Rolled in around 3:30 in the morning last night, and didn’t fall asleep until after 5. There’s only one activity that keep me awake that late - poker. I’ve been playing cards since I was a kid. First, around the kitchen table. Later, at a NYC private game hosted by the comedian Eddie Brill. When I briefly moved to Los Angeles, I discovered legal poker rooms like the Bike, Hawaiian Gardens, Hollywood Park, and the world’s largest poker room, the Commerce Casino in the area of East Los Angeles known as the City of Commerce.
Not a poker gal, but if you like the meritocracy aspect, head to Orange Beach, AL, and have drinks at the Floribama. Rundown pick-ups, old Plymouth Valiants next to Tesstarososas, Maybachs, and other high-end autos (when a few minivans dotted about).
The bar straddles the Florida/Alabama line. There was a time when there were two landlines in the place. Those days are long gone.
You might meet folks up for a poker night. Heck, you can meet folks from anywhere.
I love places where the haves and have-nots level the scales. Playing poker and drinking at a beach bar might be two of the few things in life where there's little distinction.
And, no, I have no financial interest in the place. I haven't been there since 2008.
I've been killing it in my online PLO game lately. Except for last night, when I lost big hands on the river to four outers three times. One time, I missed a bet on the turn, because I was worried about an unlikely boat. So that's on me. But the other two times were painful. Poker is indeed humbling.
I've been wanting to go to Commerce since the first time I passed by it 6 years ago, and after reading this, I absolutely cannot wait to go.
I love poker but haven't played in casinos in a while. When I'm winning the casino's money, it feels great. When I'm winning someone else's money - especially in a cash game and not a tournament - it feels less so sometimes. Many years ago in Atlantic City I had a ridiculous string of luck and hit a few unbeatable hands in a row, so when I hit another, and it was just me and one guy left, I was trying to bully him out of playing by betting big, insisting, BEGGING even not to call, telling him I swear I have the Ace high flush. But he did call and I won, and I felt bad so I gave him his money back. Of course I was several rum and diets deep at the time.
re: "The game, he explained, was fundamentally an attempt to create order out of the chaos of the universe. So much of our lives is out of control, but in poker we can simplify life to a series of choices based on imperfect information, each of which produces either a positive or negative expectation or outcome."
this reminds me of a quote i love from Stephen Sondheim:
“Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos. ”
so perhaps ANYTHING humans do can be described as aiming to discover or create order out of chaos. or maybe it's just art and poker.
I guess it shouldn't surprise me that Sondheim and you are so insightful. I agree that much of life is about attempting to order chaos. The nice thing about poker is how simple that process is: bet, call, fold, raise. That's about it. You don't have to write friggin' "Sunday in the Park with George" about it.
i appreciate being put on the same level of insightfulness as sondheim, when he wrote the greatest musicals of all time and i pointed out that he said some wise things!
Loved this one. Meditative silence indeed… except for the occasional rage-tilt outbursts and arguments over whether the HJ said “raise” before throwing in one big chip….
I once had an older gentleman pleading, almost directing me to chop the pot in a 2-4 limit game that had like twelve dollars in it. I was still pretty new to playing at a casino and wasn't following what he was asking me to do and everyone else at the table started yelling at him to leave me alone and it was a whole thing. The best
You should make an AI Micheal to read your posts.
I really miss "dealers choice" poker games from when I was a kid.
Not a poker gal, but if you like the meritocracy aspect, head to Orange Beach, AL, and have drinks at the Floribama. Rundown pick-ups, old Plymouth Valiants next to Tesstarososas, Maybachs, and other high-end autos (when a few minivans dotted about).
The bar straddles the Florida/Alabama line. There was a time when there were two landlines in the place. Those days are long gone.
You might meet folks up for a poker night. Heck, you can meet folks from anywhere.
I love places where the haves and have-nots level the scales. Playing poker and drinking at a beach bar might be two of the few things in life where there's little distinction.
And, no, I have no financial interest in the place. I haven't been there since 2008.
I've been killing it in my online PLO game lately. Except for last night, when I lost big hands on the river to four outers three times. One time, I missed a bet on the turn, because I was worried about an unlikely boat. So that's on me. But the other two times were painful. Poker is indeed humbling.
I've been wanting to go to Commerce since the first time I passed by it 6 years ago, and after reading this, I absolutely cannot wait to go.
I love poker but haven't played in casinos in a while. When I'm winning the casino's money, it feels great. When I'm winning someone else's money - especially in a cash game and not a tournament - it feels less so sometimes. Many years ago in Atlantic City I had a ridiculous string of luck and hit a few unbeatable hands in a row, so when I hit another, and it was just me and one guy left, I was trying to bully him out of playing by betting big, insisting, BEGGING even not to call, telling him I swear I have the Ace high flush. But he did call and I won, and I felt bad so I gave him his money back. Of course I was several rum and diets deep at the time.
dear michael,
a pleasure to read what you write, as always!
re: "The game, he explained, was fundamentally an attempt to create order out of the chaos of the universe. So much of our lives is out of control, but in poker we can simplify life to a series of choices based on imperfect information, each of which produces either a positive or negative expectation or outcome."
this reminds me of a quote i love from Stephen Sondheim:
“Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos. ”
so perhaps ANYTHING humans do can be described as aiming to discover or create order out of chaos. or maybe it's just art and poker.
love and thanks,
myq
I guess it shouldn't surprise me that Sondheim and you are so insightful. I agree that much of life is about attempting to order chaos. The nice thing about poker is how simple that process is: bet, call, fold, raise. That's about it. You don't have to write friggin' "Sunday in the Park with George" about it.
ha!
i appreciate being put on the same level of insightfulness as sondheim, when he wrote the greatest musicals of all time and i pointed out that he said some wise things!
i'll take it!
Loved this one. Meditative silence indeed… except for the occasional rage-tilt outbursts and arguments over whether the HJ said “raise” before throwing in one big chip….
I once had an older gentleman pleading, almost directing me to chop the pot in a 2-4 limit game that had like twelve dollars in it. I was still pretty new to playing at a casino and wasn't following what he was asking me to do and everyone else at the table started yelling at him to leave me alone and it was a whole thing. The best