Back to the Tables

The schedule is changed again and I am on Tournaments. Today is "Day 1B" for the $1500 Buy-in No Limit Hold'em event. There were so many entries that two "Day One's" were needed. I think over 4000 players paid the entry into the tournament.

Talk about a slow start, how's this: I push (relieve the dealer) into a table at 6:55 PM. At 7 PM the players go on a 90 minute dinner break. When the players go to dinner, the dealers sit at the empty tables and guard the chips. It's kind of a strange sight. A hundred tables in a corner of this huge convention hall each with a dealer and no players. At 7:25 we push i.e. at each table as a new dealer comes in the current dealer is relieved and goes to the next table, that dealer to the next table, and to the next until they hit a "Break" table to go on break rather than pushing into the next table.

My third table of guarding chips is a break table. After sitting at tables doing essentially nothing for 90 minutes I get to go on break. Things change when I get back from break.

My first tournament table with players includes one of the most recognizable poker celeberties at the Series, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson is pleasant, soft spoken and for the half hour I dealt, very tight. "Tight" in the poker sense that he folds often and only plays premium hands. I am not sure if I can remember him voluntarily putting money in the pot the entire time I was at the table. He may have raised once and got no action, winning the blinds and antes.

At my next table, Daniel Alaei is in seat 5. I have seen Dan play on TV on "High Stakes Poker". Daniel seems to run the table. I get a feeling he is a former dealer. He is into every hand, every situation where change is needed, checking every ante. A more experienced dealer my have bristed at the involvement, but I didn't mind. It was actually nice to have someone at the table that was dependably paying attention whether he was in the hand or folded. If something went horribly wrong I would have a witness that was all over every detail. On the other hand, it added some pressure like the feeling I would have if I were dealing a table that one of my former instructers were sitting at. Every little fumble of chips or messy shuffle was worth a knowing glance from Dan Alaei. Most other players are in their own little world. Alaei is wired into the entire table. Predictably, he was chip leader at the table, played many hands and took every opportunity to steal pots. I think all the players at the table felt a constant sense of pressure coming from seat 5. Any weakness was going to be pounced upon.

After another break I return to find a table in the process being broken i.e. its players are being assigned seats at other tables to fill in the empty seats where previous players busted out. It leaves me with a need for reassignment. We have more than enough dealers and with no new action beginning for the rest of the evening, my services are no longer needed.