Nowadays, I tend to stick to playing free poker online, but years ago one night during a poker tournament, I got lucky and won an event and quite a bit of money. When the smoke cleared, it was 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., and I got paid my $1,000 in prize money. I felt great, but I had one small problem. Even though I was staying at the Four Queens, I didn’t have a safe-deposit box there. I did, however, have one at the Horseshoe, which I kept all year long. It saved me the time and trouble of obtaining a safe-deposit box every time I came to play in a tournament at the various casinos in Vegas.
So, having realised I was too drunk, I decided to take the walk to deposit my money safely until I was sober enough to look after it properly. This sort of problem wouldn’t be an issue nowadays as Vegas is much more commercial, but in those days there were many people who you wouldn’t want to meet on a dark street with that sort of money in your pocket.
I didn’t think much of it until I hit the street. I then realized how dark it was, and with the street all torn up, there were no cars and virtually no people, either. Furthermore, there was a light mist falling. I was tired and thought, “Oh, what the hell. It’s only across the street – less than a block away.” So, I started my short walk.
This was the point that I was wishing I was playing free poker online rather than being out in the streets like a crazy man!
As I turned a corner, I came across two huge guys looking a little rougher than I would have preferred and they seemed pretty drunk and out for a bit of fighting action. Then they spotted me, I knew this was just my luck, especially as there was nobody else in sight and I was well outsized and out numbered.
As I kept walking, they approached me as if they were going to block what was left of the sidewalk.
As they approached me, one of the men asked if I had got a couple of dollars they could have.
Now, I guess if I were an honest person, I would have said, “Well, yes. As a matter a fact, I just won a big poker tournament and have about $1,000 in my pocket. Will $2 be enough?” But instead, I stopped and said in a very loud and forceful voice, “Hey, don’t – - – - with me! I just lost $25 in there!” They both looked at me and parted like pussycats as I walked right past them.
A few steps later, I turned and loudly shouted another expletive at them. It was a great spur-of-the-moment bluff. Oh, I could have said, “I don’t have any money,” or given a dozen other excuses, but I don’t think that any of them would have worked quite as well as what I did. The bottom line was that these fellows wanted no part of a guy who could be that angry about losing 25 bucks.
It really was the best bluff I had ever pulled and if I hadn’t then I wouldn’t be playing any type of poker now whether free poker or pay poker. So, if you are one of those two guys reading my story… oh well… better luck next time chaps!
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February 26, 2010
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