Player Flops a Set

No writer likes to admit it, but sometimes the letters that come in response to a column are more interesting than the column itself. I said it and I'm glad I made the confession.

I think I am finally beginning to understand why Ann Landers wrote a column that was so interesting, it was syndicated all over the world. It was because of the letters she received. Some of them were so bizarre, they almost begged to be expanded into a book.

Yesterday, for example, one of the members on this website sent me an email that described an incident that happened at the Union Plaza Casino in Las Vegas some years ago. I will describe that that incident was, but first I want to assure my readers that it is true -- the story I am about to tell absolutely did happen.

How do I know? I was there and saw it occur in full color.

Virginia, the reader who sent me the email lives in Scottsdale, AZ., which is practically in my backyard since I reside in Phoenix. She wrote the following:

'I love your stories and want to ask about a certain incident that supposedly happened in Las Vegas about 20 years ago. My husband is a commercial airline pilot for Delta Airlines. He was on layover in Las Vegas when he heard about this showgirl and a dealer at the Union Plaza.....'

And she went on to tell me the details off a story that I actually lived through. Here is what happened.

Ray was a popular dealer who worked as a poker dealer at the Plaza. He had actually worked as an airline pilot before taking early retirement and moving to Las Vegas.

Ray was a tall good-looking guy who was a native of Dallas, Texas. He was divorced and enrolled at a school for dealers because he was bored with doing nothing.

We were playing $4-8 Texas Hold'em when a beautiful young chorus girl who could have been a stand-in for Marilyn Monroe sat down at our table.

She was in her early 20's with flawless skin and a figure that could have qualified her as a centerfold model for Playboy Magazine. She was wearing a low-cut green mini-dress that left little to the imagination.

'Mind if I play a little poker?,' she said in a breathless little girl voice that definitely made me think of MM. 'I'm in the 2 p.m. show and I want to relax before I go on. It's my debut as a dancer.'

'We don't mind,' all six guys at the table said in a chorus The one woman at the table who appeared to be in her 60s didn't respond, which was to be expected.

Ray, who was six-two and in his late 30s, just smiled and said, 'Honey, what's your name?'

'Jill,' she said. 'I'm from London.'

'Jill, you are as welcome here as a bouquet of roses,' Ray said, shuffling the cards She giggled.

Well, we played a few hands. I noticed all the guys kept their eyes on Jill rather than their cards. She won a couple of pots. Around 1:30 p.m., she glanced at her watch.

'It's almost showtime,' she said. 'This will be my last hand.'

Ray and the dancer had gotten along fabulously with the two of them exchanging quips that left all of the guys smiling. Everyone except the spinster in her 60s.

We all received our cards. Bets were made and called. When the betting got to Jill, she called and Ray made the flop.

At that precise moment, something happened that they still talk about in Las Vegas. Jill's Maidenform bra exploded. It blew dress fabric and the black bra along with a little spring across the room, with the spring hitting the wall like a ping-pong ball.

As we sat there in shock, Ray sang out, 'Player flops a set.'

I don't think the table stopped laughing for at least five minutes.

Ray gallantly got up and found a towel which he wrapped around the dancer. The old maid glared at Jill, picked up her chips in a huff, and stormed from the table.

I don't remember the outcome of the hand or who won. What I do remember is that the table broke up shortly and all of the guys, including yours truly, attended the lounge show. I also remember that Ray and Jill began seeing each other. They were married about six months later and from what I hear they are still married

I ran into the two of them about a year ago. I had flown to Las Vegas to cover a poker tournament. Ray looked great. He was tanned and healthy. He had given up his dealing job and had purchased a single-engine aircraft which he used to make money as a crop duster. Jill was still dancing at one of the Strip casinos.

We reminisced about that day at the Union Plaza. I kidded them about how they had met and asked Jill what kept them together.

'He's the only man I ever met who could make me laugh in bed,' she said.

Quite a compliment when you think of it. Thanks, Virginia, for reminding me of a true story with a happy ending -- and one I will never forget.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter. If you have a unique gambling story to share with him, you may qualify for a cash award. Send your story with all the details to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).