The moon is full, there’s a breeze that whispers my name, running across my flesh, calling me, teasing me, asking me to run with it out over the open the land, the desert, the night…the beginning…life…the taste of the wild, untamed spirit, stamping an impetuous foot, tossing an unruly mane, beckoning…
Oh hell, I know, you’d rather hear about poker.

A $15-$30 Holdem…crazy action. I knew four of the players, the rest are…well they’re from somewhere but who knows where. One hand finds the board coming 2-3-5, although it was raised pre-flop by the 10s, there were still four players on the Flop, and when a 6 came on the Turn, a bet, call, call, raise.

Everyone called the raise. The River was a 4. Then it went check, check, check, check. They all turned up their hands. The 4s held 9-8 of Spades, the 5s held 8-4 Off suit and was the raiser on the Turn…also the button, the 9s held the Q-5 of Hearts and there were two Hearts on the Flop, the 10s held A-A and was the pre-flop raiser.

They all split the pot…of course. As I started to shuffle the deck, I asked the 10s, “What the hell were you doing in there?”

He appeared startled at first and then laughed, “Yeah, what was I doing in there?”

They were ‘gamboling’…some of them were anyway.

*****

Carmen disclosed that she had seen a guy, with a cell phone, appearing to talk to someone, and watching the game on Table 1 which was $2,000-$4,000 Mixed. He was in the low limit area but standing where he could watch the ‘Stars’ in action. High Limit is in a raised area.

Carmen approached and asked him to move away, stating that he wasn’t allowed to stand there and watch. He ignored her. She turned her back on him to make it more apparent that he wasn’t wanted there.

Then she heard ‘click…click’ and turned to see him holding his cell phone up above her head as he snapped pictures of ‘The Stars’. Let’s hear it for technology…no safe zone there.

*****

Everyone’s in the zone…the WPT Zone that is. They are so excited to be playing poker, part of the game, and they really don’t give a damn if the rest of us like it or not…so let’s join them. Let’s get into the play of the game, the fun of meeting in a casino to ply our wits and skill against theirs…let’s play like we’ve never played before because that’s what it’s going to take to overcome this insanity.

Some of the big name, money winning players made their mark and fortune just from the same kind of insanity…when poker was new. There were no books, everyone played for fun, by the seat of their pants, and they had no advanced knowledge of the game. They just came to play…that’s what’s happening now.

My vote: Just enjoy it and go with the flow…who knows how long it will be before there’s another influx?

In the meantime, that breeze is addressing, caressing, begging me to move out of the realm of the 9 to 5, to step into the real issues of time and spirit…catch me if you can…