the dealers at the gold strike are very good. most of them have been here for at least four or five years, and many have prior experience dealing poker. the 3/6 omaha/8 full kill game *always* has lots of chips in the pots, and pots are split quickly and efficiently. vicki is a bespectacled buxom blonde, in her 30s, cheerful and quite proficient. she started dealing poker in may 1994, to earn some money to help pay for the rest of her degree in mechanical engineering. she hasn't gotten back to school yet. "this ain't work. where else can you sit on your ass and have so much fun?"
mississippi gaming regulations allow the use of props and shills. i am told that only the horseshoe uses props (very few), but most of the rooms use dealers as shills only to help get the games started in the mornings and early afternoons.
last night, i played some omaha with mike, one of the twins (mf and ef). a few months ago, someone reported a story here at rgp involving a couple who was staying at the burgundy, a fleabag motel across north carolina avenue from resorts, in atlantic city. after a few days at the motel, the couple complained about the smell in their room. after investigation, the motel manager found a dead body under the bed. the previous occupant of the room was found and arrested, and the story made the newspapers and was picked up by the national news services. one member of this newsgroup, steve jacobs, derided the story as being an "urban legend," but i noted that the twins had been staying in the adjacent room.
the twins are a couple of muscular fellows in their 30s, from staten island. they hang around atlantic city, reaping a meager living from the omaha split games. they play poker. they don't read books. they don't read newspapers (except for the sports section). they don't watch television (except for the sports). they don't do much of anything except play poker, and hang around the beach in the summertime.
i was quite surprised to see these two fellows in tunica, for i had been under the impression that, except for a rare visit to vegas, they stayed pretty close to new jersey. however, they spent some time in biloxi and they've been here in tunica for about six weeks, staying at the horseshoe, and ripping up the higher stakes omaha games that go on weekends. they have yet to pay for a meal here in town. they're having a ball!
i told mike about the "urban legend" comment. he snorted. "[expletive deleted]! we smelled the [expletive deleted] thing for two days! and we saw the police take the [expletive deleted] corpse out of the room!"
i'm getting a very late start today, and splurged $15 on a room service breakfast. but how else would i complete my last report and get it up on the board? ;)
stay tuned!
tiger