I can’t help but drift through the memory channel every now and then when I suddenly remember someone that used to frequent the poker rooms. The funny part of it is that normally when someone pops into my thoughts, even if I haven’t seen them in a few years, I will see them within the next week or two. Don’t ask. I don’t know how or why it works that way. I wish I could track it, record it, plan it, and then I could utilize it in being able to avoid problems or being able to increase productivity and other variables in life. For some reason, last week, Mark Spirit just flashed through my mind. He was a regular at The Mirage high limit 7 stud games for years, and played at Bellagio the first few years we were open. He just drifted off or maybe he had a plan and gave up poker…yeah…right! Now I’m wondering if he will appear somewhere in the near future. Nope, not making book on it. Just wondering.
On the ‘rewind’ thought, this popped into my head a few days ago. During the early days at The Mirage, I dealt a $400-800 7 Stud game to Doyle, Stuey, Johnny Chan, and another player that has slipped out of my memory. Doyle was sitting right across from me in the 4s. He was low three times in a row – $100 bring-in. He looked at me and said, “Girl, if you make me one more time, I’m going to slap a hundred dollar bill right into your pocket.”
Kee-rist! Every time someone ever threatened me with money, it just wasn’t going to happen. And it didn’t.
It’s funny how ‘high limit’ has changed over the last 10 years. Now the skies the limit! Whatever anyone wants to play, there’s always someone that will accommodate them. The norm used to be a $75-150 game that ran every day. Sure there were bigger limits that ran intermittently but on a steady basis, the $75 was the ‘big game’. At times, when I’m dealing a game, a player in a low limit game will ask, “What’s the highest limit game here?”
With a totally straight face, and no sarcasm, I always ask, “What would you like to play?”
Usually I get a stutter-stammer and then I add, “Whatever you or anyone else wants to play, someone will play with you.”
On the subject of Big Games – the game at Wynn continues, through tomorrow anyway. Andy was ahead of this trip and the last trip and played Todd today. Tomorrow it will be Ted Forrest. There are a lot of sites that are delivering some form of game coverage. I seriously do not want to get involved in that so I won’t. The game at Bellagio in Bobby’s Room was running with David Benyamine, Chip Reese, Gus Hanson, and possibly one other player but I didn’t really check out the room.
The funniest part of the game in Bobby’s Room really had nothing to do with that game. It had to do with a game I was playing in. I went in – with the best of intentions – to deal my full shift. Instead the Card Fairy slapped me upside the head and recommended that I sign the E/O/Play List. Done deal! I found a seat in a semi slow playing $4-8 H game. After a half hour or so, two guys left the game and two new ones came in, one on each side of me. They were both from Saskatchewan, and worked together or in the same company, Volvo. Of course we started kibitzing.
They wondered about the pros and where they played. I pointed out the glass doors to Bobby’s Room and told them to go take a look, some of them were in there right now. “No way!”
Yes, way…and usually every night except on occasion when they all take a break or are off on a tournament trip somewhere. They queried as to limits, what the games were, what certain players were like, and the general awe of how most people react to knowing a ‘name brand’ player is there. I get a kick out of it. Yes…I see the ‘name brands’ on a daily basis but it’s fun to listen to and share a visitor’s excitement over the game.
The one on my right introduced himself, Brent. The one on my left? Name unknown. The game picked up speed. And we were laughing and chuckling over almost everything. Brent walked over and checked out Bobby’s Room. Holy Shit! Gus Hanson was in there. *their reaction* They started talking autographs. I chuckled, “You can catch any of the pros outside of the room or on their way out of the poker room and ask but you can’t walk into ‘that’ room and ask.”
That opened up a conversation that was pretty funny – the various ways to get into Bobby’s Room to ask for an autograph. Their conversation went on. Name Unknown said the coolest thing they could do would be to get Gus’s autograph on one of the Volvo hats they were wearing and give it to someone…someone important in their lives/work structure. Then…just like magic…Gus walked out of Bobby’s Room with David Benyamine and a friend of David’s.
I exclaimed, “There goes Gus. HURRY! HURRY!”
Name jumped up, Brent handed his hat to Name, and away Name went, with us prodding him to hurry. Gus made it out of the card room and within a minute, Gus was standing at the front podium with Name, signing something. I was chuckling to Brent, “It won’t show up on the hat, he’s going to need something else.”
Name came back a few minutes later, returning Brent’s hat (navy blue or black), holding out two $100 bills, showing Gus’s autograph on each one. Brent owed Name a $100, the exchange was made, now they both had a $100 bill with an autograph. I couldn’t stop chuckling, “Now you can’t spend that bill. You just shot off a $100.”
Name explained that the hat was too dark to show the autograph and that if he used a $1 bill, he’d look cheap. *laughter* Then the truth came out, all he had was $100’s. I suggested buying a deck of paper cards and bringing them with him next time. He thought that was a novel idea but too late this time. Now they each had a $100 they couldn’t spend…
A new twist in the conversation, how they could sell the bills to someone and make money. I suggested EBay, damn…it really was pretty funny at the time. About this time, I was on the phone with Wayne, telling him about their autographed bills. While Name and Brent were talking up how much their ‘bills’ were worth, and laughing over my telling of their autographed trophies, Wayne said, “They are worth $100.”
I immediately relayed Wayne’s estimate to them and they roared.
A beauty sat down in the seat next to Brent, bringing her own rack of chips with her, Name tried to get her to give him her rack and a $100 bill for the bill signed by Gus. She said she could care less about Gus Hanson. Whoa! Stutter/stammer from Brent and Name. The conversation moved on, one of them wondered if the game broke up in Bobby’s Room after Gus left with David. The Beauty said, “Gus is still in there playing,” abruptly followed by, “Not that I care!” *gales of laughter*
Apparently the Beauty plays there quite a lot and her husband plays high limit, but they travel and she has seen Gus many times so he’s like old news. Umnhhh! Now how is that possible? Gus being old news…
Brent and Name decided they would have to frame the $100’s. And each time they come to town, they have to bring them back and have more pros sign them. I suggested putting them in a metal cigar case, rolling them so they wouldn’t be creased. Hey…I have to do my share in these lunatic conversations.
Kee-rist! Right about now I got called to deal. Unbelievable! I went to work. I opened a $30-60H game and dealt it for a few short minutes before being pushed into another $30-60H game that broke within about 15 minutes. I asked if I was staying the line-up or back out to play. Deal damn it, deal! I returned to my game and picked up my chips and Name and Brent had already left. I’m assuming they took their Gus Hanson $100’s with them.