How many times can you pass Go and not collect $200? If you’re in the Emerald City…never. If you’re in the real world, I figure it can go on forever. Let’s talk real world…poker. Thursday night…welcome to High Limit Country. Most of it was unbelievably funny. Although it was probably funnier to me than anyone else, most of the high limit players seemed to either be in a very sociable mood or high on drugs…just kidding about the drugs part.

My first game was the final table of the daily tournament. I rarely deal these, there’s one or two left when I come into work but they are never in my line-up. The usual bad beats happening at this table, it’s down to a big ante/blinds and players are dropping like flies. I try never to think about anything when I deal these except to make sure the antes, blinds, and pots are right.

$400-800 7 Card Stud for my next game. I tried not to think about anything in it either, just “Antes please!” and shuffle up and deal. No headaches, no bruises. Danny Robinson was in this game. I hadn’t seen him in years up until last week and he’s lost so much weight it took me a few minutes to grasp that it was really him…another gastric bypass person. I’m not knocking it.

The next game was the first game I started laughing in and had a hard time stopping. It was Deuce to 7 Triple Draw, $400-800 and Sammy F. was in the 1s. When I walked up behind the dealer, Sammy looked up at me, smiled, and said, “Hello, Linda!”

It was six handed since they weren’t playing Mixed games (only six players in Deuce) and Sammy was jamming it up. First he loved the game, then he hated the game, then he loved the game. Shaun was in the 7s and gambling like he had an endless supply of chips (maybe he does) but in any case, he’s one of my favorites in any game.

When Sammy F. checked, he said, “Checky wecky.” When he bet, he said, “Betty Wetty.” When he raised he said, “Raisy Daisy!”

In one hand, Shaun drew one card, Sammy rapped pat and said, “Patty Watty.”

The third player opted to draw one and I tapped the table, burned, and declared, “One – Patty Watty – One,” as I dealt their draw cards. Sammy laughed and I couldn’t stop laughing.

The last hand I dealt was a huge pot. Shaun ended up all-in and stated he was playing behind after every raise went in on every street. I said, “You know you can’t play behind.”

He looked at me. I looked at him shaking my head. Sammy asked what the deal was, was Shaun playing behind because if he was Sammy didn’t care. Shaun reached over to the 8s and grabbed a stack of chips and said, “If Sammy doesn’t mind, I’m playing behind!” and started putting in a raise.

I stopped it right there. Shaun was all-in for $900 of Sammy’s raise on the last draw. Sammy and the 2s ended up splitting the side pot with a 7-6-4-3-2-. Shaun had a wheel. WTF! Amazing those three hands. I got pushed.

Off I went to a friendly little $4-8 H game and then into Bobby’s Room to deal a $1,000-2,000 mixed. Freddie D. and John J. were playing over. Some funny things happened there in which I busted out with a belly laugh but since they weren’t game related and they were personal comments – and I was not involved in any of it, I seriously refuse to write about that type of thing.

Off and running to $80-160 H – more $80-160 H – and then off to NL Deuce to 7 Single Draw, $100 ante, $200-400 Blind. Aaron was in the 1s, Johnny C. in the 2s, Chau in the 3s, David G. in the 5s, Freddie D. in the 6s, Sammy F. in the 7s, and a name unknown player in the 8. The chips were at war at all times – mainly with Sammy and the 8s. The only easy part of the game was that it was single draw and no limit. Easy on me but not on Sammy’s BR. He went all-in several times. Thankfully, he never made a comment to me or pitched his cards at me. He just laid his hand down and waited for the next one.

The funny part of this game…no I didn’t laugh…was that Aaron left his seat to talk to someone right by the table. He turned around after I dealt the hand, as if expecting to be dealt in. When he sat back down, he asked the players (not me), “They don’t deal you in you don’t ante?”

The response was all at once from Johnny, Chau, and David, not in order, “What game have you ever played in that had an ante that if you didn’t ante, they dealt you in?” – “You figure it out!” – “This isn’t a tournament where they take your ante and deal you in.”

I was really happy to leave this table. Everyone seemed tense and out of sorts with each other. The next game was kick back $10-20 NLH. Anyone in the Must Move had to hate getting moved to this game. Most of these guys were waiting…no, they weren’t trying to pass Go. They were just waiting.

I survived High Limit Country and never did pass Go but I did find a friendly little $4-8 game for my last down. The 10s said hello to me as I planted my butt in the chair and my brain wondered if I could make it through one more down. We had three seats open and a game broke…we filled up. I woke up by teasing the 5s – he came in from the broken game. He was a demanding little dickens, nothing bashful or quiet about him. I had him laughing…and the table got involved. Here’s where I met Chris. He lives in AZ and was in the 3s. Sure…he’s a reader. So I really did pass Go!