Today is sweet Kayanna’s 9th birthday. She was born on Friday 13th, 1996, my mother was born on Friday 13th in December also. Kayanna’s my granddaughter. She lives in Missouri with her mom but the good news is she will be here at Christmas to spend four days with me. Better than SWEET! I hope the weather is good enough for a hike at Anniversary Narrows while they are here. I just called her and sang Happy Birthday to her…she was kicking the Sand Girl out of her eyes and thoughts, time to get ready for school. D-A-M-N…I don’t miss those ‘jump up at the crack of dawn when it’s colder than hell’ school days at all.

But let me head right back into Poker Land and a little more catch up on the WPBT and my two and half hours spent at work last night. First the work scene: I met Tony G. at Shintaro for dinner at 5:30. I always enjoy his company, his enthusiasm for poker, and his insight about the game worldwide – as a business. The food was fantastic and cooked in front of us. The problem was my stomach had been grouchy from the moment I woke up (so grouchy that I didn’t even start my day with coffee), and the food just kept rolling off the grill, it would have fed a small army. I had very little of it and asked for a take out box.

I left Tony for the Time Clock and my stomach continued to act as if it had a life of its own, completely unrelated to my wishes and needs, it gurgled and churned painfully along. I told Jason (Supervisor) that I wasn’t feeling well and might need to be excused from the box at any moment.

My start was Table 1, it was a dead spread as Bellagio’s Five Diamond World Poker Classic – Event 14 – was in progress and most of the main room was filled with tournament tables along with The Fontana Lounge. I was rerouted immediately to Fontana to replace a dealer that was sick. When I got to Table 62, the tournament was on a 15-minute break. Blair Rodman walked by and said ‘hello’ and asked how my website was doing and said he was working on getting his set up. I’m interested. I want to see what he’s up to. He’s always so pleasant, I have to wish him great success in everything he does.

The tournament resumed. Sam Farha was in the 2s, Scotty Nyugen in the 10s. I knew a few other players but not their names. The tables were filled with pros. I was at this table for only a few minutes as I was replacing a dealer. Table 63 is where I tried to make a mistake in counting down an all-in but the 6s saved me. The hand was A-A vs. K-K, the Kings had the Aces covered and the Aces held up. Barry Greenstein was at my next, and last, tournament table. He asked how the blog tournament went and I responded that I had a great time.

I had a horrible time in these three tables. My stomach was still behaving badly and I had to force myself to concentrate on every second I was at the tables.

After a break, my next game was Table 1. Doyle Brunson must have just taken the 1s. Minh Ly was in the 3s – on the Button – and had two hands, Gus Hanson – 7s, and Chip Reese – 8s were playing Chinese. When I sat down, Doyle told me to give him a hand. I did. Here’s the part where I embarrassed myself. Gus had some BIG yellow chips in his rack, close to the size of Sport’s Book chips, with his face on them. While Chau was taking a seat, Barry was getting settled, Lyle Berman buzzed through the door right behind Johnny Chan and they were figuring out a seat – and the hands were being set in the Chinese – I asked Gus if I could see one of his chips. He handed it over. I believe it read “100 Big” with “no cash value” on one side and his face on the other. As I handed it back, I said, “Can I have one?”

He was pretty cute. My question caught him completely off guard. “Uh…well, no.”

Then it dawned on me they were worth something. I apologized and told him I thought they weren’t worth money or I wouldn’t have asked him. He had no problem with it. I wasn’t really completely embarrassed, just a teensy bit.

While Lyle was getting settled, he opened a leather bag with a drawstring top and dumped out a bunch of gold nuggets. Some of them went back in the bag, some of them stayed on the table. In an old post, there’s a story about Lyle having me use them, instead of Buttons, to deal out the first two players after the blinds in an eight-handed Deuce game.

They gave up Chinese after a few more hands and a game finally kicked off, $4,000-8,000 Mixed, and they drew for the Button and setting the order of the games. Johnny Chan was away from the table and missed the draw. He returned, one out of the Blind, just as I dealt the first hand of Omaha 8 or Better. I dealt him out. He waited until I hit the Button with the first card before he demanded, “Why didn’t I get a hand?”

I replied, “You weren’t here for the draw.”

He was c-r-a-b-b-y. “It’s a new game. That’s fucking bullshit.”

I just ignored all of that and dealt. He posted the Blind on the next hand and won a big pot. I know different places have different rules, but he plays enough at Bellagio that he has to know the rule by now.

Along about this time, I noticed that almost all the players at the table had the big yellow chips with the player’s faces on them. Someone reached over in Lyle’s rack and picked up two of them, looked at them, and said, “Two Bermans. It’s hard to get a Berman.”

My stomach hadn’t improved and it was a huge relief when I got pushed. I stopped and asked Gus, “So those chips have no value in the casino, just between you players?”

The answer was yes. A new way to keep track of who borrows or who owes whom what in the big game. Interesting.

Since the tournament had broken down for the night, I was able to clock out and head for home. I immediately went to bed, hoping to sleep off the bad stomach thing. I woke up several times, after a few hours, and finally gave up and got up. I’ve drank three gallons of water (that might be a slight exaggeration) and my stomach is starting to feel as if it belongs to me again.

So a bit more on the WPBT before I give up and return to Sand Woman Land. Thanks to an email from John Hartness, I was able to correct two of the Bloggers names and site URLs that I had down as unknowns. And ain’t he cute in this kilt!

Michael Craig made a royal flush during the tournament. I believe that’s when Alcanthang went bust, he was in that hand. Alcanthang was too damn funny for words. He said he’d thought about being at the table when someone gave me a bad time and he’d punch them out. But the funniest part was later in the day when I was in the $2-4 H game. His wife, Evacanhang was in a game next to me. Al got down on his knee by her and asked her something…yes, it appeared to be a marriage proposal. A few minutes later I was in the tournament area and he came up and asked me if I wanted to go with them to their wedding…well, to renew their vows. He said he’d gotten down on his knee to ask her and she said, “I’m in the middle of the Blinds, wait until my button goes by.”

Hysterical. Did they go? I don’t know.

I do know it’s time to sleep. I’ve received emails from a few of you and I’ll have more pics and more stories up soon.