Raise or Fold:  A Year of Risky Business

Writing and playing poker as if they were activities worth doing well.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Two Novelties

I had my very first reader-recognition moment tonight. About an hour into a 1/2 session, the young lady two seats to my left suddenly asked me, "Do you blog?"

I allowed as to how I did, in fact, blog. (Is there an uglier verb in the English language? I'm not sure.)

She said, "I wondered if it was you. I came to your site through the Poker Grump." Over the course of the next hour and a half, we chatted about bloggers and poker in the DC area. I'm embarrassed that I spent so much of the time we played together complaining about how card dead I was (EPICLY card dead, in fact, but still)... sorry Katie!

It was hugely fun for me to know that it is, in fact, possible for people to put the pieces together and identify me at a poker table. And it continues to amaze and delight me that anyone bothers to read what I write in the first place. Thank you all!

The other new item is far, far more mundane, but nonetheless constitutes a revolution in poker attire and comfort for me. Just before I left for AC, I went shopping for a pashmina shawl/scarf. I finally found one that was large, soft, and affordable at Loehmann's. It's a lovely pale neutral color, which goes with just about everything, and it is the ideal climate-control accessory for sitting in a casino playing poker. It can easily be adjusted for various degrees of coverage and warmth, it can serve as a hoodie or even provide a burka-like total eclipse for those all-in moments (if you want to be dramatic), it is lightweight and stylish. I am completely and utterly thrilled with it, and I expect it to be my accessory of choice in casino-wear. Ladies, and fashion-forward men, take note!

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9 Comments:

Blogger Shrike said...

Fashion-forward men wear scarves? Really? ;)

-PL

3/23/09 2:13 AM  
Blogger Gadzooks64 said...

I really hate feeling like I'm about to freeze to death while playing. It's stressful enough without shivering while playing.

I even packed a sweatshirt for playing in Vegas IN JUNE!

I should really consider getting a shawl of some kind.

Congrats on your find.

3/23/09 8:48 AM  
Blogger Tarpie said...

I'm a little disappointed that your "first" reader-recognition moment came the night after we shared a table. Instead of asking "Do you blog?," I took the more subtle approach of asking you about your bus junket. Me: bald, long goatee, baseball cap, green jameson shirt at the 1/2 table Saturday night/Sunday morning. (Actually we shared a table two weeks ago...your tweet about "jacks treating you well" might have been partially about a hand against me where a second jack fell on the river.)

Also, I apologize for not directing you to the questionable skills big stack from my table last night when I bumped into you at the cashier on my way out of town. It just didn't occur to me at the time.

Anyway, it was a pleasure meeting and playing with you, and I'm sure our paths will cross in AC of LV (or even DC) in the future.

3/23/09 8:55 AM  
Blogger Cardgrrl said...

@Tarpie: Of course I remember you, Tarpie, but I'm afraid I was too obtuse the to catch the junket reference. Mostly, it's that there are a bunch of us who come up to AC that way, and I just assumed you overheard some discussion of it previously. I do also recall playing with you previously; I hope our paths will cross again one of these days.

@All readers: Perhaps I ought to come up with some catch phrase like "'Sup bro." or "The brown trout, etc." so that readers can identify themselves without blowing their cover or mine.

If you come up with a suggestion for said catchphrase that I end up endorsing, I will award you some kind of prize. It will undoubtedly be lame, but still: a prize!

3/23/09 11:06 AM  
Blogger bastinptc said...

Easy: "Hey Sis!"

3/23/09 1:28 PM  
Blogger JR said...

Even if I don't know anything about poker and I'm modestly interested in the game per se, I find your writing very good and entertaining, that's the reason I read your blog, and the fact that I know you too (I doubt I found your blog another way).

3/23/09 3:32 PM  
Blogger BWoP said...

@Shrike - If Dario Minieri and Joe Speaker can pull off the scarf look, so can you!

@Cardgrrl and Gadzooks - I always wear a zip-up sweatshirt in the LV casinos (especially during the summer), but sometimes even that doesn't help :-(

3/23/09 4:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How about, "Wow! Am I ever epically card dead tonight!" ??

Katie is not the only one, I heard that a few times the night I sat a few hours with you at Harrah's. :)

My time at the Bellagio went well, though I did not win a lot. Full trip report coming soon in the PA forums.

Cheers!

-Loki9

3/23/09 5:45 PM  
Blogger Rakewell said...

I suggest: "You look a lot like the picture of a spewtard I once saw on the internet."

3/23/09 9:04 PM  

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