My first day at the fair, I showed up in the early afternoon and was lucky enough to get on to a new table with fellow 2+2er, Borno. Turns out the dealer they brought over was a blackjack dealer and had never dealt poker before. With the pit boss standing over his shoulder and making sure everything was all right, "Roger" was dealing at a rate of about 10 hands per hour. I was dying for a table change. Almost every player had to speak up at every pot to tell him where to push it and how to rake to take. Roger made no tips.

Our next dealer was an improvement. He dealt much faster and never got involved with discussion at the table. I would have complimented him, but he was deaf. After about 3 hours, Borno, who had been sitting across the table from me gets a seat change directly to my left. Good for him to spot his advantage. Having him next to me is so distracting that I'm just getting crazy at the table. I scoop a couple big pots, only to drop it back to rivers in my last round. I fold UTG and leave to catch the bus home. I enjoy counting my chips ... dead even after 6 hours of play.

After a 4-day hiatus, I ditch out on work early Thursday afternoon to return to the scene of the crime. A modest hour-long wait finds me at a juicy table with a few young players and lots of laughter. After an hour or so, I'm already up 30BB and I can't be stopped. I was hitting everything in sight and everybody knew it. The "lucky hand" of the night was Q4, and my buddy and I kept promoting it. In fact, the player 2 seats to my right calls down to the river after hitting top pair on the flop, just because it was Q4! To top it off, my friend raises all-in UTG+1 with Q4 to the same effect. He doesn't backdoor his wheel and I have to leave this juicy table.

On my way back home from Toronto, I have my roommate take an alternate route home and leave me at the gates of the fair on its last day in town. This table was terrific. I happen to be at the tight end of the table while the other half is seeing almost every river, desparate to receive chips. One player normally plays twice these limits, but since that game isn't running, he's raising virtually every pot preflop to make it seem like more his style. Add in 7 more players to every flop who don't respect his raises anymore. Let sit for two hours with high pairs and big suited cards and cash me out 100BB at the end of the night. This luckbox cannot be stopped. Seeing as how the fair is located in the dirtiest part of town and I still have to catch the bus home, I get out of there quick, hide some bills in my sock, and try to look as unhappy as possible while walking towards the bus stop. I say nothing about the bling to my girfriend while on the phone during the ride. It's a new relationship and she only knows I play poker as a hobby. I later find out "hobby" = "gamble".

I get home safely and ask my roommate to accompany me to the bank. I show him the reason as his girlfriend steps through the door with her jaw dropped. My other roommate decides to make the trek. Not even 2 minutes from my house, my girlfriend calls. I explain to her that I'm on my way to the bank. "Making a LARGE deposit?? How come you didn't tell me??" I defer the conversation until I get to her house 20 minutes later. She wants me to spend the money instead of wasting it on more poker. I attempt to explain that I'm trying to move up limits and that this money is an investment. I'll have to work on this one.

In any case, I can't wait until the fair returns in 2006.