The Rounders

Although this was a term that was heard often in the 60's & 70's, the movie has brought the term back. I have been asked what a "Rounder" is and where the term came from. I always knew it as a hustler that got around. Rounders are different people with different talents from all over. Cheaters, hustlers, gigolos and wise guys were among the mix. Some had to hit the road and support families, some just liked the life. The road gamblers were part of that group too. So these rounders had children? These are the people that I met in Vegas and around card rooms. The children of rounders are a little more refined and get the job done without violence. These children of rounders are in their 50's and 60's now. Many learned their "trade" from their father's and yes, mothers, too. My mom was not really a rounder although she did get around. She was a card playin' junkie who would sit in her seat for 30 hour without even going to the bathroom. My other friend who is a poker dealer said his father used to leave him with strangers for a couple of hours when he did what it was that he did. My special source, Starman used to hit the road with his dad when he was only 6 years old. He said his dad played in basements with a steel door and no windows. He said he saw games where everyone at the table put their guns on the side tables next to each one. In the past their were very few players who were whiners and complainers. The few that did though, made up for the rest. That little sweetie Puggy Pearson was the worst in the history of legal card games. He would wish cancer and slow death to your entire family. Your boss would just tell you basically to "Dummy up and deal". His parents were not rounders or gamblers, as the story goes. The guys who grew up around gambling and hustling were very low key. They didn't make waves and were very likable for the most part.

In the movie the Rounders are young. It is the favorite movie of many college playing kids that I know. The young adults that play now seem to have a much softer skin and have been used to a good life. That is the difference between then and now. If you haven't known hard times then you have a fit when things don't go your way. The so-called rounders or poker hustlers that I see today have a lot to learn. Many of the good teachers are dead and they will never know. There are a few however who do have class and a natural instinct for the game or "card sense". Some people will never get it and will continue to blame others for their bad play and lack of class. They don't even know that they are giving up valuable information to the rest of the game. The perfect quote here is " Excuses are for losers".

Poker FANatics

The poker craze has spread like a cold. You just sneeze it on to the next person. The reason I use it in a negative connotation is because I see it as an epidemic. Take a look into the future. Not just how many laws can be changed to ALLOW more gambling on the Internet. When you hear two 10 yr. old boys telling poker stories & bad beats from the Internet, what do you think? Nothing? I think that we can see big trouble ahead of astronomic proportions. As adults they may be stuck into the addiction that was acquired at a young age. The future times will have to make way for new help besides just Gamblers Anonymous. Playing poker has the same dangers that soaking your brain in alcohol has. It can become a potential hazard for many years or possibly the rest of your entire life. If I could give one great piece of free advice it would be to keep your children off the gambling sites. Treat it as you would a porno site. Don't think for a minute that it is just a game. Kids don't think about consequences especially when they don't even understand that there are any. Nip it in the bud, you are the parent.


For the rest of us civilized adult gamblers who do so responsibly I say, Good Luck.

THE BANKROLL

This is so crazy watching the poker phenomenon hit the world. In a business that I have been into my entire adult life, it almost feels surreal. With The Enquire and People Magazine and all the other fluff stuff, we can see that people want to know your business. Dirty laundry is the most fascinating stuff when fed to the masses. Give me a good rumor and I'll be popular all day. One more negative thing to spread throughout the world. Good and Bad. Black and White. Why is the bad decision always the most fun. Why do we choose to ignore the consequences and have a feel good moment? Just like life, we do it in poker too! That feel good moment when you suck out to beat the odds but it isn't lasting. Do the same thing 10 more times and lose every time. You forget about the consequences. In any case, you usually pay later. Sometimes the consequences are more than anyone could imagine. You never know how much someone is really involved in the game. You don't know what they might have done to get a poker bankroll. To step on the stage that we call the felt, with a bankroll and a game, we are the man for the moment. Although we don't know who he lied to, stole from, tricked, embezzled or worse to get a bankroll for poker. We just know WOW he's got game and he has a roll. Gee Whizz instant respect. False as it may be...Poker is so much like life.

