Oh Well.....

....Tableside computer's going bye bye. So it would seem that this blog is as well.
Maybe next time!

Witness Protection?

Somebody requested golf on the TV behind me. Tiger's back in action so now everyone's interested in golf.
When one of the players heard the word "golf", he asked if we were going to see Director of Poker Ops Rick Cloward playing (the Bike's annual golf event is going on nearby as I write this).
"No", the unidentified-for-his-own-protection floorman said. "That's on the Comedy Channel!"

Am I THAT Transparent?

Bakul is one of the original Omaha guys.He used to be wild and crazy....now he's sort of half-wild and half-crazy.
Well, we're in a hand together...with one hitch-hiker. The flop is 7,T,K with two diamonds.
I have flopped bottom set and and a queen-high diamond draw.
I bet out, Steve calls, and Bakul raises. I'm not liking my hand that much but I'm not going anywhere. Remember: He's still (at least) half-crazy.
The turn diamond brings a third diamond. I check and, when Bakul makes a continuation bet, Steve and I call.
The river doesn't pair the board. Bakul bets and I call.
"Your queen is good.", I hear.
"How can I play with guys who read me that well?", was all I could say.

Gotta love Table 30.

Sports On TV

So I'm sitting here in seat 8 (but you're not surprised by that) and A.P. "Al" is watching the TV behind me with this look on his face. He seems intent on the action.
"Wow!", he exclaims. (Now, I'm really wondering what sport he's watching.)

"She only missed the bid by $83....and won both Showdown prizes."
The Price is Frickin' Right??
I LOVE Table 30! (Does Bob Barker play Omaha?:-)

"I Am A Lucky Player...."

Who, among us, hasn't heard Mike "The Mad Genius of Poker" Caro's mantra?
"I am a lucky player", Mike would end each of his seminars, " A positive winning force surrounds me!"
He'd get his students chanting this over and over. (I drank some of that Koolaid. And, regardless of my belief whether chanting really helps, I'm certain that attending these seminars made me a better player.)
Well , our loving boss, RiksaJr, put Mike's mantra to the test this morning.
"You just need to feel like you're going to win", he announced, "and you will. Its all about attitude."
Well, as of this moment, Rik's going to have to keep his day job....at least for awhile.
He spewed off a few stacks and retired to Poker HQ to rewrite chapter 1 of his new book, "Badugi Houser, M.D."

Hoisted By My Own Petard (sp?)

I just either
a. got out-played by someone who shouldn't out-play me
or
b. out-played myself
It was probably a bit of both but a lesser player would've won the pot.
Oh well....let's just call it 'an investment'.
(....and, before I could finish the paragraph, the chips come home to roost).

Nope. I'm not going to describe the hand in detail...just the feeling that my old friend Doc used to call "ears rushing forward" (poker equivalent of blushing).
I laid down the winner due to someone overplaying their underfullhouse (tm).
And so it goes.

Albert Einstein: A Modern Fable

When Albert Einstein died, he was met at the pearly gates by none other than St Peter hisownself.
"So glad to have you here, Dr. Einstein. We've been looking forward to this meeting for a long time."
"I must apologize, however, that the mansion where you will spend eternity is not quite finished and you will need to spend a few days with some other gentlemen. But they're all very nice", said St Peter. "I'm certain you'll have a very nice time."
"Not a problem", Einstein told him. "Let's go meet them".

So St Peter sheperded the good doctor into the common room of a very quaint condo.
Einstein went up to the first stranger. "Hi, my name is Albert Einstein. What's your IQ?"
"One hundred sixty-eight", said the stranger.
"Very good", said Einstein. "We'll be able to talk about particle physics, faster than light travel, relativity...we'll have a grand old time."
And Einstein went over to the second man.
"Hello, my name is Albert Einstein. What's your IQ?"
"141", said the man.
"Wonderful!", said Einstein. "We can discuss the Renaissance, the great works of Shakespeare....this will be a very nice time."
Then Einstein got up and went over to Stranger #3.
"Hello, my name is Albert Einstein. What's your IQ?"
"Duh....I really don't know", struggled the man. "Somebody once said it was.....umm... around seventy."
Einstein was puzzled.
"I'm not sure we have anything in common to talk about, my friend. Could you tell me a little about yourself?"
"Umm....well...uh....right before my heart attack, I had just....umm.... lost with Ace-Ace Deuce Trey double-suited...."

Small World: Special Guest Dept.

So I had to call Florida. My brother and I have been having some issues with Mom and I need to call the nurse just to tell her that we agree about treatment options.
When I hang up, the only guy I *don't* know at the table (I told you we have a lot of regulars) asks if I have a brother who's a musician.
I guess he heard me introduce myself on the phone and our last name is not exactly 'Smith' or 'Jones'. "Yes", I say, looking at him a bit quizzically. . "You know him??". "I'm a bass player...Billy.....from Austin.
"Yeah, we have a mutual friend...David Rice."
We've had people from all over the world at Table 30. But I'm pretty sure this is the first one who knows a (big) part of my family.
A fun day, overall, as our special guest immediately gets to see The Plumber in action.
Send me a postcard!!

You Can't Make This Sh*t Up (Part B.)

