Some of the craziest and most outrageous things are said or happen in a game of poker. The following is a list of some of my favorites:
1. Amarillo Slim Preston has been quoted as sayingIf a woman ever wins the main event of the World Series of Poker, I'll cut my own throat." I approached him a few years back and asked him if he really said that. He claims he stated,If a woman ever wins the World Series, I'll eat my boot." As a female contender for this title, I hope to hand him a knife and folk on that fateful day.
2. In 1983 at the World Series of Poker a dealer was shuffling the deck. A card flipped up, way up, and it never came down. The deck was counted and one card was missing. That card was the ace of spades. All those who were paying attention were baffled. The action was stopped. The table, chairs and floor were searched. A new deck was brought in. Fifteen minutes later, a player reached into his shirt pocket for a cigarette. Out came his pack of cigarettes, his lighter and the ace of spades!
3. After a drunk had asked Dan A. to step outside to settle a dispute, Dan A. explained,The way we fight in the poker world is; I throw money at my lawyer, you throw money at your lawyer and whoever yells chicken first, wins. And of course, the lawyers always win!"
4.The next best thing to playing poker and winning is playing poker and losing," Johnny Moss.
5. I have often told the story of the origination of the term,The Nuts." I have even done it on camera (Ultimatebet finals, 2003.) Each time, without exception I have not given credit where credit is due. Binion's poker dealer Richard Tennenbaum told me the story many years ago. I want to publicly thank him for this bit of poker jargon history and also publicly give him credit. (Maybe he will stop bugging me now.) Richard's story goes like this,Back in the old west you have heard about gamblers betting the ranch by putting the deed in the pot. They also bet their wagon and team of horses. They couldn't physically put their ranch on the poker table and they couldn't put their horses and wagon in the pot. So, if they had a huge hand but they were out of money, they could bet their horses and wagon by putting the nuts from the wagon wheels in the pot, in lieu of cash. This assured that if they had the second best hand and lost, they couldn't take off, as their wheels would fall off. So, more often than not, they only bet thenuts" with the best hand! Did I mention that this is Richard Tennenbaum's story?
6. Whether it's an urban legend or a true story I do not know, but Gary Gallerie claims it's true. Bill Gates was in Las Vegas playing his usual low-limit game of hold'em. Doyle Brunson was in Las Vegas playing his usual high-limit game of hold'em. Gates sent a note to Brunson asking for an autograph. Brunson sent a note back to Gates inviting him to join their game and asking him for his autograph. Gates sent a note back to Brunson stating that he had considered stepping up in limits. He suggested Brunson change their $2,000-$4,000 game to one and two billion and then he would join the higher limit game and they could exchange autographs.
7. The flop came 5-K-J. When the novice called the pro's all-in bet with a king-8 off-suit, he caught an eight on the river to beat the pro's big slick. The novice said,I just knew you had a bigger kicker than me or a set." To which the pro politely responded,Good thing you didn't listen to yourself."
