Member-only story
Playing Poker for fun and profit
Some thoughts about an American pastime
Childhood Memories
When my ex was a kid, his dad had monthly poker games at their house. The kids would be going to bed just as people started to arrive. The dining room table became a gaming table, complete with ashtrays. This was back when people smoked.
My ex told me that he’d hear the men laughing while he lay in bed. He wasn’t sure what his mom was doing. He thinks she used the time to take a bubble bath. With 6 kids in the house as well as a husband, she probably welcomed the chance to be ignored so she could soak in a tub in peace.
As the night progressed, the alcohol ran freely and the men got louder. The men kept the cash they won, but not the change. Instead, before they left, they scattered coins all over the house for the kids to find the next morning. My ex said it was like Easter except with quarters instead of candy eggs.
To my ex, poker was something mystical that men did.
For me, it was associated with Bond villains and Mississippi riverboats. I didn’t play until I got to college. Then some kind upperclassmen invited me to a game. I had visions of Casino Royale floating through my head. The reality was different.
