The Lonely Side of Vegas

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April 23rd, 2017
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After my divorce had become final, I decided to live a wild, single life -- and moved to Las Vegas.

Hey, I was young, reasonably talented as a writer, and felt I could find a decent job in the city that never sleeps. While strolling on the Strip one day, I discovered that job with Chuck DiRocco, publisher of a monthly gambling magazine. He hired me as a staff writer and I moved into an apartment just off Las Vegas Boulevard.

The Gold Coast was a popular casino that featured some good poker action. Bill Smith, who had won the World Series of Poker, played there along with his wife who worked as a cocktail waitress. I began hanging out there and found the action just fine for my methods.

One Saturday afternoon, I sat down to play $4-8 Hold'em with a kill. Tony, one of the regular players, nudged me.

'Check out that beauty,' he whispered, pointing at a girl sitting at another table. 'She's new and I will bet you she has a story to tell.'

The girl was in her late 20s. She had a fine face, was dressed well, and was polite to the other players and the dealer. She seemed well educated and somehow unsuited to be playing poker at the Gold Coast. Maybe that sounds weird, but it's the way guys felt about female poker players in the 1960s and '70s.

I decided to get to know her better and asked the floor man to switch me to her table.

Her name was Tina. She was from Tucson, AZ., where she worked in a hospital. She was studying to become a nurse practitioner.

She wasn't a particularly good poker player but she managed to hold her own. I asked her to join me for dinner and she accepted.

There over steaks and chardonnay, she told me her story.

She had a twin brother, Bill, who was a poker player. According to Tina, he was very good and wanted to teach her the game.

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'We kept making plans to sit down but kept putting it off,' she said. 'Bill joined the Army and was sent to Vietnam. We were very close. When I learned of his death in action, it devastated me.

'I kept thinking of things we could have done together. Oh, we did a lot of things growing up, but there was so much more we could have done. After attending his funeral, I started reading books on how to play poker. That is why I am here. In tribute to my brother.'

'Does that mean you don't plan to return?'

'You got that right,' she said, laughing. 'My nerves are on edge from the other players and this is my first and last attempt to play poker for money. I just wish it had been with my brother.'

Tina played until near midnight. Then, about $100 ahead, she tipped the dealer, picked up her chips, and began to leave the table.

Before she left, I raised my glass. 'To Bill,' I said. 'A national hero. And to his beautiful sister.'

Tears glistened as she acknowledged my tribute. The other players cheered.

'Thank you,' she said softly. She left and I never saw her again.

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