The game has barely started and I'm (almost) on tilt.
But DC The Plumber is here.... and at the top of his game. Not poker. DC plays loosey goosey and really doesn't seem to care that much whether he wins or not. And he's a philosopher of sorts. With some mannerisms that I couldn't describe if I tried.
Ben mentions that this kind of weather must be good for DC's business.
DC's retort: "I'd rather be pushing a pencil than a turd but..."
I wish he'd warn me before I SIP MY SCALDING HOT COFFEE!!!!
This guy's a trip. He's five foot nothing and can't way more than 120.
But he's not shy...at all. DC's mouth gets him in trouble. A lot.

Most of the regulars know him and just laugh at his antics but, once in awhile, there's a stranger at the table who takes him seriously.
"Get it fixed, bitch!", he tells the guy when he shows the winner.
The rest of the table laughs but this guy isn't having any of it.
"Maybe we should go outside for a minute" comes out of his mouth before I can tell him DC's harmless.
DC isn't phased at all that the guy's got him by 6 inches and fifty pounds.
"You feeling froggy? Jump!"
We're all laughing so hard by now that even the stranger can't stay mad.

Come say hi. I'll introduce you.
DC's a trip...or tripping. Depends on the day.

A True Sign Of The Apocalypse

We're here, playing our "normal" Omaha game. Eight players dealt in. Only seven of us call. The only one with the sense to fold?
Maurice.
I kid you not.
(For those of you that haven't played with us, it's 'normally' ...there's that word again....the other way around)

I'm Just Sayin'

Rick just announced that Roger got his cherry.



That's it.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Here's a little quiz. But don't even try to answer unless you've spent some time at Table 30.
So I ask you- What's wrong with this picture?

Table 30 FAQ: Why Do They Call You "The Occupant"?

So some of you might be wondering why I'm called "The Occupant".

A number of years ago, when we were still playing $6-12 Omaha on Table 21, I always sat in the #8 seat....for a number of reasons:
1. I'm a BIG guy (though nowhere near as large as I used to be ;-) and there's always more room in the end seats of a poker table.
2. As the host of the game, I could see the entrance to the poker section, the callboard, and I sat facing the floorstaff, which made communication a lot easier.

People got very used to seeing me there. If someone who knew me came in the Bike and I wasn't sitting there, at Table 21, it was, "Where's Marc? Is he OK?"
Even the Managing General Partner of the place would usually look my way on the way to his office; I'd tip my hat; he'd smile.
But everybody who frequented our little section of the casino expected me to be there...and I pretty much was M-F 10-6.

Well, one day, one of the (smartass?) Pineapple players was passing the table and cried, "What do you do...SLEEP under the table??"
The regulars cracked up. (We have lots of regulars in the Omaha game. Omaha attracts a much smaller population than hold'em and there just aren't many places to play, especially at the $6-12 level.)
"Yeah", I answered. "In fact I get my mail here." (more cackling from the regulars)
{Eureka! This is where a light bulb appears over my head, like in a cartoon!}

So I checked with my boss, Poker Ops Director Rick Cloward (Rick likes his Omaha!), and the plan was put in motion. I had a friend about to take a trip abroad. I called him and asked if he would send me a postcard...addressed to me in seat 8 of Table 21. "Sure. No problem!"

A couple of weeks later, the mailboy (er....'mailperson') came down on the casino floor and brought me a postcard.....from where I don't remember.
But I passed it around the table and the regulars loved it.
All except Maurice.
Maurice is a small, but feisty....nay...very feisty........ guy from Zimbabwe (well, it was still called Rhodesia when he left it.)
And, in the way that only he could say it told me (I'm paraphrasing here) "Big Effing deal! They know who you are. They know where you work. I'm not impressed!"
Well, let's just say I was up for the challenge.
Being very active back then in the rec.gambling.poker newsgroup (before it turned to spam), I went online and invited any of my rgp friends who might be traveling to send me a postcard. And address it thus:

Occupant
Table 21/ Seat 8
Bicycle Casino
7301 Eastern Ave
Bell Gardens, Ca 90201


Well, the cards and letters started coming and, through two change-of-addresses (changes-of-address?) and several increases in the cost of stamps, I've received over 150 of them. From all over the planet.
I've cherished them all. But the only one I've had laminated so far came in July of 2004. It was a montage of various scenes from Dublin.
On the other side (I'm going from memory here) were the words:
"Here I am, on a $300K freeroll in Ireland and all I can think about is playing Omaha Hi-Lo at The Bike.
Your Friend,


Fossilman"

Although Greg hadn't yet played at our table, he was an avid ARGer, who a bit later that summer, was the guest of honor at a Legends Of Poker party.

So that's the story, my friends. Send me a postcard, won't you?


Occupant
Table 30/ Seat 8
Bicycle Casino
7301 Eastern Ave
Bell Gardens, Ca 90201

I Had A Dream.....

...that, for an entire day, Maurice acted in turn.
It might take you awhile to get to know the cast of characters at Table 30 but Maurice is actually the indirect reason for me being known as "The Occupant".

WELCOME!

They call me “The Occupant”.

(More about that later).

We are live from Table 30. (Thanks, Rick!)

This is the place to learn all about the hijinx (we have more than our share, believe me) that happens here, in the $6-12 Omaha Hi-Lo game, at the Bicycle Casino...."The Bike".

So come visit, won't you?. We’ll try to entertain you.