Half Way Through Biloxi: SNGs, $300/$600 Badugi, Scott Williams, Employee Dining

We're at the halfway point of the Biloxi event.  I've had such a great time here.. I could stay in Biloxi, easily, if there were full-time house jobs just laying around.  But there aren't, so I'm off to the next one at the end of the month. I've had so many of you come up and tell  me you read, and it's been overwhelming. Bloggers.. all bloggers, love nothing more than to hear who some of faces are behind our "hits".

I don't have a lot of time, as we're creepin' up on the hour where I have to go to work. I've spent the last two days dealing Single Table Satellites, for hours and hours on end.. and I think I've found a new favorite thing to deal.  The people are really laid back, for the most part, they're in it to have a good time and the money is decent.

The nuts.

I dealt $300/$600 Badugi the other night. This is the biggest game in terms of limits I've dealt so far, and for it to be Badugi of all games?! Seriously?! And it was a cast of characters too.. all the "regular" high, high rollers who are rumored to be either really nice or really difficult to please.  I've never spread Badugi, though I have a good concept of it.. and I've never actually dealt a triple draw live. So imagine my fear when I push the next table to find out it's triple-draw mixed game, $300/$600. Josh has been telling me from day one  that there would be a day that I get yelled at, cussed at and humiliated by players.  I have been expecting it, and I certainly expected it from this table. I did get yelled at (twice), but both times I deserved it. I burned a card before all the draws were declared.. and I didn't wash the deck once between hands (it had been requested).  Overall though, these were the nicest guys I could have possibly dealt a game this big to. They were patient, they explained things.. and within a few hands, I found my groove and I was putting Badugi out like a pro. Or at least, a terrified dealer pretending to be a pro. I'm sure they knew how nervous I was. It was incredibly exciting to be spreading something new, and I don't think I'll be nearly as nervous next time I cycle through that table. I didn't have any floor calls either, so bonus!

I dealt a SNG yesterday where 4 of the 10 people had never played poker before. My initial thought about this was that it would be fun.. I love newbies. They're the next potential superstars, and friends. (I wrote about this once, here). But really, after about 15 minutes.. I was exhausted. "Post your blind, sir." "Why? What if I don't like my hand?" "Sir, you have to post a blind, once per round, before you see your cards." "Why?" "Because it's the rules of the game." "Oh. Okay. Why is his blind less than mine?" "Because there is a big blind, and a small blind. The small blind is 1/2 of the big blind, every round." "Oh. Okay. Wait.. I'm going to have to pay BOTH?! I don't have many chips left!" Facepalm.

I would have thought it wasn't possible for this to happen. For it to happen three times in one SNG, I would have bet a grand it wasn't possible. Oh, but it is. New players are also prone to conversations like this "Is it my turn?" "Yes sir, action is on you." "How much is the bet?" "You may bet 400, raise, check or fold." "Can I bet $500?" "Yes sir"  "If I check, I don't have to pay anything, right?" "Yes sir" "Can I go all in?" "Yes sir" "How many people are still left to act?" "4 sir" "Oh, okay. I fold."

..... Ohhh kaaaayyy.

See how desolate the poker room looks behind him?
Yeah, the final hand was played at 9 AM after a marathon session.
Congrats Scotty. You deserve it.

So, as most of you know by now.. Scott Williams won event #1 of the Million Dollar Heater.. the largest field in MS history. He took down the biggest cash of his life, a trophy, a main event seat and a bracelet.  I'm going to blog about the whole experience.. but first, I've got to get to work. Today and tomorrow should be ridiculous days. 15/16 hours maybe. So I wanted to get something out there before I'm comatose later tonight.

On a side note, the employee dining room at the Beau Rivage is by far the nicest I've ever seen.  Long time readers know.. I've eaten in some pretty shady EDRs.  Southland's in West Memphis seemed great.. it was $5 and you got to eat food leftover from the buffet the day before. Over time, and after buying stock in Pepto Bismol, it lost it's luster.  Horseshoe Tunica's EDR was shiny and pretty, but the food was lackluster.. cold sandwiches, and hot dogs. Hot food for a price. The Riviera's is in a boiler room full of people who don't speak English and park bench seating.. the food was grey. All of it, and shaped into things that resembled Salisbury steak and carrots.. but still grey. I never ate it. Wildhorse in Oregon was nice, and free and very close to the poker room.. but they only served food three times a day, during short hours.. so if you were dealing, and couldn't get a break, you were out of luck.  The Grand Sierra in Reno was sketchy. The food was okay, and for $2 it was a bargain, but it was nothing to write home bout.

The Beau Rivage is bright and cheery, set up like a cafe with abundant drink stations, dozens of entree choices, soups and salads. We get to eat there once per shift.. FREE, and if we're hungry otherwise, there are a bunch of cereals, fruits, yogurts, ice cream and snack foods we can have otherwise. It's nice enough that I haven't eaten out once (aside from a celebration dinner with Scott). I actually aspire to get into work early so I can grab cereal, and I look forward to the dinner break.. I've had salads and grilled chicken, almost every day. I will miss it when I move on to the next place.

If you're at the Beau Rivage, and don't have access to the empoyee dining.. the Terrace cafe has the best grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup I've ever had. <3 Totally worth the $8.99. Go try it NOW.

Alright kiddos, off to work! I will write more later. :)