Tunica -- In live play we trust

TUNICA, Miss. -- The blonde in the Sham seat has a concerned look on her face.

"I never play on the Internet -- there's too much cheating there," she says.

The dealer nods in earnest agreement.

"I hear they have a program that lets someone see all the cards," she says.

He continues to nod.

If the NL$1/3 table at the Grand Casino were an "Internet" game, I'd never leave. Online, it's hard to leave when you have a passive player that plays more than 40 percent of their hands.

Here's there's an 80 percent cowboy and at least 3 40 percenters. Everyone is passive.

I got in about 8 p.m. and crashed until 1:45 a.m. and then hit the tables. To my delight, there were lots of people still playing at the Grand, which is hosting the WSOP circuit tournament series.

There is totally an atmosphere of anyone can win, as illustrated in the results of the first $500+50 tournament there -- a dude who had never played a tournament before beat out a semipro for the win by making two inside straights on the river.

I'm glad I'm here. lol