Love and Poker

By: Alice Wonder

It was a warm, summer night and it also happened to be my 30th birthday. I wasn’t too excited about going out. I really just wanted to stay home, sulk, eat ice cream and think about how I am turning into an old lady. At about 6:00pm my best friend Tiffany called and told me she was going to take me out for dinner, drinks and a little bit of gambling at the local casino. Reluctantly, I hopped in the shower and got ready to go out and celebrate being “over the hill”. Tiffany and my three other good friends came to my door around 9:00pm and surprised me with a birthday cake. It was a very sweet gesture, but I was still not excited about celebrating how old I was. My friends were doing everything in their power to cheer me up. I decided to go a long with it and try to have a good time.

After a delicious dinner at local Mediterranean restaurant we headed off to the casino. When we walked in we were greeted with all the familiar sounds of slot machines and video poker. I really was not in the mood to waste my time and money on the video machines, so we all headed to the no limit Texas hold ‘em tables. Tiffany and the rest of the girls headed off to the bar. They didn’t know how to play poker and I ended up sitting down at a table knowing no one. This didn’t make me feel uncomfortable, poker is one of my favorite pastimes. I spend hours on the internet playing and developing my strategies.

So, I placed my $20 bet to enter and was dealt the Heinz a five of clubs and a seven of hearts. This wasn’t exactly the most favorable of hands to receive. I tried to bluff my way through the flop, but was unsuccessful. I kept getting dealt bad hands and was just about to walk away from the table when a gorgeous, tall, dark and handsome man sat down at the table. He was mysterious and quite with a sparkling smile that lit up the entire casino. It was obvious he was not the most experienced poker player. He kept trying to bluff his terrible hands and it was not getting him anywhere. However, I was being dealt amazing hands. I took the pot four times in a row and I didn’t even have to bluff. I was getting four of a kind, high ranking pairs and unbelievable high cards. I was thankful for the beautiful man sitting across from me, he was my good luck charm.

After about 20 amazing hands I decided to bow out. I was getting bored of intimidating everyone at the table. Also, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the gorgeous guy sitting at the table. As I left the table I could feel his eyes on me, how exciting I just left the table with $300 and his attention. I was hoping he would follow me, but it seems he was content losing. I headed up to the bar and easily found my buzzed girlfriends chatting and having a great time. “Happy Birthday!” they screamed. I was so embarrassed yet still floating from my big win and my flirtations with mystery man. I told them all about my experience at the poker table and the mystery man. They all wanted to know where he was, I told them he was still at the Texas hold ‘em table. The girls couldn’t believe I didn’t hit on him or give him my number. I responded, “That isn’t correct poker etiquette”. A burst of laughter erupted and their said they didn’t care, if he really was that good looking I should of just thrown my self at him. “That’s not my style” I said, deep down inside I was worried I would never see him again.

After a couple of hours of drinking with the girls, my 30th birthday was the last thing on my mind. It was almost 2:00am and we were getting ready to leave the casino. We all walked outside and waited for a couple of available taxis. Kristine, Kelly and Amanda all flagged down the first taxi, gave me a hug and left. Tiffany and I were still waiting for another cab, when it happened. I saw the mystery man and we locked eyes. Time stood still and it felt like love at first sight. Tiffany shoved her elbow into my side and said, “Is that him?” I could hardly speak a muffled yes came out of my mouth. He looked amazing, wearing a blue shirt, sexy fitting jeans and smoking a cigarette. The mystery man slowly walked over to me and said, “This girl is a great poker player, she took everything I had.” He chuckled and introduced himself as John.

As we were chatting I felt my knees become weak, I felt like I was going to faint. It must have been a combination of the alcohol, his voice and the way he smelled. We had so much in common, so much to talk about. Soon it was 3:00am and Tiffany was beginning to become impatient, I could tell she was ready to leave. So, I gave John my number and Tiffany and I took off in the taxi. Before we got home Tiffany fell asleep in the cab, I was so excited about my wonderful birthday night, John and the $300 I had won I couldn’t sleep. John called me the very next day and we set up a date. John and I have been together ever since and every time we play poker I win. He truly is my lucky charm.