My Winning Hand...The Luck Of The Draw

 Playing card games...for us, it's sort of a family tradition over the Christmas break. This year did not disappoint. We brought up the chips and the cards and had a great time. We also brought up a guide that tells us which hands are best, and which are crap. Later that night...

I had a great hand.

Growing up, we played card games, but not a lot of poker. It wasn't so much that we were against it, although, there is a running theme within our culture about the evils of face cards. That didn't make a lot of sense to me because other card games, PIT, Uno, and others have number cards, many of which have the same number of cards, 1-13, as face cards, 2-10/Jack/Queen/King/Ace. I suppose there's the stigma that they used face cards to gamble.

Gambling...not really my thing.

Thankfully.

We live in a non-gambling state. On the edge of our state, just past the state lines, there are gambling casinos. I've visited these establishments, even spent some money on the games...mostly the slots. I played slots because I don't really understand the bigger games. And I don't have a lot of money (either have or to lose...), to learn the table games.

But, our family does like playing a game of poker now and then. We tried experimenting with the different styles of the game, Texas Hold 'Em, and such. Didn't really take. Regular straight poker seems to be our jam.

When we played the other night, I got a good hand...one of the best. I play so infrequently that I had to check the paper to see just how good. Funny, whenever I played growing up, it seemed I always got better hands, and not just me, but everyone seemed to get better hands. I remember getting full house hands all the time. Nowadays, I get a pair about 90% of the time, and the other 10% is where I go for a straight or a flush and I get nothing. Occasionally, I'll get something better. I'm probably remembering things when I used to play differently.

Because we don't play that often, it may be a long time until I get such a good hand again.

But, who knows...? It may happen the next hand I'm dealt. Such is the luck of the draw.