Odds and Ends

This is what I call an "odds and ends" column, meaning that an assortment of topics will be presented in no particular order.

Congratulations … Lou Krieger recently sent me the following e-mail: "I've some happy news to share with you. I'm getting married to Deirdre Quinn, who took a rather circuitous route to meet me. She was born in Sligo, Ireland, and grew up in Montana and Washington before foregoing the rain and the cold for the desert's warmth. She's a fourth-grade teacher who's very bright and very witty, and shares my sense of humor. I am extremely lucky to have found her. We met nearly a year ago, at Sherman's Deli in Palm Springs, at the very place Irish and Jewish cultures coincide – over a plate of corned beef. Things just took off from there."

Lou is one of the good guys, and I am so thrilled to hear of his upcoming nuptials. Good luck, Lou and Deirdre!

Customer Service … I recently drove up to the valet parking entrance at a local casino and the valet greeted me by saying, "Welcome. Do you need directions to any specific area of the hotel?" This started my visit with a warm, fuzzy feeling about the casino. Wouldn't it be nice to receive such friendly customer service from every employee you encounter?

Japan Revisited … I recently returned from another trip to Japan to compete in the Japanese Poker Championships. Our host Hiroshi Shimamura treated Mike O'Malley, Jan Fisher, and me to a wonderful tour of some of the top sights and attractions his beautiful country has to offer. Once again, the Japanese players were very hospitable and made us feel at home. And, they listened attentively at the poker seminars we presented in Tokyo and Nagoya. By the way, congratulations to the 2004 Japanese Poker Champ Mike O'Malley!

Poker is Popular … Patty Granger, a good friend of mine, told me that her son plays poker in his German class. It seems that the students play for chips, not money, and it's a way for them to practice their German vocabulary. For the last 15 minutes of the one-hour class, they play Texas hold'em, and all conversation regarding the betting, the cards, and the winning hand has to be in German. Why didn't my French and Spanish teachers take this approach to learning the language?

Smile, Please … If you are playing in a major poker tournament and someone snaps your photo, chances are that it's an employee of Image Masters Photography who took your picture. Nolan Dalla refers to the poker department of Image Masters as "The Eye on Poker." Thus far this year, the Eye on Poker has provided cover and inside photos of poker champions to more than 120 publications. President Eric Harkins had to add five staff members just to keep up with the heavy demand of photos at the 2004 World Series of Poker. If you played in an event and are interested in seeing a copy of your photo, go to www.imagemastersphotography.com.

Bellagio Expansion … Bellagio's $375 million, 928-room tower/spa expansion is on target to be completed by the end of this year. It will bring the total number of rooms at the resort to 3,928.

The Funny Side of Poker … I chuckled recently when I heard a floorperson make the following announcement: "We're starting a new $4-$8 hold'em game on table 12. Unlimited rebuys available."

News Wire Story… A gambler called the police for help after he lost his false teeth while playing poker. The man's opponent apparently had taken his dentures as security against nonpayment of a gambling debt. The man told police he would have to live off fluids until he raised the money to pay the debt. His friend admitted taking the teeth and gave them back under police pressure.

Just Pack … The tag line for Card Player Cruises is, "Just Pack, We'll Do the Rest." This resulted in a funny e-mail from Denny Lynch, who wrote, "I'm packed and have been so for three weeks, but I'm still waiting for you to do the rest, like buy the tickets (outside suite, please), drive my family and me to the airport, unpack us, and so on. What gives???" We'll be right there, Denny.

If you have any funny anecdotes, poker tales, or odds and ends that you would like me to include in a future column, please feel free to e-mail me.

Now, let's play poker!

Editor's note: Linda is a partner in Card Player Cruises. For a listing of future poker cruises, go to www.cardplayercruises.com.