"You in?"
Because we always were. It was early 1991 when the BDS realized a deck of cards could be used for more than just drinking games. In the right hands, under the right guidance of a Navy man and with the right amount of chips, you could do much more with playing cards than pull a king and drink the entire cup of whatever was sitting in the middle of the table at the time.
You could take your buddy's money.
It started simply enough. The boys gathered at the Waltana Casino and learned the finer points of deception, bluffing and trickery at the hands of John. After getting us started, he would disappear into his wet bar closet, pull the sliding door shut tight, work a little magic and reappear several minutes later with mixed drink in hand. We knew immediately these drinks were fancy; they arrived in little whiskey glasses that were several paygrades above our rank. Prior to tossing them back, we'd ask what type of drink we were holding. "Just sip it" was John's answer and, after chugging the entire glass, we realized you should never question the elder statesman's suggestions.
That was 13 years ago. Now you find poker tournaments on ESPN and the Travel Channel almost daily. This Christmas, teens don't want CDs but poker chips. And the 6th most popular website this year? An online, virtual poker site. If we only would have known then what that one little poker party would explode into.
The venue has changed but the party hasn't since that first one oh so long ago. The guys now throw cards at any chance (and every place) they can. Motel rooms in Great Bend, KS during a hunting trip. Patios in Austin, TX. Basements in Kansas City. Even hotel suites in Oklahoma City specifically reserved for poker playing only. Games like 4-Drop, .357, The Money Game, Shit On Your Neighbor, Stud and 7/27 dominate the table. The pot size? Let's just say the size of the pot is proportionate to the size of the biggest set of balls sitting at the table on any given moment and leave it at that.
You could take your buddy's money.
It started simply enough. The boys gathered at the Waltana Casino and learned the finer points of deception, bluffing and trickery at the hands of John. After getting us started, he would disappear into his wet bar closet, pull the sliding door shut tight, work a little magic and reappear several minutes later with mixed drink in hand. We knew immediately these drinks were fancy; they arrived in little whiskey glasses that were several paygrades above our rank. Prior to tossing them back, we'd ask what type of drink we were holding. "Just sip it" was John's answer and, after chugging the entire glass, we realized you should never question the elder statesman's suggestions.
That was 13 years ago. Now you find poker tournaments on ESPN and the Travel Channel almost daily. This Christmas, teens don't want CDs but poker chips. And the 6th most popular website this year? An online, virtual poker site. If we only would have known then what that one little poker party would explode into.
The venue has changed but the party hasn't since that first one oh so long ago. The guys now throw cards at any chance (and every place) they can. Motel rooms in Great Bend, KS during a hunting trip. Patios in Austin, TX. Basements in Kansas City. Even hotel suites in Oklahoma City specifically reserved for poker playing only. Games like 4-Drop, .357, The Money Game, Shit On Your Neighbor, Stud and 7/27 dominate the table. The pot size? Let's just say the size of the pot is proportionate to the size of the biggest set of balls sitting at the table on any given moment and leave it at that.
posted by TheBDS at 11:23 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home