No Need to Rap the Table Between Cards

So much has changed so much has not! With the introduction of all in buttons and many people speaking languages other than English, the no-limit game is getting tricky. Where I work all the players have ALL IN buttons. Although most of the dealers do not make the players put the button in, I do. Before I burn the next card I am absolutely sure that a person is all in. The button or all the chips going in is the the way U see a no limit game to be played. We never had this problem years ago. There were no ALL-In buttons or bottom cards and it was 4th street and 5th street not turn and river. I don't ever remember a burn and turn before the action is complete. I see dealers trying to put out a record number of hands in every game and I just think they are asking for trouble. First of all no limit players like to watch what the dealer is doing, not racing by so fast that they have to keep watching. To some players too fast is a distraction. The hold up while players make decisions makes it unproductive to deal too fast and then sit and wait for players to call time. Flipping over one card could make an enemy for life. Face it, the player pays your salary. As a professional dealer knows, your paycheck actually comes from the house you are working for so you must put out a required number of hands. The more hands you deal and drop $ for the house, the more tips you put in your pocket. Right? Sounds good. You are working to keep your boss and the players satisfied. In a perfect world...

Many dealers just have the illusion of being a fast dealer. Actions are quick and abrupt and so are the mannerisms. The game is only as fast as your slowest player, so he is the one you want to pay attention to while giving the rest of the table their respectable amount of time. Players DO NOT like the dealer pounding the table in front of them every time it is their turn ESPECIALLY if it is "heads up". Speaking from both sides of the table, I can see that the slower the no limit game is dealt, the less mistakes are made. If you cost a player a pot because something was overlooked then you may have made an enemy for life. Maybe more than one. He will spread the story around until you may be reading his version of it in print somewhere. This also slows the game and time is $ to the boss's. Besides the fact this has brought attention to the dealers' lack of concentration & a demerit of some sort could be implemented. The tokes (tokens of appreciation) a dealer makes is how our rent gets paid. SO POKER DEALERS BEWARE: Some players (especially now) are just looking for an excuse not to tip you. This will justify him for his actions.This is an economy of cutting corners and a penny saved is a penny earned. To poker dealers everywhere I implore you to do us all a favor as well as to yourself and take a BIG tip from me & slow down in the no limit game.

Professional Dealers & Players

Some of the most revered players are the biggest cry babies and pains in the neck. People flock to watch and be around people who play cards for a living. "Hustler" used to have a very negative connotation. The types that were hanging around in card rooms were not the types that you ever planned to bring home to mom and dad. Much has changed over the last 40 years but much has not. You will still run into the guys that would sell their mother to get a buy-in. The guys that case the room for the easiest mark to borrow some money from. I've come to believe that as soon as a stranger wants to know your name, the next thing he will want is $. But he will ask you by name. As the public watches from their living room or bar stool it seems to be such a cool thing to be doing. Such a better way to make a living then the one's they have. People even aspire to be a clone of a t.v. poker player. Oh, brother!

The dealers see these card players from the other side of the felt. Most of these players do not see the dealer as the person of experience and knowledge of the rules, who is controlling the game and protecting them and their money. They see a non-person who is there to abuse in any manner they think they may get away with. This I have seen in the form of vulgarities of the ugliest kind, threats of even murder, offensive gestures and body language and I know of 3 instances of a urination episode. Two were in Las Vegas and one in San Jose, California. I personally have been threatened by a man in San Diego, who was just released from prison for murdering a woman. I know this because I was interviewed by the police. I had to call the police myself because the staff at the casino said, "Don't worry, he is just another crazy man". Now really, WHO do you worry about?

On the other hand I do see the players position of mistrust and annoyance by dealers because of mistakes they have seen made in the past. To these people I say, "Rule NUMBER ONE, PROTECT YOUR OWN HAND. Yes, dealers have been known to make mistakes, but some are caused by the players. When a player is prancing around the table and makes a cute move, whereas, his hand is left unprotected...HE MAY LOSE IT. Yes, the dealer should have been able to read his mind and tell by his body language that he was not passing. As a dealer, I would not intentionally muck a hand during a live play BUT, I work for the house and the players want the game to keep moving. When someone needs to take time for a decision it is timed. Other than that the games keep moving and the unprotected hands in my reach will be mucked. When a player wants to let off steam he can look at the dealer and say things that make him feel better. He can see that the dealer is in a helpless place and should ignore anything other than the running of the game. The way I see it there are professional dealers and then there are dealers who view it as a vehicle to another job and are not good or do not want to improve. No matter what you are making a living out of I think you should do your very best, get along with he people in your life and continue to learn. As far as players go, the same would apply. I'm afraid there will always be angle shooters and there will always be bad dealers. But in a perfect world...

Great Names in San Diego

So often we talk and spend too much time on negative subjects and people. I want to change the tone to happy and give credit where it is do. I have met some of the nicest people in card rooms. We are not talking about the scoundrels today.

I deal to a group of no-limit players in the mornings that are class A. San Diego is a little slower than Los Angeles but not when it comes to players.

