'Have Fun, Dad'

I just returned home after a rather amazing four days in Jacksonville, FL. and I am still reeling from the effect of the past several days.

This column is beginning to feel more like an ongoing diary than just contributions to an international gambling website. Bear with me, please, as I try to recount some of the more meaningful events of the past four days.

It began at 4 a.m. at the Amtrak Station in North Charleston, S.C. My daughter Rossana had driven me there in the darkness of night so I could catch Amtrak Train No. 98 for the six-hour trip to the Best Bet Casino in Jacksonville where I was going to play poker.

As I got out of the van, Rossana gave me a hug, smiled, and said a remarkable three words to me.

She didn't say, 'Win money' or 'Win a tournament.'

She said, 'Have fun, Dad.'

Wow! I don't think any daughter could pay her father a more loving compliment.

Have fun, Dad.

Poker is not a game of money. Poker players spend long hours seated at a table facing other poker players. The object of the game, of course, is to win. But at poker, like in the stock market, everyone cannot be a winner. There aren't that many chips to go along.

I am no longer a young man. Even though I think young and when people ask my age tell them jokingly, 'I am 59 and holding,' I know that is a Tom Sawyer fib. But I still remember the late Jack Benny telling me in response to a question about his age that he was 39. Despite my follow-up questions, he stuck to his story. He told me seriously, 'People younger than my age die of strokes and heart attacks every day. Nobody dies at 39.'

Poker players play to have fun.

The more relaxed a player is, the better his chances of winning. If you are tense, angry, embittered at the world, you probably won't win. Even if you do eke out a win, it won't be worth much.

The objective is to have fun. And thanks to my daughter's wise words of advice, I did have fun. And, yes, I also won.

I played in my first 'Iron Man Tournament,' which I will describer in a later column, and made the final table. We final six players shared all the prize money. It was a heady experience worth the retelling. And, yes, we had fun.

I also played in a pot limit Omaha High-Low tournament. There were only 24 players but I managed to prevail and I won it, pocketing nearly $1,000.

As we three winners were waiting to be paid, I remarked, 'Have you noticed how much more friendly poker players are to each other once the tournament is over?' They roared with laughter and smiles. They knew.

I said, 'Wasn't that tournament fun?'

One of the other winners said, 'It sure was.' The other agreed.

To my daughter, I said, 'Baby, I love you. Yes, I had fun and thank you sincerely for your good wishes.'

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).