Texas Holdem Garage Style
Like millions of Americans, one of my favorite hobbies is Texas
Holdem. I started out, like many other, watching someone else
play it, whether on TV, or at a family gathering. Now it has
become a true love of mine, and to me, there is really only one
way to enjoy it, and that's a nice evening with good friends and
a deck of cards.
Every Wednesday evening I and some of "The guys" get together at
my house for poker night. It consists of a few drinks, some
cigars, potato chips, and a whole lot of fun. We have now played
together for almost two years, and the one thing that we thought
would ruin the event would actually contribute to the fun. You
see, my wife didn't like the idea of a house full of my friends
every week, so she banished us to the garage right from the
start. It took some getting use to. Making room for the table
every night and getting the place suitable for the gang, but it
has become home to us every Wednesday, and we have a great time.
There was one night last spring when the power was out at my
house, and poker night was just about cancelled. However, it was
our pal jimmy to the rescue. He offered up his living room, and
we moved the event to his house. It didn't take long though, and
we soon realized that it just wasn't the same. Don couldn't just
throw his cigars on the floor when he was done, and we had to
keep our voices down so not to wake Jimmy's kids. We missed the
garage. We missed the atmosphere, and we missed the loud
laughter that could be made when someone would lose a bad beat
and throw their cards across the room. We missed the wood stove
in the winter, and we missed just being able to carry on the way
we could at our normal spot. It wasn't the same, and was just
not as much fun.
There is something to be said about playing poker the way it was
meant to be played. Not in some fancy casino hall, but with
friends that we can enjoy, and in a place that resembles where
poker came from. It's not in some cozy little living room, and
it isn't on the river boat two cities over. It's every Wednesday
night at six pm, at my house in the garage.