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Dec. 18th, 2010
Poker With a Witch
Dec. 18th, 2010 11:57 pmA co-worker and friend invited me to her house for a party. It was the second party she'd invited me to--an unexpected explosion of life prevented me from going the first--and this time I was determined to go! So off I went.
M--- and her husband S--- have a very nice house, which I found after scooting around a fire truck and ambulance dealing with an unrelated emergency just up the block. As I was coming up the walk, M---'s parents and grandfather pulled up in their car, so I got to meet them right away. Turns out M---'s mother is also a teacher. So we had a houseful of educators!
The food and conversation were very pleasant, but eventually we adjourned to the basement rec room for the party's =real= raison d'être--poker!
Is it ever a good idea to play poker with a witch? No, it is not. :)
The game of the evening was Texas Hold 'Em. When I sat down, I couldn't resist saying, "How do you play this game again?"
Actually, I wasn't half kidding. I know how to play Five Card Stud and a few other poker variants, and I knew how to play Texas Hold 'Em in the abstract, but I hadn't actually played it. That was okay--I learn fast.
We had a Poker Grandma at the table, and she was sharp. I was also watching M---'s grandfather, who is 99 and counting. When it comes to cards, you have to watch the old people because they've been playing the longest, and they aren't above pretending to be infirm and tricking you into letting your guard down so they can wipe you out.
Me, I was the newbie. I had to keep asking where the deal went and I mixed up terms like "check" and "call." One time I called and when we turned our cards over, we thought Poker Grandma had won, but then it turned out I had a straight and hadn't noticed. Dear, dear, dear. So no one paid attention to me.
To everyone's horror, we all ended up singing Kenny Rogers.
M---'s husband S--- won the first few hands, which gave him a tactical advantage; at a table with no raise limit, he could use his chips to force others out, or trick them into betting too high. Then the Poker Grandma had a similar run, and used her own chip pile to similar advantage. The game became a power play between the two of them.
One by one, the other players fell out, including Grandpa. And then, to everyone's surprise, it was S---, Poker Grandma, and me. And I was sitting on top of all these chips. Where had =they= come from?
The play began in earnest now. We had a set of really bad hands--Jack-high stuff--that finally ended Poker Grandma. That left it between S--- and me. I eyed his fortress of chips, and he looked at mine.
"Want to call it a tie?" I offered.
"Good idea!" he said. And we were declared co-champions.
It was great fun! Because of the boys, my card playing these days is largely limited to Go Fish and Crazy 8, so win or lose, it was a fine thing to play a grownup game with grownups.
And after more food and conversation, it was time to head home. An enjoyable evening, I have to say.
M--- and her husband S--- have a very nice house, which I found after scooting around a fire truck and ambulance dealing with an unrelated emergency just up the block. As I was coming up the walk, M---'s parents and grandfather pulled up in their car, so I got to meet them right away. Turns out M---'s mother is also a teacher. So we had a houseful of educators!
The food and conversation were very pleasant, but eventually we adjourned to the basement rec room for the party's =real= raison d'être--poker!
Is it ever a good idea to play poker with a witch? No, it is not. :)
The game of the evening was Texas Hold 'Em. When I sat down, I couldn't resist saying, "How do you play this game again?"
Actually, I wasn't half kidding. I know how to play Five Card Stud and a few other poker variants, and I knew how to play Texas Hold 'Em in the abstract, but I hadn't actually played it. That was okay--I learn fast.
We had a Poker Grandma at the table, and she was sharp. I was also watching M---'s grandfather, who is 99 and counting. When it comes to cards, you have to watch the old people because they've been playing the longest, and they aren't above pretending to be infirm and tricking you into letting your guard down so they can wipe you out.
Me, I was the newbie. I had to keep asking where the deal went and I mixed up terms like "check" and "call." One time I called and when we turned our cards over, we thought Poker Grandma had won, but then it turned out I had a straight and hadn't noticed. Dear, dear, dear. So no one paid attention to me.
To everyone's horror, we all ended up singing Kenny Rogers.
M---'s husband S--- won the first few hands, which gave him a tactical advantage; at a table with no raise limit, he could use his chips to force others out, or trick them into betting too high. Then the Poker Grandma had a similar run, and used her own chip pile to similar advantage. The game became a power play between the two of them.
One by one, the other players fell out, including Grandpa. And then, to everyone's surprise, it was S---, Poker Grandma, and me. And I was sitting on top of all these chips. Where had =they= come from?
The play began in earnest now. We had a set of really bad hands--Jack-high stuff--that finally ended Poker Grandma. That left it between S--- and me. I eyed his fortress of chips, and he looked at mine.
"Want to call it a tie?" I offered.
"Good idea!" he said. And we were declared co-champions.
It was great fun! Because of the boys, my card playing these days is largely limited to Go Fish and Crazy 8, so win or lose, it was a fine thing to play a grownup game with grownups.
And after more food and conversation, it was time to head home. An enjoyable evening, I have to say.