A Full Day of Poker

Since it's Tuesday, it was back to school for me (I don't usually go on Mondays, just because it's usually such a clusterf*ck with tons of new blackjack students lurking about). After enjoying a cup of coffee or two, and making a homemade McMuffin, I drove my tired butt down to the north end of the Strip for a long day of poker dealing.

I got there around 10:45 and was surprised to find out that I was only the fourth one there--a slow day in class, I guess. Usually there are about eight or nine go-getters already there by the time I roll in. Anyhow, between the four students and the instructor, we spent our time working on structured game 'Kill' pots. And I was amazed at how much stuff I'd forgotten over the past few months--so it was good to get back. I also got some extra time 'in the box' working on my game, so it was a fairly productive day. I'm glad I went, because it would've been much easier to just sleep in and bag it. But I've made my commitment, so I'm sticking to it.

I *really* want to get a job dealing poker.

Eventually, more people showed up and it got busy. We had our usual daily meeting/class, and today's topic was missed blinds and moving the button. Surprisingly, there is a lot to know, and I guess I just chalk it up to playing poker at tables where the dealers are really good, because it was an avalanche of information, yet I never really noticed all the little 'housekeeping' things that go on at the table when I've been sitting at the Mirage or MGM Grand, drinking Captain and Coke, running smack, watching the other players' tendencies, and trying to peek at Sticky's hole cards. (Yes, it's true, I haven't played live poker since March Madness...)

But I soaked it all in, asked some good questions, made some good observations, and got a lot out of it. It was also good practice for my game, as a player, because in school, playing with fake money, you can't bluff or make moves, so I told myself I would work on my 'tight' game. I stuck to my plan, did a lot of folding and watching players, and got a little personal satisfaction from the huge mound of chips I amassed when I wasn't dealing. It would be nice to be able to be that patient and observant in real life, at a real game. Of course, it would help if I avoided the real alcohol when doing so...

Anyhow, after my last turn in the box, I spent the balance of the afternoon talking to the shift manager down at the Flamingo--he's always got a few nuggets of interesting info to share and also the latest gossip in the poker world, so it makes the afternoon go by faster when all you're doing is providing a warm body for somebody else to practice dealing to.

Finally, around 2:45, I called it a day, wanting to get on the freeway before traffic got too insanely bad.

Once I got back to the apartment, I made myself a nice salad with a bag of mixed greens, chopped turkey, sun-dried tomatoes, shredded cheese, bacon bits, wasabi wonton strips, and ranch dressing. It was pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. And I'm thinking about one of those fat green Granny Smith apples I bought the other day, so I think I'm gonna go grab one of those and settle down in front of the TV.

The final table of the 2007 WSOP Main Event is being broadcast tonight, starting in about 15 minutes, and I don't want to miss a bit of it. I could, however, use a new crop of Milwaukee's Best Light commercials. The old ones are getting pretty tired.

Mikey