Dealer's Choice in Hawaii

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October 4th, 2018
Back Dealer's Choice in Hawaii

From the air, I could see the rainbows. A light rain was falling over Waikiki Beach and the imposing mountain called Diamond Head overlooked the crashing surf of Hawaii.

I was here on a seven-day vacation and to teach a writer's workshop at the Ala Moana Resort Hotel. My roundtrip flight ticket and hotel bill were paid for by a poker tournament I had won at the Sahara Dunes Card Room near Elsinore, CA.

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As the American Airlines jet dropped flaps to approach the runway a giant rainbow appeared in the ocean. It stretched from Diamond Head to the sea. I wondered which side of the rainbow the pot of gold would be found.

I found my baggage in the terminal and was picking up my suitcases when an attractive woman approached me. She was carrying a sign that read HAWAIIAN WRITER'S CLUB, G. LAWRENZI.

'Are you Mr. Lawrenzi?' she said. I admitted I was.

'Welcome to Honolulu. 'I'm here to escort you to your hotel. We're looking forward to attending your writer's workshop.'

Her name was Mona. She was studying creative writing at the University of Honolulu. Several members of her class had signed up for the workshop, which had attracted 35 students.

It was Friday afternoon. The workshop was scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a conference room at the hotel. After that, I would spend the next six days basking in the sun of what Samuel Clements, aka Mark Twain, called the Rainbow Islands.

I thanked Mona for delivering me to my hotel and said I looked forward to teaching her and her classmates how to write. After unpacking my clothes, I headed to the lounge for a Mai Tai.

As I sipped the rum drink, I started up a conversation with one of the bartenders.

'Any poker action on the island?' I said.

He stopped wiping the bar. 'Plenty of poker action if you know where to look.

I reached into my pocket an produced a dollar bill...

'I might be persuaded to part with this generous tip if you could point me in the right direction,' I said.

He laughed and pushed the dollar back at me.

'Not necessary, friend,' he said. 'Come back to the bar around 8 p.m. One of the poker guys will be here. He hosts the games at his ranch. He'll fix you up.'

The fixer's name was Harry. He was a dark-skinned Hawaiian in a colorful shirt, Stetson and dark glasses. He had a ready smile and after analyzing me wanted to know if I was a cowboy.

'Well, some people have accused me of that,' I said. I told him I was on the island to conduct a creative writing workshop. That drew his interest. He said he owned a 50,000-acre cattle ranch and that he had toyed around with the idea of writing a book about his life.

''Now you're talking my language,' I said. 'I invited him to the workshop as my guest -- but only if he would let me play in his poker game.''

'No problem,' Harry said. 'You're invited. And I will be happy to pay the fee to participate in your workshop. I'll bring my wife along, too.'

The workshop was a great success. A total of 37 people showed up for it and we didn't finish until nearly 7 p.m., after which the students, facilitators and I retired to the lounge to watch the sun go down over the ocean.

Harry and his wife, a Hawaiian beauty named Lodi, bought the first round of drinks. He said a poker game was scheduled for that evening at his ranch. He glanced at his watch.

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'It's probably already starting,' he said. 'When I'm not there, my foreman, Bull Senlow, runs it.'

'What's the game?'

'Dealer's Choice. We play just about everything. The game can be big or small, depending on what the players want.'

Harry gave me directions on how to get to this ranch. I stayed around with the writing students until 9 p.m. before I left the hotel to drive to the ranch.

There were eight players seated at the poker table when I arrived. One seat was available and I took it. The other players included an attorney, a judge and an assistant police chief.

Harry joked, 'We keep him in the game so we won't be raided.'

The minim buy-in was $20. I bought in for $60 and the game began.

The players were great companions. Hary's wife served us drinks and a delicious beef appetizer made from a cow her husband had slaughtered. We played until around 1 a.m. and I cashed in for slightly over $300.

Harry decided against writing his book, but we remained friends and I played in another of his home poker games before my Hawaiian vacation ended. He and his friends played for fun, not money, and the game was great fun. He held an 'Aloha' party for me before I flew across the wide Pacific to home.

Harry and Lodi escorted me to my rented car.

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