TJ Cloutier\’s latest column … an interesting if not prescient tale of some poker southern-circuit old-timers that include a game-runner who takes an extra rake right under someone\’s nose ($100 a pop); a bookie sent to jail and kicked out of Dallas, Hazzard County-style; and legendary players with a not-so-unique philosophy on credit and debt.
Considering that TJ has been running good of late — and they don\’t have craps in Oklahoma — I can\’t help but give some thought to the road-gambler ethos he extols, and wonder where it fits in today\’s contemporary poker economy:
\”I\’ve still got 30 days to pay that off,\” Jack said, \”so quit bothering me.\” And the guy left. As the first man was going down the stairs, a second man was walking up them. The door was still open, so Jack let him in.
\”I\’m down on my luck,\” the man cries to Jack. \”Could you loan me $10,000 till I get back on my feet?\” And Jack peeled the ten grand right out of his pocket and gave it to him! I couldn\’t explain Jack Straus any better than telling this story.
One time when we were on the golf course, Straus told me that he liked me because I was like him. \”I\’m broke one day and have a fortune the next day,\” he said, \”and I don\’t give a damn.\”