A poker life . . .
Bill is the guy who first got me started in poker. Since his first invite, I have been playing with varying frequency, competence and profitability for over 25 years. Bill's game was always Dealer's Choice bullshit poker (follow the bitch, kings and low, etc.), quarter ante per player, up to a $1.00 any time, $2.00 max on an open pair, three raise limit per round, and a $5.00 max bet on the last round of betting. Usually good for about a grand on the table each night. There were some crazy nights in the early years ( GUTS with no max. burn) with 1 guy wanting to leave their credit cards as surety one night. Bill settled things amicably, reasonable limits became the norm, and we all settled into our lives (wives, careers, kids). At his mortgage burning game, he dropped almost three hundred bucks (most of it coming my way) because he just did not care. A rare losing night for a usually very steady player. He would have fit in well in Milton. As we all got older the game became bi-monthly, then quarterly. The last few years, we were lucky to see each other three times a year around his table. We played a lot more in the last year and change. Bill's hands would shake bad enough that someone would be the designated shuffler on his deal. His memory would come and go at times, and his stamina really took a beating in the last couple of months. But there was always the next game.
The "last game" was supposed to be tomorrow. Bill was going to sell his home and move to Peterborough, where he was raised. Bill died this morning, a victim of brain cancer. I'm not sure I'll be back here after posting this, but I wanted each and every one of you who I have had the pleasure of meeting, whether in real life, or just in this virtual space, that I have always enjoyed myself in your company, and that I wish you all well. I apologize if this all sounds terribly maudlin but, frankly, though poker is what brought Bill and I together, and brought me here, it all seems terribly unimportant right now.
So long, be well, and always cut the cards.
The "last game" was supposed to be tomorrow. Bill was going to sell his home and move to Peterborough, where he was raised. Bill died this morning, a victim of brain cancer. I'm not sure I'll be back here after posting this, but I wanted each and every one of you who I have had the pleasure of meeting, whether in real life, or just in this virtual space, that I have always enjoyed myself in your company, and that I wish you all well. I apologize if this all sounds terribly maudlin but, frankly, though poker is what brought Bill and I together, and brought me here, it all seems terribly unimportant right now.
So long, be well, and always cut the cards.
Comments
Is this Bill on the forum?