Do you remember the song Proud Mary? When Ike and Tina Turner did it, she said, "We never do anything nice and easy". Well, that's the way games and poker are around my house. There are some pretty competitive people and it can get interesting. This blog post is meant to describe such a night.
Several years ago I sat at a big table playing poker. The game was five-card draw with dueces wild. There was an interesting mix of players. There were older players with the look of the wolf in their eyes, veterans of many games. There were the casual players who played more for fun but could become ruthless if crossed. There were males and females, young and old, and at least one man who had played in some tournaments, including a regional for the World Series of Poker. There was not a single one among them who did not have the burning desire to win the bragging rights for the night.
Then there were two other players who came to us and said, "Teach us how to play". Right. As the game progressed it became obvious that the two newcomers were flashing signs back and forth. How else could they win so consistently? Was there perhaps a flash of the eyes here, a slight nod there?
Two of the older players were the first to go bust and walked away to drink and chat. Several of the other players, who could have played professionally at one time, managed to hang on for hours against the rookies. At last, even one of the rookies went bust. The remaining rookie, whose eyes reflected the gleaming pile of gold before her, began to mock the older players.
"Gee, my pile of gold is so big and yours is so small! How did that happen?"
After much time and taunting, the 'rookie' sat alone in triumph, plotting perhaps, how to spend her ill-gotten gains.
From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
PS: I wrote this to tease some friends who will probably read the blog. They are exceptional card players for rookies.
Several years ago I sat at a big table playing poker. The game was five-card draw with dueces wild. There was an interesting mix of players. There were older players with the look of the wolf in their eyes, veterans of many games. There were the casual players who played more for fun but could become ruthless if crossed. There were males and females, young and old, and at least one man who had played in some tournaments, including a regional for the World Series of Poker. There was not a single one among them who did not have the burning desire to win the bragging rights for the night.
Then there were two other players who came to us and said, "Teach us how to play". Right. As the game progressed it became obvious that the two newcomers were flashing signs back and forth. How else could they win so consistently? Was there perhaps a flash of the eyes here, a slight nod there?
Two of the older players were the first to go bust and walked away to drink and chat. Several of the other players, who could have played professionally at one time, managed to hang on for hours against the rookies. At last, even one of the rookies went bust. The remaining rookie, whose eyes reflected the gleaming pile of gold before her, began to mock the older players.
"Gee, my pile of gold is so big and yours is so small! How did that happen?"
After much time and taunting, the 'rookie' sat alone in triumph, plotting perhaps, how to spend her ill-gotten gains.
From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
PS: I wrote this to tease some friends who will probably read the blog. They are exceptional card players for rookies.
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