Lost Episode 19: Event #47, $2000 NL Holdem

After my two off days, I returned to the Rio prepared to deal on Wednesday, and it was another one of those days with way too many dealers and way to few assignments.  I started on break and then was assigned a push into a table that was breaking and immediately redirected to the dealer coordinator.  I was told to return in about 40 minutes for reassignment and spent the time canvassing the room a little bit.  I noticed that the satellite area had about a dozen dealers queued up waiting for their turn.  By the time I returned from my second break without a down, I found about 15 dealers in the service hall behind the dealer coordinator podium near the feature tables.  I had heard that not much was available until a tourney restart at 5pm, which was confirmed when the DC stated that she only really needed 6 of us, but the rest would get work soon.  She gave the first few dealers up front break table assignments into the tourney and then told a half dozen more that the could report to satellites or cash games, which I already knew meant more waiting around.  I volunteered to leave, and was granted an early out.  I called Tim and although it was too late to make the daily tourney at Binions, we had some options to consider.  We grabbed a bite to eat and then ended up at the Sahara for their $42+20 tourney which regularly has 100+ runners.  Tim final tabled for a decent prize chop (even though I think he would have preferred to play, he was up in chips and clearly one of the best players left) and although I busted early, I won over $300 at a 1-3NL table waiting for his tourney to end.

The next day at the WSOP was a completely different story, however.  Every table was in use for another large field NL Holdem event and we were short dealers.  I stayed at my initial table assignment for five downs before a push and got three more downs before my first and only break of the day.  At this first table, we were all entertained by a very chatty table captain from north of the border.  He had a baseball jersey with two large kings and his nickname, "Krazy Kanuck", embroidered in large letters across the back.  I later learned that his real name is Jim Worth and that he was a tournament professional with several big cashes.  He was respectful at all times, but clearly working the table for information and talking nearly non-stop.  I think he played about 90% of the hands during the early levels, but I dealt to him at Biloxi later in the year and he didn't seem to be nearly as loose.  I think most of the early level play was aimed at testing his opponents for later decisions.

I also dealt to Amir Vahedi, John Pham and James Mackey in this event before being transferred to live play.  Vahedi is credited with one of my favorite poker quotes, "In order to live, you must be willing to die."  I saw Chad Rhoten, a good player from Houston who I've dealt quite a bit to, during a break in this event.  He had come to town with a couple of poker buddies with the intent of playing a couple of events, but unfortunately I never ended up assigned to his table.  In the cash games area, I sat dead spread for a down and then dealt $10/20 Limit Omaha 8 and then $10&25 No-Limit Holdem before being sent home for the day.