My friend Lennie and I have three things in common: we are both divorced, we like younger women, and we are on losing streaks.
I ran into him at one of my favorite casinos the other night. He looked glum and I slapped him on the shoulder.
'Howdy Pardner,' I said. 'What are you up to?'
'Thinking of robbing a bank' he muttered. I don't think he was kidding.
'The cards hate me,' he said. 'I can't seem to do anything right. I've been on a losing streak so long that I think I've lost my ability to play poker.'
Now that sounded serious.
I've known Lennie for over a dozen years. He is about the same age as me and he is a good poker player. Not world class champion material, but good enough to make a living at the game. He even counts on his poker winnings to supplement his Social Security check to pay his living expenses. So when he says he can't seem to win, that's serious business.
Lennie and I spent Super Bowl Sunday at Talking Stick Casino near Scottsdale, AZ. The poker room gave away a lot of free money that day. Well, the players paid for it from the dollar donation they cut out of every pot for the promotional fund. Every hour during the day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., they gave a $100 splash pot to half the tables, plus $20 to each player. But we didn't share in any of it.
'Robbing a bank isn't a very good idea, Lennie,' I said. 'Those hard steel bunks aren't very conducive to a good night's sleep. And I understand that thanks to Sheriff Joe Arpaio the food isn't very tasty.'
Lennie shrugged. 'It was just a passing thought,' he said. 'You write advice to poker players on how to improve their game. What can I do to stop losing?'
I wanted to tell him that I was asking myself the same question, but I decided that would not help improve his situation.
I did come up with a couple of suggestions for him, however. One was to stop playing against the people who have been beating him like a drum. Wild Horse Pass is a smaller casino near Chandler, AZ., about 20 miles from Talking Stick. I told him he should play there and see if it would change his luck.
I also suggested he buy some index cards and keep track of his hands.
'You're probably playing too many hands,' I said. 'Make a mark on the index card for each hand that is dealt to you and put a zero next to the hand that you actually invest money in. If you discover you are playing more than one hand in 10, you're playing too many hands because good cards don't come that often.'
Lennie liked that idea.
'Come out of your shell,' I told him. 'Joke with the dealer, the other players and the cocktail waitress. Loosen up. Get human. That might change your luck.'
We had a cup of Starbucks Coffee and ordered a pastry from the Fig Bar at Talking Stick. While we were sitting at a table drinking and chewing, two attractive younger women came by. I stopped one of them and said, 'You're dressed like a winner, darlin'. Good luck.'
She smiled. 'Same to you, Cowboy,' she said.
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 ).
