Poker in the Oval Office

How good a poker player do you think Donald Trump would make?

President Trump owns gambling casinos and with his brash, swaggering ways, you would think he could do a good job of winning at poker. A winning player needs luck, which Trump seems to have in abundance; mathematical skills which he also seems to possess; knowledge of the odds, again a plus for him; and the ability to pull a bluff, something Trump has been doing all his business life.

A number of U.S. Presidents have been poker players. One of the earliest was Warren G. Harding, who staged two poker games a week for his Cabinet members. They played so much poker they were nicknamed the 'Poker Administration.'

Harry Truman was another man who admired poker. In fact, he reportedly played poker while deciding whether to use the atomic bomb to end the war in the Pacific. It relaxed Truman's nerves and gave him something to do while making that remarkable decision.

Dwight D. Eisenhower played poker with many of his generals, including George Patton. Ike had a good heart and when one of his officers lost too much money, he conspired with the other officers to let the man win his losses back so he could concentrate on his troops. Ike learned to play poker in the military, a place where many beginning poker players learn their skills.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was another man who enjoyed a good poker game. He played stud, was a small stakes player, but he did it regularly and enjoyed winning. Although FDR's health was fragile, he could spend hours at the poker table and made it one of his favorite pastimes.

The ultimate poker-playing President was Richard Nixon, who was reportedly one of the most skilled poker players to come out of the U.S. Navy. Following his military discharge, Nixon took his poker winnings, reportedly over $10,000, and used the money on his first Congressional campaign. He was a Quaker which considered gambling a sin, and he respected and loved his mother, but he still played poker and he played it well.

U.S.S. Grant was also a poker player, having learned the game in the Civil War. Grant was a drinker as well and he played a ruthless game while imbibing his favorite bourbon.

I have no idea whether Vladimir Putin plays poker, but wouldn't it be a boon to mankind if he did and if discords between nations could be determined by the luck of the draw rather than by war? It's just a thought.

If President Trump would challenge Putin to a poker game, with the proper stakes, I would definitely tune into it. Would you?

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 ).