| General Fiction posted July 15, 2023 |
  |
Just when you think you know someone
A Fool and His Money......
by Debi Pick Marquette
The Poker Game Contest Winner
I was on a date with Seth, a guy at the office, and we were at a party at our boss's home.
I was having a good time talking to some of the girls from work when I noticed the guy I was with had joined a poker game.
He looked so absorbed, so I checked it out. I then thought to myself he was way over his head. I could tell he was no Kenny Roger's, and my first clue was how he held his cards. He didn't seem secure with his hand and did not protect them from people behind or walking by. This guy did not have a poker face, and you could read him the same as if you could see his cards.
I knew my share of the poker tricks from my two older brothers. We played at home, and they showed me how to play, deal dirty, cheat, and spot a cheater from a mile away. However, the cheating was only to be proactive and aware of others who may play dirty but never use it for personal gain.
So I left him alone, as I didn't want to bring that to his attention and embarrass the poor guy. I walked away, figuring he would have the common sense to get out of the game before losing too much. It was the boss's son, James' game, and he had announced all the house rules beforehand. He was a creep at the office and was a creep in his dad's home, but I didn't see any signs of cheating from him.
I joined the others on the patio while excusing myself periodically to see how Seth was doing with his poker-playing attempt. Finally, I saw that Seth was not going to give up. It had gotten to the point where he had lost so much that I was sure he thought he had to try to win it back, that his luck would have to change.
That's when I knew I had to get into the game to try to win some of his money back. I thought it cute when Seth tried to talk me out of it, as he didn't want to see me lose my money too.
James was as arrogant of a man as you ever wanted to meet. He didn't care for me at the office. This man had a caddy way of laughing to belittle any suggestions. He was condescending about whether he liked your ideas, so you never knew until you caught him. He had stolen my ideas at work twice and claimed them as his own.
I disliked him for so many reasons, and there was nothing more I would like to do than to put him in his place. He even had to have the fanciest cards to ensure everyone knew he was this big-time gambler. However, I had to admit they were of excellent quality, and it was easy to see these beauties were not marked in any way.
The next game was about to begin, and I felt a little nervous for the first time in many years. If he realized I was not a beginner, I would be SOL. However, if he thought I was as naive at poker as my actions showed, I could pull it off. I sat and looked like a nervous schoolgirl pretending to be confident. It was not easy for someone like me, but I was determined to make it work. I had to bluff as I had never bluffed before. I didn't try the first couple of hands to show my upset with losing.
When the next hand was dealt, I would try to make Mr. Know It All stand up and take notice. No matter what I had, I would make him think I had a barn burner. But what was to happen next, I never saw coming.
I was wondering why Seth was staying in the game. It was just the three of us remaining, out of the ten we had started with. It was James, Seth, and me with my full house, aces over nines. Did Seth have a good hand, and was that why he was staying in and upping the pot? If not, he was ruining everything and defeating the purpose of my being there. Now it may be nearly impossible to win his money back. I didn't mean to come out sounding so arrogant, but I figured I knew more about the game and had a better chance at winning, even if I had to bluff.
The pot was getting bigger and bigger, and neither James nor Seth was backing down. At that point, I ran out of money and could no longer continue. So I threw my cards on the table and stood up to stretch. I felt sick, knowing I had stayed in too long. James was ruthless, and Seth was either a complete idiot or very sure of his hand.
Just as I was going to sit back down to watch the rest of the game, I saw that the word must have gotten around about this high-stakes game. Most of the people at the party were standing there watching, including the big boss himself, James' dad, Mr. James Adams Sr.
The game seemed to go on forever when James realized he was out of money. His father shook his head and walked away. James followed him, begging for help, but the old man said no. "I will no longer support your expensive habit."
At that point, James announced that the game would be continued after he made a trip to an ATM, and that was when Seth stood up and finally spoke. He recited the house rules to the no-limit, simple five-card draw. that was only played with strictly cash; no chips allowed. Everyone knew why they couldn't use chips, because James figured nobody, but him would carry around as much cash as he kept on him at all times. He said if you run out, there's no going for more. You are out of the game.
James argued it was his game, and before he could get another word out, every guy stood up to agree with Seth. At that point, Mr. Adams said, "Seth, collect your winnings." James stormed out, and I imagine he retired to his room to pout.
I don't remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much. Watching James so upset was indeed the highlight of my evening. We left the party soon after, and Seth took me home.
I suppose you are curious about what cards Seth was holding in his hand. Let's just put it this way, I underestimated him and should have trusted him to know what he was doing. Seth won that jackpot of over $17,000 with three queens. He had kept track of what he and some of his co-worker friends had lost while playing with James on a night they knew he was cheating, but couldn't prove it. Seth planned on returning money to the ones he had played with in that particular game.
Earlier that day Seth had made it a point to empty his bank account before he came. A while back, he had overheard James brag about winning many jackpots without exceeding his $5000 limit of what he had kept out to play with. So he knew he could bluff this big ape out of his stash as long as he had enough money. I guess James wasn't so smart after all, and Seth not so innocent.
I invited Seth over the following evening to play a couple of rounds of two-handed poker and for dinner. The menu would be steak for him, and as for me, I would be eating a little crow.
'
I was on a date with Seth, a guy at the office, and we were at a party at our boss's home.
I was having a good time talking to some of the girls from work when I noticed the guy I was with had joined a poker game.
