I hit the final table of the daily tournament at 7:30 p.m. – my first game of the night – and it was six handed. The antes were $100, the Blinds at $600 and $1200. The 2s went bust and the other players dug into their pockets and gave him $100 each – some kind of deal made between them. Soon another player was gone…it was a Dead Button but the 5s argued with me that he had been the Small Blind the hand before and it should be his button. He and the 6s were in a continual, noisy conversation and it was hard to even get their attention for the antes each hand…so I wondered what my chances were of convincing him he was the Small Blind. It was finally settled when the 3s piped up and said it was his Button.
The 5s told me I was right and it wasn’t a problem – all in good humor.
And I politely said, “Then shut the fuck up and play,â€? – all in good humor.
This has to be done with just the right group and just the right tone, it was. They roared!
The 5s meekly said, “Yes, Miss Linda.â€?
They bashed chips around the table for a few more minutes and then decided to just split the whole prize pool four ways. The 6s stated that would give them over $5,000 each and a little change and they should just give that to the dealers.
The 7s blurted out, “The dealers already get 3% of the prize. They don’t need anymore.â€?
The 5s made some comment about dealers getting 3% and the 3s added his point of view, “I didn’t know they already got 3%. They don’t need anymore than that.â€?
I threw in a comment here, “The 3% is split up between the whole poker room staff, it does not just go to the dealers.â€?
The 6s said that he was trying to get something for the dealers and I told him – rather loudly – that any tip I got was really appreciated and thanked him for his effort. It fell on deaf ears.
One simple question – what is wrong with some of you people? Why is it so difficult to just SHUT UP if you don’t want to tip? I don’t cut into your action by telling a newbie to take his money home and not play against you so stop cutting into mine. If you don’t want to tip, don’t. But if someone else does, SHUT THE FUCK UP!
Just in case any of you are interested, this is how it goes: The 3% is split in different percentages, the Tournament Directors get their share, then Floor Supervisors, Chip Runners, and Cashiers receive some of it. Then all the dealer downs are totaled and it’s broken down per down for the dealers. If someone leaves a tip for the Tournament Director, it goes into his or her pocket. If someone leaves a tip for the dealers, the Tournament Director gets a slice of that before it is broken down into dealer downs and disbursed. So please don’t think the dealers are getting a huge chunk of change out of the 3%, it just ain’t happening, Kids.
*****
On to a subject I like better – Wall art!
This one is taken at the Wyndham in Aruba. It’s all bottle caps, smashed, and arranged on the wall.
The close up:
This one is taken at the University of Montana; it adorns the side of a building.
Time for sleep…Sandwoman Land is calling.