So I sign up for the $5k NLHE at Rio today and I draw a table with Maurice Hawkins, who I don't know.. Maria Ho.. who I don't know.. and Melanie Weisner who I don't know.
Well I know them all now. I guess they're really big deals. Like I should care how important and awesome they are or something.
But anyway, Maria likes to raise preflop and bet every street. Or at least she did today.
I had pocket 33. the board came Q7752 (or something like that). I can't remember how the action went but she bet 850 on the river. The pot had 1400 in it, and we each had about 14k behind. (very early in event.)
I want to think about it. I don't like my hand, but I'm not certain she has anything. In fact, she might be betting because it's the only way she can win. Sure it doesn't seem like a lot of chips being only 850 but every decision matters in a tourney, IMO.
About 8 seconds after she makes her bet, Maurice Hawkins rolls his eyes at me (indicating that it's such a small bet I should have auto-called or auto-folded) and then starts loudly singing the Final Jeopardy theme song. This makes it more difficult to think. On top of that, he says, "Call the clock. It's only 850. This is ridiculous. He's had one whole minute to think about it and it's only 850!"
I decide to muck before the floor comes over but I ask for the floor to clarify the situation. I say, "Is it OK for him to sing the Jeopardy theme song while I'm trying to make my decision and is it OK for him to call the clock after only one minute (which he even said HIMSELF it was only a minute! not lying here).
The floor says that it should be at least 2 minutes before a floor is called, and no in no uncertain ways is singing the Jeopardy theme song acceptable while I'm making a river decision.
Maurice tells me before the floor gets there, "You know what? I don't give a damn."
But when the floor gets there he says "My fault. I shouldn't have said that."
He did get a warning for the Jeopardy singing.
Prior to this event, he had dropped the F-Bomb twice. I am not worried about the F-Bomb. Wouldn't have cared, but after this whole thing he said it again so I called the floor. The floor came over. Gave him another warning for dropping F-bomb (which the whole table had heard).
THAT's TWO WARNINGS.
So we play for a while and he gets in a 3-way pot that I'm not involved in and the early position player checks, he bets 3100, player behind him calls, then early position goes all in for 11,000. He had about 28000 then.
I wait for 2 whole minutes (remember he only gave me one Jeopardy-music-filled one minute earlier) and then I call clock. He says "You know you're a little bitch don't you? Yeah that's right you're a little bitch!" He's still in the hand and deciding what to do, but that's what he says to me.
A person with a Boston cap, then leads into me saying I didn't give him enough time, etc. This player had not been there for the earlier stuff. I told him that. Turns out he was close friends with Maurice so it was all a sham.
The floor gives both me and Maurice warnings. I'm thinking that's crazy. He got a warning for Jeopardy music, he got a warning for F-bomb, and he got a warning for calling me a little bitch.
What did I do? I called clock after 2 whole minutes on someone who called clock on me after 1 minute where he was singing Jeopardy the whole time.
So I'm the bad guy or something.
Anyway, there's a clique in poker. Maria Ho and Maurice obviously thought they were both superior to everyone else. They laughed and chided me and thought it was fine to break rules and etiquette because they're just that far superior to the peasants that troll these games like me.
There were a few other people at the table that refused to say a word in the tournament, but on the break they told me I was right on everything I said.
The floor seemed in the tank for Maurice too. They came up smiling to the table and Maurice greased them with hellos and smiles too. Clearly there's clique in tournament poker, and if you're not in it, you're not going to be treated well by the floor.