The Cabbie Knows

Never argue with a cabbie. They always seem to have the best information and they always get in the last word.

There I was, riding a cab on Route 202 from Talking Stick Casino to my place in West Phoenix. I had missed the last bus and had called Discount Cab to take me home.

The cabbie's name was Moe and he was a poker player. That promised to take the boredom out of the 30-mile ride.

'I play video poker online,' he said. I was watching the meter tick away. 'And I watch the late night poker games on television. You play a lot of poker?'

'I do. I lived in Las Vegas for two years and met most of the players.'

Moe eased around a big semi and passed a green Volkswagen. 'In your opinion, who is the best poker player of them all?'

The question stumped me. In his prime, Doyle Brunson had the other players dominated. But Doyle's play had slowed down with age. Nobody can beat Grandfather Time. The brain cells slow down and a player loses his aggressiveness and the ability to make those snap decisions when a big bet is involved. I told this to Moe.

'Phil Hellmuth is good,' I said.

Moe looked over his shoulder. 'He used to be. I don't think he's as good as Daniel Negreanu. Nobody can read the other players as well as he can.'

I had to agree with him on that point.

'Then there's Tom Dwan,' Moe said, skirting around a blue Lexus. 'He's so cool and so quiet under pressure. He plays a really good game.'

I was impressed. 'You watch a lot of players on TV, don't you?'

'All the time. My wife accuses me of being a poker junkie. But regardless of how good they are, even the best players can be defeated by the luck of the draw. The odds even out, in the long run, don't they? One hand it works for Dwan, the next it works for Daniel or Antonio or Johnny Chan or whoever gets lucky. That's why poker fascinates me. Someday I'm gonna get brave enough to go into a casino and play live poker. Someday.'

We were on Indian School Road just a few miles from my house. Moe asked me what the most money I had ever won playing poker was.

I told him. '$42,500 in a poker tournament in Tunica, Mississippi. I spent the money traveling to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. I bought a car, spent the money on wine, women and song, and spent the rest of it foolishly.'

'That's nice,' said Moe dreamily. He pulled the cab up outside my house. 'We're here. Have a good night.'

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 ).