Sports figures from skateboarder, Tony Hawks to basketballs. Bill Walton. Can't leave out Reggie Bush, Marcus Allen, Gail Deevers and everyone before and after. It is completely the opposite of how it use to be. We have tons of great card players here too. We have some heavy hitters down this way, and why not? The beauty of the city is inspiring and the weather allows you to get out whenever the fancy strikes. All one needs is a motivation and a focus. San Diego is the perfect spot for both. Maybe that's why we have such genuinely nice players like, Coach, One Eyed Jack, Dr. J, Chico, Magic or Jetson, to name a few. The group has changed a little since the old Vegas days. Days that you spent your shift dealing to guys they called Louie the Lip, Duck, Hammer, Ice Man, Angel, Shoeshine and Vito or The Black Widow... Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Afterall, what's in a name?

Stay in Touch

Started this month trying to contact old friends. Sometimes you forget that as you get older so do the other people that you know. We remember people as they looked the last time we saw them. I thought that I should keep in better touch with my friends. I have moved around more than they have so I always needed to let my friends know that I have relocated, again. As I called a few numbers that I dug up from an old phone book, I learned that two of them had passed away. I hadn't been notified because nobody knew where I was. I resolve to keep in touch with friends on a more regular basis. My friends have been good to me and I like to remind them that I care about them. I won't put off important things like keeping friends close and calling just to say hi. As far as my friends go, that I have lost, I hope they know that I will never forget what they brought to my life. R.I.P.& save a seat for me in the game.

Job Security

It is a time of massive lay-offs and downsizing. Too many people are feeling it right now and it is getting worse. My friends in Detroit are hurting badly and cutting into retirement funds if any. It seems that it can only get worse before it gets better. the poker business is no different. The business is off as people have less to spend on recreation. But before a gambler would buy a new pair of shoes he would probably gamble the cash to try to get everyone in the family new shoes. This is the mind of a gambler. I have seen casinos fire full shifts of employees because they though someone one the shift was cheating. I have seen people in the business let go because of their outside associations or even because a high limit gambler's wife didn't care for the dealer.

The job security in this business is more shaky than any other I have seen. On the Indian reservation casinos, anything can happen because they have their own law. They are not subject to all the rules and regulations of other business in the state. Poker rooms are somewhat like that also, weather reservation gaming or not. The poker room is the convince area of the casino. Almost like the rest rooms. They need the are to be a full service casino but the area brings in the least revenue of any other gaming space in the casino. So in turn the floor people and dealers in the room are held to a different standard as the rest of the casino. Poker dealers were not getting any of the standard benefit's that the other dealers in casinos were getting, until just lately. Poker dealers and players were not thought of in high regard as they now are since television has picked them up. A poker dealer's job is different from other professions in many ways. There is no room for advancement in many cases, no retirement plan, no 401 k and as the years go by and you gain more knowledge of your field you become disposable and can be replaced with younger newer models.. I have seen numerous cases of this scenario. Our business is a form of entertainment that sends are patrons home broke or with the illusion that it might be an easy way to make money. It is easier to have a regular job than to make your money gambling unless you are in the top 3%. So weather you play or weather you deal make sure that you are in control as much as possible. If your are totally sharp then you should use the business instead of letting the business use you. If not the business will continue but you will be gone.

CALL ME AT WORK

I've worked in about 30 clubs in my casino lifetime and there are still amazing things happening on the felt everyday. What is the most bizzare situation you have seen while playing? Comment if you would like to share.

In just this past year I've seen several altercations that almost became fist fights. Of course they were all over stupid things. It is not what you say or even how you say it but WHEN you say it. Timing is everything in poker and in life. Walking by a table and making comments to players is very dangerous. Even a simple "how are you doing?"can send a player into orbit. After a bad beat, anything can set some players off. One player beat another and then called him a BOY, and the guy grabbed him my the throat. Slow rolling and taunting players can start up a pretty good one. If you are new to the game and aren't familiar with all the finer points then just mind your business and play cards. That's all anyone wants at a game. Sometimes you'll get a game where everyone is joking and having fun but remember there is always one guy who is not having fun. There is always one unstable player. One guy that seems to thrive on misery. Remember you can walk in and play poker wheather or not you are mentally stable or have an IQ of 10. Don't let these players upset you and if they throw your game off then change tables.

The best one that I've seen this year was when a dealer held up the game to answer his cell phone. It was a 4-8 limit live game. Yeah, he was a doozey, and qualified dealers are having a hard time finding jobs. It is easy for a dealer to lose track of the game when involved in conversations with players. So do yourself a favor and don't talk to the dealer while in the box. If you would like to speak personally with a dealer maybe you should get the cell phone number and he/she can just stop the game for a moment and concentrate on your call.