Vacation Part V: "Card Sharking"

I like playing cards...

And I ain't talking about Spades. (Still trying to learn that. And Ilovespades.com is the devil. Just want ya'll to know that).

I like playing REAL cards. I like playing poker.

I've played Carribean Stud in the past at Casinos, and I usually break even.

Not enough for me to go professional or to be a card carryin' member of Gambler's Anonymous, you see.

But while on vacation, there was Texas Hold 'Em games held out near the pool in the Activity Center.

And on the day before we left to come back to flooded out Atlanta, an Oldgirl decided to take a little field trip out to the pool and catch a little action.

It turned out that there was a 20 dollar buy-in...



I could do that. Heck, I'd only spent 30 dollars in tips while there for 4 days. I could spare 20 bucks.

I took a seat at the table and ordered a margarita.

There were trash talking white dudes there. And a couple of European gals, too. One of them threw 20 euros into the pot. (That was interesting. I'd never seen Euros before).

There were 8 people in all... A bit too many, but heck, it was all in fun...

That fella sitting directly across from me... he was talking his ass off. Analyzing everybody and every move. Bragged about playing in tournaments. Yada, yada, yada...



They were all very interesting people. I didn't have much to say. Just listened... and watched, mostly.





I was mesmerized by this tatted fella. I know it had to be painful getting those tats all on his arm.



I wondered what kind of job he had, where he can be tatted up like that. I wanted to ask, but folks who know me know how I am around people I don't know.

I was eerily quiet. Playing and snapping pictures of the action.

(I know they were wondering why the heck I was taking pictures, lol. No one asked.)

Oldgirl had a few chips...



That was my short stack... about an hour into the game.

The chatty fella across from me was hollerin' "Don't count her out! She has a short stack, but she could come back!"

Folks weren't listening.

An Oldgirl stayed in the game while others were being picked off.

An Oldgirl hustled a few more chips...

I kept on playing. 2 hours in, I ordered up a strawberry daquiri with a shot of tequila on the side.

Tapped my feet to an INSANE 15 minute version of Diana Ross' Love Hangover. (I really LIKE that song.)

An Oldgirl knows how to stack chips...



Yep... That Oldgirl knows a little something about chips.

In other words... AN OLDGIRL KNOWS HOW TO STACK THEM CHIPS, MA.

It got down to me and the tatted fella. They were whining about how he and I should split the money.

*crickets*


"N'awl,man... let's keep going, heads up," I said.

By that time, close to 3 hours in, Def Leppard was blaring over the loud speaker. It was really irking me and it was time to push dude. I was ready to go curl up on a lounge chair down at the beach with my book.

Final hand: Tatted dude had a Jack and a King... I had a Queen and a Jack.



LadyLee got them Euros!



LadyLee got ALL the bread!



That's how you do that there. Really.

I had a good time.

Should've been playing the first day I got there, lol...