Semi-related to all the activity going on today … there\’s a great story in Salon about poker:
A city awash in cards
Inside New York\’s underground poker scene, where no one thinks about the recession, or their rent money, when there\’s a good hand to be played.Hi, my name is Jim, and I have a gambling problem.
I told myself the last time was the last time, but here I am, in another bind: $1,000 in chips resting anxiously on the felt in front of me, and the ace-queen of hearts in my hand.
My lone opponent is Al, an egg-shaped old wiseguy who breathes heavy when he has a winner. Right now he\’s taking up most of the oxygen in this three-story walk-up.
The rational part of my brain is screaming at me. \”Fold, you stupid motherfucker. That\’s half a month\’s rent you are about to toss into the pot on a draw.\” But Al is legendary for losing and that\’s all the compulsive part of my brain can focus on. \”Maybe he\’s bluffing,\” it whispers. \”Move all-in.\”
