gamboling in the desert

Texas Hold ‘Em is a game I could get used to, if not hooked on, if I’m not careful. Although I didn’t actually enter a tournament, I meant to and to that end I took a “seminar” on how it’s played. After a five-six minute lecture from the dealer, which really only assured him that all of his students (about 20 in number) understood the rules of basic poker, we actually sat down and played a complete one-table tournament. The house gave us $2,000 in chips and we were off. Of course this free money was a big factor in our strategies (at least mine) and some of us bet like we had a never-ending source of cash hidden somewhere. Unlike real tournaments when a player loses his chips and has to hit the trail, the losers were given more to continue the learning experience.

I won the table for two reasons; I bet like a maniac (not my money) and got lucky on the flop several times. My individual triumph was being able to drive seven players out the door on one individual hand which, it seems, is highly unusual. The Texas Hold 'Em manager even came over and took my photo which was posted in the casino for a minute or two and then during the tournament the next day; which I missed because of a previous engagement. Actually I’ve always thought that breaking even makes you a winner, and not playing at all assures that status.