It’s snowing. Not just little melty things that turn into a river of water, but fat, lusciously plump, moist snowflakes that are sticking to the trees and piling up on the ground. It’s beautiful but the scene sends shock waves through my system and reminds me why I no longer want to live in Montana.

*****

There are a lot of poker players in town, not the big names, they’re all in Tunica right now. These are just people that want to play, a lot of them have no idea what they’re doing but they’re doing it anyway. These games are not for the weak of heart…you never know what they’re going to show you.

Out of 30 tables, 27 of them ran most of the night. People walked through the door in droves until about 1:30 a.m. The room was still bustling and noisy when I left at 3 a.m.

*****

A friend I met at the tables some years ago, when I worked at the Mirage, has been in town playing the $15-$30 games. He’s a regular visitor to Vegas and loves to play poker. His name is Tom Minkel and he’s the Head Wrestling Coach for Michigan State. He’s always a pleasure to have in any game and adds a real touch of class to the meaning of sportsmanship.

*****

I heard a joke during our tournament that had everyone guessing. What kind of bird weighs more than any other bird on Earth and cannot fly? One guess was ‘a penguin’. Another guess – ‘an ostrich’. The answer is, ‘a railbird and some of them weigh up to 400 pounds’.

I’ve put a lot of thought into what it takes to be a professional railbird. They hang around waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on someone’s good nature and generosity, coming up with a practiced line that will net them a few dollars or a buy-in.
They are smart enough to know whom they can approach and get away with it, whether the answer is yes or no. They grovel when it’s appropriate. They pat the marks ego by adding a little compliment here and there. They feign interest in the mark and what’s going on in his/her life. They presume the mark is going to help them and is obligated to do so.

It must be quite an art because they are everywhere (not just poker rooms) and some of them appear to eat rather well. I hope it’s a lost art and they just drift off into history.