The room was a screamer. I drew Table 30 in the line-up. Thank you GOD! Almost every game was either $2-5NLH or $5-10NLH to Table 40. SWEET! One $4-8H game in the mix and towards the end of the line I ran into a heads-up $200-400 half pot limit Omaha game – yes, they could only bet half the pot. Then another player came in and they decided to go to $100-200 PLO, but most of my down was spent dealing heads-up. Thor Hansen stopped by to visit with one of the players and he visited with me a bit also. I’ve known Thor since the early days at the Mirage. Great guy! My last two games in that line-up were $30-60H and $100-200H. Then I was on a break and dealt two tournament downs in Fontana, there were three tables left of the $1,000 daily tournament. What a great shift. No noise, no headaches, no card zingers, just deal and I had such nice interaction with the players.
So let me fill in a few blanks in between all of it. Rico was in one of the $5-10NLH games that was about two hours ahead in my line-up. He is one of the nicest, all around just damn happy to be there players that I’ve met in a long time. We have a great chemistry and he treats me very well. But how can you not like someone that just beams when they see you? I would always treat him with my best smile because I am happy to see him, his enthusiasm for the game opens the portal to what I feel poker is all about. Even though I lose my own luster for the play of the game, it’s people like Rico that make me appreciate all the game and the people interaction provides for most of us. I didn’t deal to him, he left before I got there, but he came up behind me while I was dealing a game, said, “I love you Linda,” and left a nice toke for me on top of the drop slot. Better than two scoops of p-nut butter ice cream dotted with milk chocolate clusters and walnuts. Yummy!
These low limit NLH games are insane. Either they are as tight as grandma’s corset used to be or they are so loose, it’s almost impossible to figure out what cardcould come thatwould make your A-A good. A friend of mine reported that he had bought in $600 to a $5-10NLH game and won $3,200 in 20 minutes. Lots of the games are like that. Maybe there’s more action than most people can stand. It wouldn’t hurt to have a job to fall back on if you’re in one of these multi-way action games for the weekend.
When I skipped into Table 36, the 9s was walking. He sat down a few minutes later and said something like, “just the person I’ve been waiting for. My favorite blogger.”
That started a whole thread of conversation from more than one player. Adam was in the 9s. We talked about what he did – Air Force for X number of years (he’s quite young). What are his plans now? Work of course, he’s married and his wife just won’t step into the picture of him playing poker full time. It was fun and funny. I told him all he had to do was win a major tournament and she’d see the light. *laughter*. Of course we talked about the post “Behind the Noise“. Who the hell isn’t talking about it or leaving a comment on it. Right after Adam said he loved my blog, he picked up A-A. No action on that hand. Four hands later he picked up A-A again. Again no action.
The 8s said, “I really love your blog too, can I have Aces?” *too funny* All in all, I had a lot of fun in this down, just listening.
Bobby’s Room was slamming. Sam Farha, Bobby Baldwin and (I believe) Brian Townsend were facing off against each other on Table 10. I didn’t walk around and crane my neck to see if it was Brian. Table 1 was full. I didn’t have to go through that line-up so I didn’t pay much attention. It’s alwaysgreat to dodge a bullet.
Late in the night there was the strangest hint that I might be asked to work OT. Kee-rist! What would I do if they did ask? I’d probably have to say yes. Oh the pain!
I got out. The heat of the Vegas night was interrupted by broad daylight before I knew it and a wind that is threatening to lift my little home and send it somewhere that I don’t want it to be is out there slamming and shrieking right now. Ugh!
Back to the noise in a bit.