He looked so absorbed, so I checked it out. I then thought to myself he was way over his head. I could tell he was no Kenny Roger's, and my first clue was how he held his cards. He didn't seem secure with his hand and did not protect them from people behind or walking by. This guy did not have a poker face, and you could read him the same as if you could see his cards.
I was having a good time talking to some of the girls from work when I noticed the guy I was with had joined a poker game.
He looked so absorbed, so I checked it out. I then thought to myself he was way over his head. I could tell he was no Kenny Roger's, and my first clue was how he held his cards. He didn't seem secure with his hand and did not protect them from people behind or walking by. This guy did not have a poker face, and you could read him the same as if you could see his cards.
I knew my share of the poker tricks from my two older brothers. We played at home, and they showed me how to play, deal dirty, cheat, and spot a cheater from a mile away. However, the cheating was only to be proactive and aware of others who may play dirty but never use it for personal gain.
So I left him alone, as I didn't want to bring that to his attention and embarrass the poor guy. I walked away, figuring he would have the common sense to get out of the game before losing too much. It was the boss's son, James' game, and he had announced all the house rules beforehand. He was a creep at the office and was a creep in his dad's home, but I didn't see any signs of cheating from him.
I joined the others on the patio while excusing myself periodically to see how Seth was doing with his poker-playing attempt. Finally, I saw that Seth was not going to give up. It had gotten to the point where he had lost so much that I was sure he thought he had to try to win it back, that his luck would have to change.
That's when I knew I had to get into the game to try to win some of his money back. I thought it cute when Seth tried to talk me out of it, as he didn't want to see me lose my money too.
James was as arrogant of a man as you ever wanted to meet. He didn't care for me at the office. This man had a caddy way of laughing to belittle any suggestions. He was condescending about whether he liked your ideas, so you never knew until you caught him. He had stolen my ideas at work twice and claimed them as his own.
I disliked him for so many reasons, and there was nothing more I would like to do than to put him in his place. He even had to have the fanciest cards to ensure everyone knew he was this big-time gambler. However, I had to admit they were of excellent quality, and it was easy to see these beauties were not marked in any way.
The next game was about to begin, and I felt a little nervous for the first time in many years. If he realized I was not a beginner, I would be SOL. However, if he thought I was as naive at poker as my actions showed, I could pull it off. I sat and looked like a nervous schoolgirl pretending to be confident. It was not easy for someone like me, but I was determined to make it work. I had to bluff as I had never bluffed before. I didn't try the first couple of hands to show my upset with losing.
When the next hand was dealt, I would try to make Mr. Know It All stand up and take notice. No matter what I had, I would make him think I had a barn burner. But what was to happen next, I never saw coming.
I was wondering why Seth was staying in the game. It was just the three of us remaining, out of the ten we had started with. It was James, Seth, and me with my full house, aces over nines. Did Seth have a good hand, and was that why he was staying in and upping the pot? If not, he was ruining everything and defeating the purpose of my being there. Now it may be nearly impossible to win his money back. I didn't mean to come out sounding so arrogant, but I figured I knew more about the game and had a better chance at winning, even if I had to bluff.
The pot was getting bigger and bigger, and neither James nor Seth was backing down. At that point, I ran out of money and could no longer continue. So I threw my cards on the table and stood up to stretch. I felt sick, knowing I had stayed in too long. James was ruthless, and Seth was either a complete idiot or very sure of his hand.
Just as I was going to sit back down to watch the rest of the game, I saw that the word must have gotten around about this high-stakes game. Most of the people at the party were standing there watching, including the big boss himself, James' dad, Mr. James Adams Sr.
The game seemed to go on forever when James realized he was out of money. His father shook his head and walked away. James followed him, begging for help, but the old man said no. "I will no longer support your expensive habit."
At that point, James announced that the game would be continued after he made a trip to an ATM, and that was when Seth stood up and finally spoke. He recited the house rules to the no-limit, simple five-card draw. that was only played with strictly cash; no chips allowed. Everyone knew why they couldn't use chips, because James figured nobody, but him would carry around as much cash as he kept on him at all times. He said if you run out, there's no going for more. You are out of the game.
James argued it was his game, and before he could get another word out, every guy stood up to agree with Seth. At that point, Mr. Adams said, "Seth, collect your winnings." James stormed out, and I imagine he retired to his room to pout.
I don't remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much. Watching James so upset was indeed the highlight of my evening. We left the party soon after, and Seth took me home.
I suppose you are curious about what cards Seth was holding in his hand. Let's just put it this way, I underestimated him and should have trusted him to know what he was doing. Seth won that jackpot of over $17,000 with three queens. He had kept track of what he and some of his co-worker friends had lost while playing with James on a night they knew he was cheating, but couldn't prove it. Seth planned on returning money to the ones he had played with in that particular game.
Earlier that day Seth had made it a point to empty his bank account before he came. A while back, he had overheard James brag about winning many jackpots without exceeding his $5000 limit of what he had kept out to play with. So he knew he could bluff this big ape out of his stash as long as he had enough money. I guess James wasn't so smart after all, and Seth not so innocent.
I invited Seth over the following evening to play a couple of rounds of two-handed poker and for dinner. The menu would be steak for him, and as for me, I would be eating a little crow.
'
The Poker Game Contest Winner |
 Recognized |
#9 July 2023 |
'This was my first attempt at fiction. Up until now had only done non-fiction biographic.
Eating crow is the same thing as eating humble pie
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Eating crow is the same thing as eating humble pie
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