The first thing that he said as he sat down beside me at the poker table was, \u201c Either I\u2019ve had too much to drink or it\u2019s really hot in here.\u201d His voice was thick and clouded, like humidity or smog. He looked like a guy you\u2019d see leaving an alley in haste.<\/p>\n
We were at the Madison Pub\u2019s regular Tuesday night game. Perhaps 50 people were there to play Texas Hold \u2018Em, with the winner receiving a $25 gift certificate for the place. I\u2019m a bad poker player who is almost completely ignorant of the protocols at the table. I play cards with the same amount of intelligence and design as I play a scratch-and-win ticket. I also talk constantly, always telling people I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing, and so for most serious players\u2014even in a no money game– I\u2019m a really irritating presence. To make matters worse on this night, I kept winning.<\/p>\n