The Hammer

In our room on tables with a shuffle master, the policy is that we will provide one set up per 8 hour shift. As a dealer, we rarely know if that particular table has already gotten a set up during that shift, so it is common practice to just inform that floor that there has been a set up request. The floor will then either bring a set up or tell the player when the table is eligible for a set up. Of course there are ways "around" this policy. If there are damaged/marked cards or if a card hits the floor (or the wall or the dealer in some cases) a set up is typically provided. This is a grey area and players who employ this tactic need to tread lightly.
So the lady in the 9s asks for a set-up. She does this on a regular basis. If she isn't winning, and usually she isn't winning, she thinks that a set-up will be the magic pill that she is looking for.
I yell out "set-up request on table 6" and continue dealing the next hand. When the action reaches the 9s she places a stack of about 8 chips on her cards and leans back in her chair. I wait a few seconds and then tell her that the action is on her. She knows the action is to her and everyone else at the table knows it's on her. She pauses a few seconds for dramatic effect and then asks me if I want to call the floor. Immediately I look around, assess the situation and wonder what in the hell I've done that would require a floor being called. I ask her why she needs a floor and she states that she asked for a set up. VERY big sigh here. I remind her that I have already called out a set-up request and then I ask her why she wants to punish the table by stopping the action. "I can see that they (the floor/cashier) are not busy and I want to know why they aren't bringing a set up. It's times like this that I'm glad that I don't carry a gun....BUT I can shoot death rays with my eyes. The problem was that my death rays weren't reducing her to a smoldering pile of ashes. I gotta work on those death rays.

I only worked 5 hours today. That's become a disturbing trend lately. 5-6 hours and out.
After work I headed to Bellagio to meet Linda. I jumped into a 4-8 limit game with Marie and Linda joined us a few minutes after that. Jim aka the Monkey from Colorado is in town and he moved down from his $30-60 game to socialize with us.
Let me be the first to tell you that Linda took a hammer, yes THE hammer, and bashed in my skull. I'm pretty sure that it was $12 to go pre-flop and I distinctly remember Linda telling me that I was going to be sorry for raising it. Somewhere around the turn Linda told me to take a deep breath. She thought I was going to need it after getting hammered. Yep, a seven high straight took it down. Funny, but I can't even remember what I had. I ended up winning around $130 in spite of the ol' 7-2 SUITED trick.

The Saturday night roving card party will be moving to Sunday night this week. We'll be meeting at Treasure Island around 6PM. Stop by and say hello/play some cards if you happen to be in town.