Casino Workout

Got my lazy ass off the couch yesterday and headed to the casino to waste time, play cards, and burn off some calories. I read on a post at 140_or_over community that "every time you sit and watch tv and don't go and do some form of exercise you are coosing to be fat" (sic). So instead of playing $.10/$.25 PLO8 and watching movies on Lifetime, I drove out 40min to play $4/$8 limit Hold'em. I decided to go to the "nice" casino, which is essentially Las Vegas quality. I only had 1600 calories up to this point, so if I ordered Won Ton soup, I'd be under 2000, and I'd get some walking in too. Otherwise, I'd lie around, and end up eating more calories than I wanted to.

Anyway, when I finally got there, the walk from the parking lot to the Poker Room was a the furthest I've done since Vegas. Seriously, for a lot of people the most walking they do is in a casino, or when they go to Vegas. Really.

Every time I enter a local card room, I'm a little nervous about who I might see. This is because about two years ago, I was in excellent shape, and was about 12kg lighter. Since I gained the weight, I've been a recluse, and haven't gone to the casino. A lot of people at the Lucky Lady wonder where I've been. When my friends show up there they ask about me. My friends cover for me and say I'm playing online, which is true. They don't say he's a basket case, and is hiding because of his weight. Well, I guess I'm a little less worried now, because I've toned up a lot after the 1 month of hard training, and losing 4kg (almost entirely fat).

In fact, I immediately ran into Sonny at the $4/$8 game I sat down at. I can tell my the way he said "Hi", that I probably looked normal to him. Otherwise, I didn't recognize anyone else at the table, even though I found out they're all regulars (several times a week). It used to be that everyone knew me in a casino, and visa-versa. It'd be a little embarassing if I was with someone, and all the dealers would know me on a first-name basis.

Anyway, as the dealer Tom says (saw him last night), there's a whole "new generation of degenerates" following the amazing popularity of the World Poker Tour on television. Lots of 20-somethings showing up at graveyard for the all-night $1-$3 blind No-Limit Hold'Em game. They immediately fall into the black hole of the subculture, the parts that you don't see on television. Amazingly, you'll find college-age girls playing in these games too. That's something you didn't see a few years ago. In fact, you couldn't find a no-limit game anywhere in town either. And even in Vegas, there wasn't but a few, occasional no-limit games either. I remember we used to end our annual Vegas trip 7pm Sunday night at the Stratosphere, for the only No-Limit game we could find. Now there everywhere, and everyone is playing. I watched a little bit last night, after cashing out my $102 win at 3am, where there were three games going. There's no table chatter at those games. It's all stares, iPods, and hooded sweatshirts. Too much drama. Still, lots of small pots. But, often, people are making $50, or $100 bets. By this time of the night, some players have accumulated around $1000 in chips.

I love graveyard. I walked around some more, checking out the house tables out on the floor. Lots of degenerates still playing Blackjack, Pai-Gow, 3-Card Poker, and Casino War at $50 minimum tables. These are not the faces of vacationers in Vegas. These are the hardcore. Like me. You go to the casino to spend time there. You don't go to win or lose a target amount of money. You go because it's what you do, you know everyone there, they know you. They're essentially family. You've know these people for years. I guess it's like Cheers. It's a community.

I walked around some more, just looking at what everyone was doing. You see all types, and all stereotypes. People sitting joylessly, vaguely desperately punching buttons on their video machines. I walk by and look at the bet denominations. $1 Video Poker, with bad odds. $.10 machine with even worse odds. No one is standing around looking bored, or observing anything else than the repetition on their screens. I end up seeing a Poker dealer from the Lucky Lady, called Lam, that I know fairly well, and would have to say "Hi", if he saw me. He's playing something that wasn't Pai-Gow, which suprised me. I steer away from the table. Finally, I figure yet another circle of the pits might make me look a little strange, so I head to the walking sidewalks that go to the parking structure. I notice only a few other people trickling out. Only when you know you're leaving a casino do your senses come back. People finally start discussing hands. There's a feeling of relief, catharsis, to be finally leaving the casino.