If it walks like a duck…
Ever notice how casinos all seem to have names straight from Chinese mythology: Golden Moon Casino or Pearl River Resort, for example? But sitting around a crowded poker table cheek by jowl with who knows who, shrouded in the eye-watering reek of five-dollar cigars and Olympic standard body odour, can’t be made prettier by naming the venue The Lotus Flower Emporium. The atmosphere would be just as unappealing as in the lean-to, illegal gambling hut out back of Ma Murphy’s Slop House. in Longhorn Texas. There’s a sign above the bar that reads: Please give at least 48 hours notice of cancellation, or you’ll lose your deposit, and possibly a couple of teeth. It’s a rough neighbourhood.)
Some gamblers love gambling in such fancy-named places, they find it thrilling. They enjoy playing against strangers with American cities in their names: ‘Cincinnati’ Bob, The The ‘Ohio’ Kid, or ‘Palookaville’ Pete. This is even though before they left kindergarten, these guys knew how to riffle-shuffle a brand-new deck with one hand while rolling a cigarette with the other. Such legends can empty your billfold faster than you can foolishly draw to an inside straight.
Nor will they get distracted by the 150 slots, three feet from the table, clanging away like the bell on the fifth street trolley on Independence Day. Unlike you, of course, who’d end up staggering out of the poker room at 3AM, soused in bourbon, suffering hearing damage and $500 lighter than you went in.
But it’s exciting, right? Much better than sitting at home with a cold beer in a frosted glass, nestled down in your recliner like a Brown Bear on the verge of hibernation, playing virtual casino online www.baccaratboogieclub.com. Playing when you like. Not playing when you don’t like. Without having to make a 300 mile round trip in your station wagon (the one with the busted tailgate and the barely legal tread) for the privilege. Each to his own, I suppose. It’s your choice.
