tiny bit to make room for the 5s. The 7s refused to move. I asked him to move just one inch. He looked at me and stated that he was fine where he was. I asked him again – he refused.

I told him nothing would happen until he moved over. He sat there.

The 10s was exasperated as hell with the 7s, “You’re slowing down the game.”

Not to worry, the 7s never moved or acted like he even cared if it bothered anyone. I called for a decision. When Dave arrived, I explained the situation. Dave told the 7s to move over. He shifted his butt in his chair but didn’t move.

Dave told the 7s that the dealer ran the game and the dealer didn’t feel the table was square and he needed to move over. The 7s sat there – unmoving. Dave told him to move.

The 7s did an exaggerated move of his chips almost into the 8s’s chips, “What do you want me to do, move here?”

Dave asked the 7s, “Sir, do you want to continue playing poker?”

The light hit somewhere in neanderthal land…he managed to move about two inches, which was all that was needed.

Dave left and the 7s mumbled something, “…hard to get along with.”

I glibly replied, “Yes we are hard to get along with.”

Hello knight in shining armor…the 10s jumped in, “No you are not and I’m going to defend you here,” as he directed his conversation to the 7s. “You were asked to move to make room for a player and you stopped the whole game. You make yourself look like an ass.”

The 7s thought he scored, “I can’t believe you’re letting him call me an ass,” as he glared at me.

I said, “He didn’t call you an ass, he said you are acting like an ass…there’s a difference.”

The 7s took a walk. The whole table was relieved when he was gone and couldn’t believe how obnoxious he was over moving to allow another player to enter the game.

Then I hit $150-300 mixed. David Levi was in the 1s but when I sat down the game changed to Holdem and he pushed a yellow button out and took a walk. I thought David was a new player. When the Blind came around to David, Mark and Mike told me to give him a missed blind button, I did with the explanation that I thought he was a new player. Problems on the horizon, kids…that damn tree stump again.

David returned a few hands later and put out $150. I told him he had to post both blinds. He said he hadn’t taken a hand yet in the Button games and I shouldn’t have given him the missed blind. Ughhh-id-ee Shmughhh-id-ee! I told him the other players told me to. Big lecture here, get the floorman, get a decision, the dealer doesn’t know what to do here…all this from David and I’ve never had a problem with him. He ended by telling me to never let the other players tell me what to do.

Chit Mon! How as I supposed to know his status when I hadn’t been there the last half hour…he had played the ante games but hadn’t taken a hand in a Blind game.

Then Mike and David went to war in a hand. Mike told David that I wanted Mike to win because he took better care of me than David did. David asked how Mike knew that and Mike replied that him and I slept together. I started laughing…gut busting, all out, bellying laughing.

Mike’s face went to total surprise, “Why are you laughing? Do you think it’s impossible that you and I could have sex?”

David jumped in, “Just because you sleep with someone doesn’t mean that you are having sex,” he motioned over his shoulder at his sweater, “I sleep with him but we aren’t having sex.”

I couldn’t stop laughing. But then I was saved by the push.

Then it was $10-20 NLH, in which I had the best of the deal because Wayne (no…not my hiking buddy) was in the 7s and he’s not only easy on the dealers but a super George.

Spoil everything by the next game, instead of $40-80 Mixed, it was $50-100 Mixed. As soon as I said, “$7 for time everyone…” I got ballistic city, “All the other dealers have been taking it out of the pot…”

When I hit a $4-8 H game, all guys except the chick in the 5s, all the guys were drinking and having a ton of fun. The 6s was having a birthday, the 7s’s name is Greg and we got introduced and shook hands. Scott was in the 10s and he remembered me from the night before with the Phil Helmuth wannabe in Scott’s game…noise and confusion, drinking and laughter reigned supreme…all except for the poor, little chick in the 5s.

She raised. I announced it, everyone folded to the 2s and he was the small blind. He said, “I call,” and put out two more chips. I told him it was raised. He tried to fold. I told him he could not fold. That he had stated call and call he must. He did but wasn’t very happy about it. Of course he won the pot with a pair of threes or deuces and threw me a $5 toke for making him call.

She loudly announced, “You didn’t announce the raise!” and there was no kindness in her voice.

I looked at her. She was glaring at me. I said, “Yes I did!”

The game rocked, the guys had a great time, the poor, little chick in the 5s went home…eventually so did I.

Goodnight Twilight Zone.