What kind of milk you want-a?

That was the counter lady, replying as I was trying to fix up Michelle's coffee this morning. Whole, I said, because that's how Michelle likes it.

"We have half-and-half."

So why she asked my preference, I don't know.

Small beans to gripe about now though, after some luck and some smooth negotiating by Michelle last night landed us this room at the Commerce Crowne Plaza hotel. The Crowne Plaza is a nine-floor hotel grafted onto L.A.'s biggest card room and one of the world's poker Meccas, the Commerce Casino. It's not a tourist destination for the non-degenerate -- it's no Westin Bonaventure! -- but it's a very comfortable hotel. And if you like playing cards late into the night like we do, there's nothing like getting up from the table, stumbling to the elevator and falling into bed. So knowing we had a few days in town after Michelle's conference, we booked the rest of our stay here.

But when we arrived last night at about 10 -- after our movie and an excellent dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Cholo -- we were bummed to discover they had recorded our reservation on the wrong dates and were sold out; no rooms available.

Somehow, I still don't know what she said, Michelle not only scored us a room but, we think, an upgrade to the top floor. Great view of the vast casino parking lot and the smoggy foothills to the east.

For our money one of the great attractions of this place, as a casino even more than as a hotel, is the Starbucks coffee served right out in the giant sea of poker tables. Also Krispy Kremes. Pretty good breakfast, right there.

If they only have half-and-half to go with the joe, that's probably not the worst bad-beat story we'll tell from downstairs this week.