Everything appeared to be as I left it…the poker room that is. There were people milling everywhere – and yes, some of them were the same people that were there when I left almost two weeks ago. I liked my start in the line-up, Table 16, which meant I should be dealing all the fun games and never have to shift too many gears during the night. It was a little strange to try and concentrate on the action and pay attention after not having to focus on too many things during my vacation (other than shopping, where we were going next, and how much slop I was going to pour down my throat from the fast food places).
Table 16 was a short handed Must-Must Move $80-160. The first thing I got was an argument about taking Time. I called the Floor. They had to pay it because they’d already been allowed a Time pass once before.
The 8s was a bit of a jerk. I’m not sure how much of him I’ve seen previously but he strikes some kind of bell in the caverns of my gray matter and now I won’t forget him. He’s cemented himself in the ‘I’m unhappy and I want you to be too’ category – damn high up on the list. He has a lot of ink on his arms – either the work is brand new or he keeps his arms shaved to show it off. Not sure which and really don’t care. Of course he’s not supposed to lose…he’s a player. I have a love/hate relationship with these players…hate to deal to them, love to play with them. Hello Tilt-o-rama!
I won’t go into the review of playing short vs. playing a full table – I’m not in the poker lesson business so let me just get right into Ink and his twisted view of poker. The game got shorter as players were called to the Must Move $80-160. He slammed through a couple of hands and lost, making comments about that’s how someone knocked him out of a tournament…by getting lucky, blah, blah, blah.
The 5s was new to me – he came to play and he won the hands Ink lost. A new player took the 2s. After another player shuffled in and someone else got called to move, the 2s decided to take a Missed Blind Button and, “Let me check out what’s going on here.”
At the same time, Ink was losing another pot to the 5s. Ink steamed, “Yeah, let me check out what’s going on here too. Give me an out button!”
Funny because he was the Button. Ink took a walk and stood around staring at the players in the game. The two players still seated were chuckling over Ink’s attitude. Another player came in, one got called to move and Ink returned to glare at the world. The 5s asked if they could play three handed; Ink gave him a lecture – basically stating the 5s was an idiot and he must not get enough poker where he lived or he wouldn’t be dying to play. Ink got called to the Must Move game and another player came in. The three remaining players slammed a lot of chips into the pot before I got pushed. Not to worry…I got to deal to Ink again later in my shift.
About an hour later I hit a seven handed $4-8 H game in which one hand was pretty damned amazing. The play of the hand was total jam, max raises, everyone was slamming and due to the fact that low limit games are mostly new players, I really thought someone had spiked a straight when all the raises went in on the Turn (just like the raises did pre-flop and on the flop). The Flop was something like 5-6-3 (might have been a 4 instead of a 5).
The 6s had 3-3 but turned into a caller right away, even after flopping a set. The 8s had Q-Q and almost folded, made comments about it, but his hand just kept throwing chips in the pot…that’s my definition of a bad hand. One that doesn’t listen to your brain and just keeps throwing away your chips.
The 1s had J-J and he didn’t say a word as his hand threw chips in the pot…as a matter of fact, he put in some of the raises on all streets.
The 5s had 8-8. Bingo…8 on the Turn! The whole thing seriously looked like a straight now as the 5s had been in the BB. He got the cap in on the raises. The River brought another middle card that would make it appear even more dangerous for all the hands but the 5s slammed out a bet like he couldn’t be beat. Obviously he was right…he stacked a huge pot as he got called in three places.
While I was dealing this game, Lemlem (one of our dealers), came around and told me the guy in the 9s on Table 36 was looking for me. I was on a break table so I looked him up when I got pushed. Turns out both he and the 10s are readers here. Sweet! The 9s’s named is Colbert, the 10s’s name is Gene. I visited briefly, went for a cup of coffee and returned to visit with them a little more. Colbert is from Ohio (transplant) and plays mostly online poker there. Gene is from New York – underground games and one them got busted last week.
They both generously handed me chips for my ‘server fees’ because they like my brain explosions on Tango. I almost felt embarrassed to take the chips but who am I to turn down money. I like the fact that they like what I write. We did visit a bit about online poker and bots. Agreeing that collusion is possible but not as productive for cheaters in lower limits…that’s where I play, lower limits. And that bots are possible and do exist but that all online sites are always searching for ways to clean up the games for the honest players. I like these guys and their thoughts. They were settled in $2-5 NLH and promised they’d check back in during the week to say ‘hi’. Sure hope so.
A few hours later I hit the Must Move $80-160. Ink was in the 7s. Still glaring and feeling put out by the fact that the other players didn’t just write him a check so he wouldn’t have to battle for their money – anyway that’s my take on his POV.
This game was really active when I first sat down. The 2s went all-in with 6-2 of Clubs…capped pre-flop with six or seven way action. The 9s held A-6 of Spades. Two sixes on the Flop – one Club – mass action.
The Turn – a Club – is where the 2s ended up all-in. That pot had over $2,000 in it. When the smoke cleared, the 9s won a pot that had about $700 in it because a Club appeared on the River, giving the 2s a flush. Hello lottery!
Ink had ordered food. We have a new chip runner that is so small and cute, really quiet with a shy smile, and never seems to lose that smile. Her name is Nan and I don’t believe she understands or speaks English well but then I’ve never sat and visited with her…I could be wrong. But she has the innocent look of a small child visiting Disney Land and wondering what it’s really all about. When Nan walked up with Ink’s food and held the box out to him, he snapped, “Get a Table…GIVE IT TO THE FLOORMAN!” as he waved over his shoulder at Skip.
He didn’t give her the courtesy of even being a human or able to comprehend life in general. Nan did as told. After Ink settled in and started shoveling chow, he barely looked up long enough to look at his hand and fold. He won some pots…still unhappy. A cocktail waitress walked by with a full tray, he snapped at her, “I want two waters.”
She replied, “I’m not your server but she’ll be along shortly.”
He glared at the players at the table and barked, “They are always in your face when you don’t want them around.”
A hand later, I saw a cocktail server come off of the high limit section, behind Ink’s back. “Honey, are you are waitress?”
She nodded yes. I opened my hand to Ink and said, “He’d like something.”
He acted like she was a flea, barely looking over his should at her, “Two waters.”
He was still shoveling food. She sat down one water and reached to her tray for the second one. He barked, “TWO waters!”
As she sat the second one down, she said, “One…..two.”
He gave her a buck but never acknowledged anything…and that’s the only tip I saw him give during both of my dealing sessions. The first cocktail waitress that he had asked for water even returned and asked him if he had been taken care of. No thank you, kiss my ass, or go to hell came out of his lips. But he did nod. Sheesh! Poor guy! It must be hell living in there.
*****
Two games running in Bobby’s Room: $2,000-4,000 Omaha 8/b and PLO $300-600; $1,000-2,000 HORSE and Deuce to 7 Triple Draw. I missed them both…yippee! Players in attendance throughout the night, that I saw as I waltzed by: Sammy F., Doyle, Chau, Jennifer, Johnny C., Jeff L., Minh, and a variety of others but I didn’t stand and stare at the game.
John H. AKA Johnny World, Huck S., and more ‘name brands’ were playing the room in other games.
Gee…it’s good to be back home again!