TUNICA, MS — Stories of appalling dealing are already floating around the WSOP circuit event here, and the tournaments proper don’t even start until tomorrow. Normally I’d write off such complaints to the general grumpiness of that lot known as poker players, but then I witnessed it first hand. In the course of one baby satellite, our dealer:

1. Lost track of the clock and didn’t raise the blinds for several minutes. The short stacks insisted that we move the clock back to 15 minutes, and they prevailed. (I know, I sound like a grumpy former chip leader.)

2. Accidentally flipped over an ace meant for mwah (it happens, no prob), but then (mis)dealt me the next card instead of continuing around the table.

3. Created main and side pots even though there was one player left to act who could affect the size of both.

4. Misdealt two or three other hands.

I don’t remember seeing this many mistakes total in the couple-year history of the Rounder Club. It makes me wonder whether the WSOP has outgrown its ability to draw enough trained, competent dealers, especially outside Vegas. Maybe I’m wrong, and they’re all flying in as we speak. Which brings me to the best story I heard, from the guy sitting to my right:

HE WAS AT A TABLE WHERE THE DEALER DEALT IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. I wish I had been there to see it.

Full disclosure: I’m a bitter man. Having built a decent enough stack, I wake up with A-K, go all-in and everyone folds except the short stacked big blind, who calls blind. He has A-A. I lose a third of my stack. Then I’m hit with blinds that will take another third. Soon I’m gone.

THE TALLY
Baby satellite buy-ins: $90
Tournament vouchers and cash earned: $0
Next up: Putting a crowbar to my wallet and buying into Event No. 1, $300+$40, Monday, noon sharp.

UPDATE: The dealing was fine — better than fine — great dealers in fact at the $300 event today. The satellite nudniks Sunday apparently were trainees. As for mwah, I played brilliantly and finished 120-something out of 834 (81 places paid). For those keeping score, my A-J fell to K-Q when a lady came off on the river. Hundreds of would-be entrants were still in line buying in when the tourney started at noon. I was the 40th alternate and still got seated at 12:30, 10 minutes after signing up. All 150 or so alternates were seated within 90 minutes. I think this poker thing is catching on.