Wicked deal

Image via Wikipedia

A good poker dealer is much like a good bartender. Keeps the action moving, keeps the unruly in line with a wink and a prod, and of course brings a deep well of amusing stories. Poker is, after all, a game of stories.

So the good dealer the other night brought out this quip-happy anecdote: She was dealing low stakes limit at a casino in Vegas, and a grumpy chaser kept calling out (and missing) his miracle cards. She started playing along. After getting a few wrong, she hits big. "4 of clubs," she announces before flipping a river to reveal the very card to a small round of amusement. "Eight of spades," she goes again on the next hand, and spikes it perfectly. The table goes wild. To be fair, it is pretty amazing. A little over a 2,000-1 shot to call two in a row. But for a dealer that probably lays down well over 100,000 hands a year, it's far from impossible.

Mr. Grumpy was apparently not amused. "How did you do that?" he stammers. And on the downbeat, she looks up and tells him flatly, "I'm a witch."

Very nice. Let's assume he grumpily stumbled off, half a rack down to another table where he could be a lousy tipper. That's about the picture I get from it. Good story.

Don't forget to tip your dealer.