When the last hand of the night was dealt the countdown clock on the bomb under the poker table read 0:05:01.

On the button in a $50/$100 no-limit hold'em game, I peel off the felt the worst possible poker hand, the [7d] [2h].

I look to my right and I check out the sitting ducks. Huey, Dewey, and Louie have all called.

Donald Duck's $50 Big Blind. I call, as does Daffy Duck, in the Small Blind. The Flop is [8c] [3h] [Jd]. The Ducklings bet, raise, and re-raise. I call. Three bets cold. Daffy and Donald drop out.

I have to face it. I am a beginner poker player. I just learned to play the game a few months ago when South Florida was hit by four devastating hurricanes in a row. Without lights, A.C. (unimaginable during the summer here), refrigeration, nor passable roads (most blocked by trees and debris), I spent many long hours being taught poker (by my son who had gotten swept into the craze.) We played cards by candlelight into the wee hours while sipping some wine (our only luxury) with chips and canned tuna.

The Marx Brothers Great American Entertainers & Gamblers "Outside of a book, a dog is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read." --Groucho Marx

The Marx Brothers were the greatest comedy group in the world before World War II. A classic American success story, the brothers were the sons of Jewish immigrants, Minnie and "Frenchie" Marx. They grewup in the streets of New York at the turn of the century.

My friend told me that his wife gave him an ultimatum. Since she just happened to be a very intelligent woman whom I have had the pleasure of meeting, I considered the source a good one. She extended him an opportunity to choose between his beloved cards/dice/horse-racing addictions or lose her to a "long shot"; new suitor. Well, since his marriage meant more to him than anything, he accepted the forced challenge. The specifics were somewhat garbeed but, there was a request to attend Gambler's Anonymous classes.

Last time I was telling you about a poker game at the old Golden Nugget and small pairs. Now back to the poker game a few years ago at the old Golden Nugget.

"That was a terrible call!" shouted my opponent as he stumbled away, busted from the nolimit hold'em tournament in its first half-hour. "How could you make that call?" I had just cracked his aces and sent him to the rail by flopping a straight to my 3-4 offsuit holding. Goodness, he must be right! What was I doing in the hand with 3-4 off?

Well, for starters, he slow played his aces, just flatcalling in early position. You know what they say...

It's refreshing and unexpected when the CEO of a major corporation is down to earth and a darnn nice guy. That's what we found with Greg Simko, CEO of US Playing Card, which is a 138-year-old company and the largest playing card maker in the world.

From the golden wheat fields of Eastern Washington, down the Columbia Gorge, passed the City of Portland, and west to the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River is an American Beauty. Today, the hands of poker players are all over her.

He was still talking about it when I sat down at the $4-8 Hold'Em table on a Saturday afternoon in late winter. His name was Warren and his friend's name was Rob. They had come to town for a convention and had decided to stay over and play a little low-limit poker. Both were twenty-something, good-looking, trim, and unmarried I surmised because they were freely able to stay an extra day or two. Warren told me I wouldn't believe it, but a few hands ago he had flopped Quads and Rob had hit runner-runner Quads to beat him!

The Improving Performance series focuses on limit Hold'em and is directed, for the most part, to intermediate players Players who know how to play but may well have collected a few bad habits along the way which prevent them from reaching a higher level of success. These bad habits, or leaks, are not the end of the world individually but when a player has several, their accumulated effect can really hold him back.